Q&A; with the Wayans Brothers

By Desa Philadelphia; Keenen Ivory Wayans; Marlon Wayans; Sunday, June 20, 2004
    • Keenen Ivory Wayans directed and wrote, with brothers Marlon and Shawn, White Chicks, opening this week.

    You have spent a lot of time making fun of white chicks. Why did you want to be one?

    Keenen: What we try to do with our comedy is stay with the pop culture. Right now there is nothing more in-your-face than, say, the Hilton sisters and that whole Hamptons world.

    You wrote White Chicks together. Aren't you tired of one another by now?

    Shawn: No, we're each other's best friends. Keenen: They've been my boys their whole lives. Marlon: See that seat Shawn's sitting in [gestures to spot next to Keenen]? We used to fight over that seat. Shawn: We still fight over that seat, but now we take turns.

    How did you make sure you understood white chicks?

    Keenen: We hung out with them. Shawn: We watched Sex and the City, and we went to some clubs and hung out with those types of girls. Marlon: We went to dinner with some white girls, and all the sisters in L.A. were sitting there going "They sellin' out too? First O.J., then Bryant Gumbel, now the Wayans?"

    Are all the Wayans in Hollywood related?

    Marlon: We're the only Wayans with the last name Wayans. I think my grandma didn't like the spelling W-a-y-n-e-s and said, "I'm gonna change it up." Keenen: Anybody with our last name is related to us.

    Is there a Wayans who's an accountant?

    Keenen: That's the next generation. We gotta get some lawyers, some accountants, some M.B.A.s. Shawn: Everybody's in entertainment right now. We're a bunch of talented people who can't balance a checkbook.

    Were you all funny growing up?

    Keenen: These two guys were always a team. When I lost my virginity, I was baby-sitting them. Marlon was still in diapers. Shawn was about 3. I'm in the room trying to get my groove on, and I hear this little snicker. I look, and the two of them are standing in the hallway peeking in the door.

    Keenen, is it hard for you to direct your brothers?

    Keenen: They don't listen to me as a director. They listen to me as their big brother. Marlon: You forget your lines, you get punched in the chest. Shawn: You get put in a headlock and get a noogie when you show up late. But we always listen to Keenen. Always.