Tempe, Arizona (NAPSI) - He’s a no-nonsense action star in the Expendables films and plays the hilarious Sgt. Terry Jeffords on “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” but behind the scenes, what Terry Crews likes to do most is sing.
“Believe it or not, I’m a huge musical fan—it’s something I’ve always wanted to do, and any time I get the chance to do something that involves singing and comedy, I just go all out,” says the multitalented star. So Crews couldn’t have been more delighted than to be offered the starring role of Bruce Onion in the newest VeggieTales movie, “Celery Night Fever,” available now on DVD and digital download.
Although he may be best known for playing a tough guy, Crews says he has a genuine soft spot for VeggieTales. “The thing I love the most is that VeggieTales has really, really superpositive messages that your whole family can understand-there’s comedy for the adults and there’s comedy for the kids,” Crews said in a recent interview for the brand.
Playing the role of the slightly sinister (but secretly sweet) Bruce Onion realized a longtime dream of Crews’ since all five of his children grew up watching VeggieTales. “I’ve been a VeggieTales fan for years—VeggieTales has been a part of my family for a long time. You have different benchmarks for your career, and being a character in a VeggieTales movie is a huge accomplishment. It means so much to me!
“When I tell my family the other things I’m doing, they say, ‘Oh, that’s nice, Dad, that’s cool.’ When I told them I was doing VeggieTales, they went crazy,” Crews said. “They were jumping around, and I thought, ‘You know what? This is what makes it all worth it, just to be able to tell them their dad is now part of this whole legacy.’ “
Crews doesn’t miss a beat when he’s asked about his favorite VeggieTales character: “LarryBoy was one of our favorites-we would run around the house singing the ‘LarryBoy’ song all the time.”
In “Celery Night Fever,” Crews’ character Bruce Onion begins as a real-estate tycoon who is intent on tearing down the Veggies’ beloved Celery Park to put up a parking lot. But there’s a reason for his mean spirit, one that dates back to his days as a failed disco musician. Ultimately, Bruce Onion realizes that if God can forgive others, everyone should, and that forgiveness is one of the most important virtues there is. “Bruce finally opens his eyes, and it turns out he’s not simply a bad guy.”
While his character may be an onion, Crews says the lesson Bruce learns is important to humans, too—especially kids, because it will be meaningful throughout their lives. “Bruce is a guy who had been counted out in his life, and now he has a chance to get some revenge on the people he thinks slighted him. I’ve seen in my own life that people can get really successful by following a feeling like that, but the problem is that even when you no longer need it, you stay angry and bitter. It makes you vulnerable, and you have to learn how to forgive and move past it to be truly happy. That’s a message I want kids to see and learn—everyone needs to learn it!”
“Celery Night Fever,” the newest VeggieTales movie, is available now exclusively on DVD and digital download.
