Man of Many Talents
As Marlon Wayans reflects on his decades-long journey, he feels he has so much more still to give.
Marlon Wayans has been making folks laugh out loud for more than 30 years. Whether he’s on screen, on stage, or behind the scenes, he has enjoyed longevity in an unforgiving entertainment world. And, in a way, he feels that he’s just getting started.
Wayans, now 50, certainly has been busy of late. In March, his latest HBO comedy special, God Loves Me, debuted. He’s also appearing in the Nike-inspired movie Air, and is in the midst of a stand-up tour that included a recent performance at Philadelphia’s Rivers Casino.
“It’s therapeutic,” he says of his stand-up performances. “I do therapy, too, but the beauty of this is I don’t get charged by a therapist; I charge people and I’m my own therapist.”
We spoke with Wayans days before he embarked on the tour to discuss his career, the legacy of his comedic family, and why he will never let someone else outwork him.
Q&A
What do you enjoy about performing after all these years?
That I still love it. I think the time on stage really starts working your comedic instincts and you really start getting the science of comedy down. My audience grew with me. When I first started I was 19 years old, straight out of college—not even finishing college—and was thrust in front of the world, me and my brother [Shawn].
What do you enjoy about performing after all these years?
That I still love it. I think the time on stage really starts working your comedic instincts and you really start getting the science of comedy down. My audience grew with me. When I first started I was 19 years old, straight out of college—not even finishing college—and was thrust in front of the world, me and my brother [Shawn].
Most artists get 20 years to develop; we had to get seasoned in front of the world. It’s sink or swim, and we went through a lot. I’m finally at a place where I can do drama, I can do comedy—broad comedy, physical comedy, subtle comedy, romantic comedy, stand-up comedy—I can do characters, monologues … and I can write and produce. Now it’s all coming together, and I think it’s at the right time.
Coming from such a talented family, was there any pressure to keep the family legacy going?
Absolutely. Over the years, we’ve done so much, and I’m looking forward to going back and reinventing some of the things that we did, some of the classics, and bring them back. I feel the world needs our type of humor, so we are going to try and do more of it as big as we can.
Absolutely. Over the years, we’ve done so much, and I’m looking forward to going back and reinventing some of the things that we did, some of the classics, and bring them back. I feel the world needs our type of humor, so we are going to try and do more of it as big as we can.
While you certainly didn’t have to look far for inspiration, who were the folks outside of your family that influenced you?
Eddie Murphy. Richard Pryor. Jim Carrey. Robin Williams. I love versatile actors that can do it all—make you laugh and cry in the same scene. That’s the superpower, to be able to hit those different gears. It’s an art and you have to learn that, and it takes time. I’m 30 years in and I understand the game from a different perspective. It’s like a Rubik’s Cube; now I got all six sides, and I just look forward to mixing it up and doing it over and over again.
Eddie Murphy. Richard Pryor. Jim Carrey. Robin Williams. I love versatile actors that can do it all—make you laugh and cry in the same scene. That’s the superpower, to be able to hit those different gears. It’s an art and you have to learn that, and it takes time. I’m 30 years in and I understand the game from a different perspective. It’s like a Rubik’s Cube; now I got all six sides, and I just look forward to mixing it up and doing it over and over again.
You’ve achieved success on both the big and small screen. Do you enjoy stepping out of your comfort zone and tackling these more serious roles?
I just want to be one of those guys that wherever I go, you’re going to follow because you trust that I’m going to give you something excellent. It doesn’t matter if it’s drama or comedy, I put the same amount of energy and the same amount of care and excellence into doing each thing equally as well. I want to showcase all my talents and work hard. I’m always trying to impress, and I’m always staying hungry. It’s rare to find guys with the skill set that I’ve acquired over the years through practicing, learning, hard work, discipline, and doing that every day without being asked. … The greatest [thing] to me is the journey and that God gave me the ability to do what I love, which is to make people laugh, make them cry, make them feel, and make them think.
I just want to be one of those guys that wherever I go, you’re going to follow because you trust that I’m going to give you something excellent. It doesn’t matter if it’s drama or comedy, I put the same amount of energy and the same amount of care and excellence into doing each thing equally as well. I want to showcase all my talents and work hard. I’m always trying to impress, and I’m always staying hungry. It’s rare to find guys with the skill set that I’ve acquired over the years through practicing, learning, hard work, discipline, and doing that every day without being asked. … The greatest [thing] to me is the journey and that God gave me the ability to do what I love, which is to make people laugh, make them cry, make them feel, and make them think.
The world has changed a lot since you first got into the business. Is being a comedian harder these days in this cancel culture era?
I don’t pay attention to it. For me, I know that people like to smile. I think cancel culture only exists because of social media. Once we get off social media, there’s no such thing as cancel culture. It’s fabricated. Social media is trying to take away our right to have differences of opinion. We’re not computers, we’re not AI, we’re not all supposed to think alike. There is no such thing as appropriateness in comedy. I think it’s OK to take some chances.
I don’t pay attention to it. For me, I know that people like to smile. I think cancel culture only exists because of social media. Once we get off social media, there’s no such thing as cancel culture. It’s fabricated. Social media is trying to take away our right to have differences of opinion. We’re not computers, we’re not AI, we’re not all supposed to think alike. There is no such thing as appropriateness in comedy. I think it’s OK to take some chances.
This is what I do for a living, so I’m not going to let someone come in and tell me how to do it. … Anyone that tries cancel me—well, they weren’t my audience in the first place.
Photo by Troy Conrad
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life magazine, May 2023.
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life magazine, May 2023.
