Marlon Wayans debuted on the big screen the same year that Public Enemy released their legendary hip hop album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. Since then, Wayans has stopped at nothing, solidifying his place in Hollywood history alongside his older brothers by writing, producing, directing or acting in canonized comedies like In Living Color, The Wayan Bros., White Chicks, Scary Movie and A Haunted House.
Versatile on screen and off, Wayans recently took dramatic roles in Air, Respect and the Fresh Prince rerun Bel-Air, while also returning to stand-up. He signed a deal with the streaming service Max, and his most recent special, God Loves Me, is a poignant reflection on life through the lens of the 2022 Oscars slap. Wayans now comes to the Spokane Comedy Club for a two-night special event June 16-17. We called him up to get a glimpse into his family, his skin care routine and defiance toward anything trying to hold him back.
INLANDER: You're part of a family comedy empire. Is being funny genetic?
WAYANS: No, I think the point of view of learning to laugh at our situation — our hard situation — was infused in our DNA. It's either you live a life of crime or you find the humor in it. That's just the way we translated our experience. What's funny about the worst thing ever?
You and your brothers get talked about a lot. Are the Wayans women funny, too?
Oh, my sisters are hilarious. My sisters are so funny, but they actually would be canceled. We know how to tell the joke the right way. Kim knows how, too. But my other sisters — they crazy.
You're a writer — you're an extremely prolific writer. How did you learn to write?
I just always had a passion for it. And I think it was out of necessity. If I didn't write, I wouldn't have worked. I've written the majority of movies that I've been in. I've written and created because as an African American in the '90s in this industry, there wasn't a lot of roles. So we had to create them.
A lot of your comedy centers on race or the Black experience. Why?
I'm Black. And I wouldn't say a lot of it [centers on race]. I'm an equal opportunity offender. In my world, everybody gets it and I try to be even about the distribution of that. But of course, the African American experience for me, being that I am African American, I'm gonna pull from that and find humor in it. Because the world, for my people — we need to see the humor so we're not as angry. Sometimes comedy gives you the greatest lessons and greatest awareness of the dire things that are happening in the community, in a fun way. It's more digestible. Sometimes it's a lot louder. So for us, you know, you gotta speak your truth. I think Richard Pryor did it. I think we Wayans do it. I think Chappelle does it. Chris Rock. I think it's important for us to speak about the experience because the one thing a laugh does is — what's great about a great joke [is that] we could be on two completely different sides of the fence. But if I make you laugh, then you see my point of view and we agree on something.
Comedians are often fantastic in drama — you, Jordan Peele, Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig. Why? What's the throughline between comedy and drama?
With comedy, you're a fool at all times. There's a vulnerability that comedians have. We tend to go all out. When it comes to drama, you just scale back on the funny and you go on an internal journey to allow yourself to open up and be vulnerable. I think that courage translates.
You said that Chris Rock heckled you so badly that you quit stand up for 20 years. What got you back on the horse?
Revenge. No, I’m joking. When you love something so much, nothing should never stop you from doing it. That’s the realization I came to. But I’m grateful to have such a great obstacle, right? Where your ego’s bruised, your feelings are hurt and then you have to check your chin and go, how badly do you want this? Not everybody’s gonna love you as a comedian. You have to learn that. You have to continue to go. Nothing gets in your way. Your last experience is not the next experience. Never give up. And that was a great lesson for me. And I’m grateful to Chris for that.
What do you love about stand-up?
It’s fearless. I can’t take the jokes back. I said it now, I gotta live with it. I gotta believe it, and I gotta hope they land. It really works on your instincts, right? Your comedic instincts. What do you find funny? Can you craft that together in an instant on a stage? Can you write that joke? Will the audience appreciate it? And I just really, I love the art of it.
You wrote your special God Loves Me while you were onstage. Now you’re doing another tour, coming to Spokane. Are you writing another special right now?
Yeah. On stage! I like to write it onstage. There’s something to me about writing it onstage because I’m writing it in front of a paid audience, right? So that’s working. My instinct is just something about being fearless and allowing yourself to create right in front of people’s eyes and they not even know what you’re doing. You become like this magician. I really love the process. I create my own process. I don’t write it down no more. I just say it. I don’t tell jokes no more. I just tell the truth in a funny way.
You’ve been famous since you were a teenager. What’s allowed you to survive in Hollywood for so long?
I would say my hard work ethic. Continuing to allow myself to grow, elevation, not being comfortable where I’m at, picking up different skill sets. My brother said you have to be an undeniable force of nature in order to make it in this industry. And that’s what I’ve assigned myself to be.
What is your skin care routine? Because you look fantastic.
I use a lot of Dermalogica products, and I use some Aveda, Palmer’s cocoa butter. It’s a process. I use a lot of stuff. And I think it’s what you eat. And I work out — I make sure I work out at least five, six days a week. I think it’s what you put into your body. So I try to put good things in my body. Try not to go crazy on the meat, especially a lot of red. I do fish. I do a lot of vegetables and some fruit. I do cleanses. I think cleanses are important.
Your special is titled God Loves Me. Do you believe in God?
Absolutely. I think that there’s — some people call it the universe. I call it God because I know that something brought me here that’s special, that guides me, that whispers jokes to me, that continues to breathe life into me, that allows me to handle insurmountable odds and gets me through. I think we should all believe in something bigger than ourselves because we are not gods, but we can work our way to continue to be humble and serve God and to always be of service to people. ♦
Marlon Wayans • Fri, June 16 at 7:30 and 10:15 pm, Sat, June 17 at 7 and 9:45 pm • $45-$60 • Spokane Comedy Club • 315 W Sprague Ave. • spokanecomedyclub.com • 509-318-9888
