Honestly, if you close your eyes and think of 2004, you probably hear a piano riff. It’s that specific, high-energy tinkling of Vanessa Carlton’s "A Thousand Miles." Then, the image hits: a massive, muscular man in a convertible, veins popping, singing with the soul of a thousand heartbroken teenagers. Terry Crews in White Chicks didn't just play a character; he created a cultural landmark.
But here is the thing. Most people treat Latrell Spencer as a punchline. They see the "chocolate" jokes and the glow-sticks and think it’s just a goofy side role. It wasn't. For Terry Crews, it was the "do or die" moment that saved his career from a total nosebleed.
The Day Terry Crews Almost Quit Hollywood
Imagine being 6’2” and 245 pounds of pure muscle, but you can’t pay your rent. That was Terry in the early 2000s. He’d come off a stint in the NFL where he was basically a "journeyman"—a polite way of saying he got cut from the Rams, Chargers, and Redskins more times than he cares to count.
The day of the White Chicks audition was a disaster. Earlier that morning, he’d bombed a different audition so badly that the casting directors actually looked embarrassed for him. He sat in his car and told himself he was done. He was going to pack it up and go back to Flint, Michigan.
Then his wife, Rebecca, basically told him to get his act together.
He drove across town to meet Keenen Ivory Wayans. Because he felt like he had nothing left to lose, he went completely off the rails. He was loud. He was physical. He was absurd. He didn't know it yet, but he was exactly what the Wayans brothers needed to balance out the "whiteface" madness of the lead roles.
Why Latrell Spencer is More Than a Meme
People forget that Latrell is actually a professional basketball player in the movie. He’s the "ultimate" athlete, yet his entire personality is built on a bizarre, hilarious obsession with whiteness.
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The Real NFL Inspiration
In a 2025 podcast appearance, Terry finally dropped a bombshell: Latrell was based on a real NFL player he used to play with. He wouldn't name the guy—probably to avoid a lawsuit or a locker room fight—but he described a running back who would literally ask teammates to "tell that white girl she can have my number."
Terry took that real-life weirdness and cranked it up to eleven.
Physical Comedy and Hearing Loss
There’s a technical reason why Terry’s performance feels so different from everyone else’s. He’s actually spoken openly about living with sensorineural hearing loss. Because he’s had trouble hearing since his college days, he became an expert at reading lips and watching body language.
When you see Latrell’s face twitch or his eyes bulge, that’s not just "acting." It’s a skill Terry developed to survive social situations. He uses his whole body to communicate because, for a long time, he couldn't rely on his ears. In the White Chicks car scene, every single head nod was choreographed to a "T" in his hotel room. He spent weeks practicing that sequence until it was burned into his muscle memory.
That Iconic "A Thousand Miles" Scene
You’ve seen it. Your mom has seen it. Even people born ten years after the movie came out have seen it on TikTok.
Latrell is on a date with "Tiffany" (Marlon Wayans). He’s trying to be the suave, sophisticated billionaire, but then the song comes on. The contrast is what makes it legendary. You have this hyper-masculine, terrifyingly buff man becoming a total "fanboy" for a pop ballad.
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It was filmed in one take.
Terry knew that if he didn't nail the energy immediately, the joke would fall flat. He didn't just lip-sync; he performed. He turned the car into a stage. It’s the reason why, even in 2026, you can’t hear that song without seeing Terry’s face.
Is White Chicks 2 Actually Happening?
This is the question that keeps the internet alive. For years, Terry Crews was the biggest cheerleader for a sequel. He’d go on talk shows and swear it was in the works. Then Marlon Wayans would shut it down. Then Shawn would say maybe.
As of late 2025 and heading into 2026, the signal is finally turning green. Marlon Wayans confirmed that after he finishes Scary Movie 6, a White Chicks sequel is the next priority.
But there are hurdles. Huge ones.
- The Makeup: Marlon famously hated the seven-hour makeup process. He’s called it "harrowing."
- The Climate: Would a movie about "whiteface" fly today? Marlon says yes, arguing that people are tired of being "scared" to laugh.
- The Cast: You can't have the movie without Terry. Luckily, Terry has basically said he’d show up for free (though he definitely makes more than the $4,000 he got for Friday After Next these days).
The "Post-Movie Depression" You Never Knew About
One of the most human things Terry Crews has ever shared is that he actually got depressed after White Chicks finished filming.
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He called it a "flow state." On set, the energy was so high and the creative chemistry with the Wayans family was so perfect that when he went home, the silence felt deafening. He was terrified he’d never hit that peak again.
It’s a weirdly vulnerable admission for a guy who looks like he’s made of granite. It shows how much he poured into Latrell. He wasn't just "collecting a check." He was finding himself as an artist after years of being treated like a piece of meat on a football field.
Actionable Takeaways for the Superfan
If you're going back to rewatch the movie or if you're just a fan of Terry’s trajectory, keep these things in mind:
- Watch the eyes: During the dinner scene, look at how Terry watches Marlon’s lips. Knowing about his hearing impairment makes you realize how focused he actually is on the "act" of listening.
- The "Chocolate" Ad-libs: Most of Latrell’s weirdest lines were improvised. The Wayans brothers gave him the freedom to just be a freak, and that’s where the magic happened.
- Check the 2026 Slate: Keep an eye on the production schedule for Scary Movie 6. Once that wraps, the White Chicks 2 news cycle is going to go nuclear.
Terry Crews in White Chicks is the ultimate proof that you can be typecast as a "tough guy" and still completely subvert it. He took a role that could have been a forgettable stereotype and turned it into the reason he’s a household name today.
Basically, we all owe a debt of gratitude to that one unnamed NFL running back who was weird enough to inspire the greatest comedic performance of 2004.
To dig deeper into this era of comedy, you can track the production updates for the upcoming Wayans projects on industry trades or follow Terry's social media, where he still frequently posts "A Thousand Miles" throwbacks for his 20 million+ followers.