Terry Crews loved filming White Chicks so much he got depressed after

Terry Crews has a number of much-beloved projects under his belt, but there’s a special place in his heart (and the heart of fans everywhere) for White Chicks. In a recent Q&A hosted by G/O Media and attended by The A.V. Club, Crews revealed that the Wayans Brothers’ movie was just as much fun to make as it is to watch. “The term is flow,” he said, explaining the sensation of being part of a project where everything feels right and falls perfectly into place.

“That’s how it was on that movie. Everything worked. I felt like, ‘Holy cow.’ I’ve never felt that kind of flow again. So much that a depression followed after it. Isn’t that wild?” He admitted. Crews likened the sensation to rock stars finishing a tour and craving the sensation of being on stage but being unable to recapture the feeling. “That’s how I felt when I was home after shooting that movie. … I thought that was it. I was going, ‘Oh my God,’ the fun, the laughs. I said, ‘I don’t know if I’ll ever have that again.’ And it scared me. And I got depressed. Even my wife was like, ‘Terry, something’s wrong.’ I was like, ‘I know!’ I said, ‘I’ve just gotta get back to it.’”

The Brooklyn Nine-Nine alum said therapy helped him deal with the “scary” feeling of reaching a high at work and wondering if he’ll ever feel that way again. “But that was the wild thing about doing that movie. It was—and then when it came out. So you’ve gotta understand, all the depression happened, and it wasn’t even out yet! That’s how I knew, I was like, ‘I can’t wait for people to see this movie, oh my God!’ And then when it came out, my life changed overnight,” he said. People began approaching him to share their memories of the movie: “And wait—this is several generations now. You know what I mean? Like, every year somebody turns 13, and they watch White Chicks for the first time.”

The most notable experience was when his 20-year-old daughter shared with him footage of a White Chicks screening at her college. “And they didn’t know that she was my daughter. But there they are, on the roof of this building. And we’re talking about years later. We did that movie in 2004! You know what I mean? And the fact that they were all—she showed me a video—laughing, cracking up,” he recalled. “And she was like a baby, on set, she was like 8 months old, couldn’t walk. And there she is, 20 years old, in college, watching this thing, and I’m going, this is so powerful. This flow moment continues. And it continues for millions and millions of people all over the world.”

Crews has since learned how to “catch flow in the smallest things, as well as the biggest things,” like when he’s hosting America’s Got Talent. “I’ve reached the point now where I’m just thankful to be at this stage of my career, because there were so many times I was just anxious and nervous about everything. And now I’m like, you know, if it works, cool, if not, we’ll try again, you know? It’s another day.”

“I feel lucky, I feel blessed and lucky, and this is why I’m so appreciative of this business and appreciative of the chance and opportunities that I get,” shared the actor, who said he originally pursued an athletic career to get out of the difficult circumstances in his hometown of Flint, Michigan. “I’m the most grateful man in Hollywood. It’s impossible to be more grateful than me. Because I know what could have happened.”