By Karu F. Daniels, AOL Black Voices

During a recent fall afternoon visit to the nation's capitol, Tichina Arnold and Terry Crews took up an afternoon of company with a group of headstrong teenagers.

The fact that the kids were talented wasn't too much of a departure for the two beloved stars of The CW hit series 'Everybody Hates Chris,' either.

As the matriarch and the patriarch of the show's three precocious children, the two acting vets seemed quite at home, as they were joined by show creator Ali LeRoi in discussing the ins and outs of breaking into Hollywood during an acting workshop at Washington DC's Duke Ellington School of the Arts.

"What's so wonderful about this thing is that you really talk from the heart to these kids, and tell them the things you wish somebody had told you," Crews shared with The BV Newswire after the event. "To be honest, we didn't have anybody telling us this stuff, it was trial by fire."

During the informative Q&A session – which even included Crews dancing and Arnold singing – back-stories of auditioning for agents and honing craft became query-provoking subject matter for the captive audience of roughly 200 students majoring in acting and other related areas.

Arnold, who starred in the movie musical 'Little Shop of Horrors' at age 15, spoke candidly about not be able to find work for ten years after 'Martin.' This was a grim reality that the Queens native had to face – even after wowing daytime television audiences in two top-rated soap operas, which actually lead to her memorable part as Pam on the Martin Lawrence-helmed hit series.

Aside from the fact that she agrees the rambunctious role did typecast her, she admitted that her business affairs weren't up to snuff either.

"It's not so much political as if you're the only one in your camp working hard and everybody else is just gliding through," she surmised. "Then you're not going to be productive."

The Chris Rock-produced 'Everybody Hates Chris,' which kicked off its third season Oct. 1, represented a career resurgence for the single mother of one. "Right now, God has given me a second chance at another good show," she confided. "Not too many people get second chances and everybody doesn't get second opportunities... being a part of this show has brought that respect for me to make sure that I do everything possible to enhance it, do the things that I need to do to make it better for myself and make Tichina as a trademark and not so much me having another job."

Crews, who broke through the ranks of playing big bulky background players thanks to his role in 2004's slapstick Wayans Bros. comedy 'White Chicks,' talked of hitting rock bottom after his pro football career ended. The married father of five children struggled to put food on the table before getting bit by the acting bug and taking on marginal roles.

Though he continues to appear in a string of movies starring box-office icons Eddie Murphy ('Norbit'), Adam Sandler ('Click'), and Steve Carrell ('Get Smart'), the Flint, Michigan native likens 'Everybody Hates Chris' to a "minor miracle."

"Look at how shows are getting canceled; nobody knows what the climate is," he said, adding, "and for us to be the only black family show on television, I understand what this is about. I understand what this is. It fills a void. There's a need for our show. People love to watch it."

"And no matter what ratings say," he added, "the fact that we are still here, the fact that we're still putting good work that I can be proud of on, it means the world to me."

According to LeRoi, the new season of 'Everybody Hates Chris' will build on the same stories as before but with an emphasis on focusing on telling real teenage stories.

"Chris is going to get his first kiss this year," the Chicago native titillated. "We got a little cliffhanger all the way at the end of the season, so we're really going to try to develop the storylines and up the ante and keep coming."

He also revealed that popular black TV sitcom veterans such as Todd Bridges ('Diff'rent Strokes'), Anna Maria Horsford ('Amen') and Johnny Brown ('Good Times') will also appear on this season. "We're doing some cool things... it's a multigenerational show."

VIDEO: Terry Crews dances, Tichina Arnold sings & Ali LeRoi enlightens.