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Why G.I. Joe's Marlon Wayans isn't kidding around this time
Marlon Wayans, who plays Ripcord in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, told reporters that he's playing a legitimate action hero this time around, no kidding. That means that he may crack wise, but he's not clowning his way through the action.
"It's all about being credible," Wayans said in a group interview on Tuesday in Beverly Hills, Calif. after a press conference for Dance Flick. "For me, I would love people to be able to cross genres and do it in a way where your audience believes you and you're appropriate."
Wayans added: "For G.I. Joe it was all about me being appropriate and just being mature about my decisions of when to be funny and when not to be. It's always a challenge. They may try and put you inside of a little box, but I know that, talent-wise, I look at my filmography and I'm able to do a lot. I've played a junkie in Requiem [for a Dream], a white woman in White Chicks. I played a little person in Little Man. I played a weedhead in Scary Movie. Now I get to finally play a hero, and I get to play a hero with some humor."
And Wayans wasn't just pretending to play action hero: He did many of his own stunts, which felt pretty real, he said. "Yeah, I did actually most of it, unfortunately," he said. "It was scary as hell hanging from a 20-story building."
Coming from smaller-budgeted comedies, Wayans found the set of Joe an eye-opener. "Oh, it's a $200 million movie, 190 or something crazy like that," he said. "For me it was like, 'Wow.' Just checking out what kind of craft service they had was something special. The makeup trailer was as big as my house. It was a whole 'nother different production. But I've got to say that most of it, and the value, is on the screen. When you see the stuff from the movie, every piece of material I saw on it blows me away. I'm just going, 'Wow, I'm in that.'"
Still, Wayans promises he gives the same quality performance as he did in the $19 million-budgeted Scary Movie. "No, it doesn't change the work," he said. "It makes you work harder, because you know you have this huge budget on your head, and it makes everybody more on point and nobody slacks, but you get really cool costumes, you get incredible gadgets, and you get stuff that you ain't gonna get for $19 million. I can't see them making the kind of aircraft that they made for G.I. Joe for $19 million."
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra opens Aug. 7.
By BrianaMJ at 9:00 AM ON 05/20/09
Yeah. I'll believe it when I see it.
By MrBender at 9:19 AM ON 05/20/09
Trailers don't make it look that great. I can see it maybe making $100 mil tops, but I doubt it'll get it's $200 mil back. Franchise isn't a established as some others.
By xdeathknightx at 9:33 AM ON 05/20/09
I hope he didn't use too much comedy, but in Requiem for a Dream he showed he can take on serious roles
By Goddevil at 9:48 AM ON 05/20/09
I think that they are going to ruin GI Joe. With Wayan's being in it is one good example. And those stupid robot suit things they are going to wear how craptastic is that? The trailer makes the whole movie look like it is giong to be horrible.
By HeathMarin at 12:10 PM ON 05/20/09
One of the biggest points in GI Joe was the unrealistic technology they used to beat Cobra. The vehicle the body armor and other "props" are irrelevant, is the story good, is the acting on par with action movies or are you looking to see oscar winning emotion is a cartoon based action flick. The suits fit the "mythology" of the GI Joe "universe". And the trailer is action packed, why else would you watch a GI Joe movie other than to see them blow up a bunch of stuff.
By IsoTek at 12:51 PM ON 05/20/09
Methinks Mr. Marlon takes himself a little too seriously. This is G.I.Joe, basically a live action version of the 30 minute cartoon advertisement for the toys. It's not Tolstoy, just shoot the movie and have fun for God's sake and stop with the explaining yourself to everyone. It is good however to see him doing other things than those stupid movie spoofs.
By Shaun at 6:25 PM ON 05/20/09
I'm looking forward to this movie, and Mr. Wayans in it. "Requiem..." was excellent, if very depressing. He's a good actor, so give him, and it, a chance.
By Shaun at 10:21 PM ON 05/20/09
i am not impressed by marlon wayans.
By keb at 10:59 PM ON 05/20/09
Yea, I can't take Marlon Wayan' seriously and I wish the movie looked more like the cartoon. Putting everyone in black suites is boring to me. Also I don't remember those suites from the series either.
By Black Jesus at 1:09 AM ON 05/21/09
I think everyone talking about GI Joe getting ruined should go to youtube and check out an episode or 2. If you think this movie will be worse than the what came before you've lost your damned minds. GI Joe was the defining toy of my childhood but I'm not lying to myself that It would hold up still.
By Akuma63 at 6:27 AM ON 05/21/09
Fear the movie will pale next to GI Joe: Resolute, and if the Action Figure of Cobra Commander is accurate it does not instill much confidence. Action without a coherent story does not a good film make.
By the joe bot 34 at 10:52 AM ON 05/28/09
you just mud cuz you at in it Marlon Wayan' in it and he gong to make the move good you don;t like black you gay keb and do,t be a lame like akuma63
By GQ at 8:45 AM ON 06/02/09
Yo, joe bot - how long you think that post is gonna stay on here? :o-)
By Mike at 12:13 AM ON 07/14/09
Actually, Marlon Wayons is about the only thing that I'm NOT concerned about. He was excellent is "Requiem" and I know he takes his roles very seriously (the mere fact that he s small guy and was willing to do his own stunts is impressive).
What worries me is rest of the cast, the costumes and the unthrilling trailer... Seriously, a GUY movie staring the kid from Step Up...
By Day at 7:32 PM ON 07/24/09
It would be kinda hard seeing this movie and expecting nothing but action from Marlon. Am just so used to seeing him as the comedian he truly is, how possible that u can go from being funny to entirely being serious, i mean the guy is full of comdeic sarcasm. I wonder how he is going to be serious. Looking forward to the movie. Suprise me Marlon and a big fan of Adewale he's always serious, compare to Marlon.
By wolf at 1:40 PM ON 08/08/09
I enjoyed the movie. Who in there right mind expects GI Joe to be anything like the joe 20 years ago. People grow up and have children. The appeal mainly chases the new generation. Old money just lingers in the background still trying to preach old ways but anxiously awaiting the bottom line profit made on the generation of today with their gadgets and need to progress with the least amount of sweat. Flash and gadgets sell.
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wolf:
I enjoyed the movie. Who in there right mind expects GI Joe to be anything like the joe 20 years ago. People grow u...More »