Terrence J, best known as the former host of BET’s “106 & Park,” proved that patience really can pay off. For his role in the 2012 romantic comedy “Think Like a Man,” he agreed to a deferred payment. This decision ultimately netted him a cool $1 million.
Forward Thinking
The film, inspired by Steve Harvey’s book and produced by Will Packer, was made on a modest $12 million budget but became a box office hit, grossing nearly $100 million worldwide. Despite playing a standout supporting role as Michael Hanover, “the mama’s boy,” Terrence J wasn’t paid much upfront.
By accepting the deferred payment, Terrence J took a risk on the movie’s success, and to his advantage it earned him $1 million.
During an episode with his co-host Cam Newton for the “Funky Friday” podcast, a clip published on Aug. 3, Terrence J explained how he took a sick day from his BET day job in NYC to fly to Los Angeles for an audition.
To his surprise, the audition turned out to be a table read, when actors read aloud from the script to test their chemistry. He was even more surprised to find Taraji P. Henson, Meagan Good, and Gabrielle Union as his reading partners for the tryout.
“Taraji P. Henson is sitting over here. Meagan Good is right here. Gabrielle Union is right here,” said Terrence J, who today has an estimatd net worth of $4 million. “I’m like, ‘What table read is this?’ Like, ‘What is going on?’ I’m thinking it’s like an audition, but everybody is in the room. So I got these shades on. I take my shades off. I’m looking around and everybody starts reading off of the paper, and I just go in and start saying everything like I’m acting in the thing. I’m auditioning in the room.”
In addition to the women, Kevin Hart, the film’s lead, was impressed by Terrence J, whom he hadn’t known could act.
“The table read is over. I look over. Kevin Hart is sat. He’s like, ‘Man, I don’t know who you are, but you crushed that. I don’t know you as an actor, but I seen you on TV, but you crushed that.’ And I got the role.”
The rom-com earned $96 million worldwide in its theatrical ruin and opened a lot of doors for the host, including starring in the movie’s 2014 sequel, “Think Like A Man, Too,” and “Perfect Match.”
Of course, the negotiated deferral also was a life-changing experience, as Terrence J told Newton he had never conceived of getting paid that amount in his career.
“I opened up my mailbox one day — and that’s why I always got to give credit to Will [Packer] and Steve Harvey and all those guys,” he said. “I had a check for a million dollars. … I never seen anything like it. I’m from a small town in North Carolina. … I never seen anything like that … don’t know any millionaires … didn’t know anybody. I went to a Black college. … I didn’t know what it even was. And so it changed my life.”
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