Marlon Wayans’s scream is cemented in the film canon, but laughter is what he hopes to be remembered for. The purveyor of horror-comedies—and comedy-comedies—returns with the sixth Scary Movie film this June, and will spend the rest of the year touring a show across the U.S. that promises both laughs and tears.
What are you looking forward to this year?
I’m looking forward to releasing Scary Movie on June 5. I can’t wait to experience this movie in theaters and to be able to sit in the back row listening to people laugh. The world needs this big-ass laugh.
What do you think is your biggest contribution to culture?
Laughter, my commitment to the arts, my growth, and goodness. My biggest contribution is making people feel good. We all die. One day, when I’m gone, people can look at my work and see that I was completely committed and gave 150 percent to make them smile and feel good. I’ll never die because anytime I make people laugh, I’m living. I’ll hear them from heaven.
What do you want to see more of in your industry? Less of?
I’d like to see more budding filmmakers that people take chances on, from all walks of life. I think the world needs more comedies. In terms of less of, uh, that’s hard for me to say because I appreciate all arts. There could never be enough artists. There could never be enough filmmakers. There could never be enough great TV shows and great concerts and I applaud all that, man, because that’s joy. There’s an artist inside each one of us. We could all take our pain and turn that into art for other people to embrace and heal.
What keeps you up at night?
Creativity, I can’t turn my brain off. I’m always thinking creatively, whether it’s for my stand-up, my next movie, a new TV show, or trying to build a business. Building a business is something I’ve always dreamed of doing, specifically building upon the Wayans’ brand. It’s very hard for me to go to sleep. Worry isn’t keeping me up, it’s creativity. I can’t shut this crazy brain off.
What is one work of art that got you through an important moment in your life?
The Bible. Through every moment of my life, the Bible has gotten me through. It especially guided me through healing after my parents passed. It led me to understanding and acceptance in grief. Grief taught me how important and necessary God is in your life. The Bible has given me so much strength, resilience, and wisdom, and I couldn’t be more grateful for that book. Before my father passed, I asked him, “What do I do when I miss you?” My dad said, “You pick up that book right there,” and he pointed to his Bible. He said, “When you get to know my father, you’ll get to know your father.” So far this year, I’ve read probably more than half of the Bible. My goal is to read the entire Bible from front to back. Then, I want to study it for the rest of my life.
What’s something people get wrong about you?
I don’t know, I’m pretty much an open book. People may think that I’m always on, or that I’m always being silly, funny, or crazy. In real life I’m actually pretty boring. I do very boring stuff. I’m not the life of the party… all the time. I have moments where I am, but I mostly take all my crazy energy to the stage or set so by the time I get back to real life, I just want to turn that frequency down. I want to golf, get massages, sit in the sun on the beach. I want to smoke a Liga Tridente cigar. I want to chill out. My life is about reading the Bible or a book. All of my excitement is on the stage, and I like to keep it that way.
When’s the last time you laughed hysterically?
The other day. Rick Alvarez, my producing partner, and I were pitching each other something for Scary Movie, and it made us laugh out loud. We’re working on some additional photography that made us laugh so hard. I hope it makes the movie so I can share it with you all.
What is your biggest vice, and your greatest virtue?
My biggest vice is probably my cigars. I smoke them more so because they relax me and allow me to meditate and think. I have a cigar company, Liga Tridente cigars. I think my greatest virtue is my commitment to whatever I say I’m going to do. I usually do exactly that. I get it done. I don’t make any excuses. I get it done at all expenses, with no complaints, and I do it with a smile.
What would you like the headline of your obituary to be?
He lived, he loved, he laughed.
What would you be doing if you weren’t working in your field?
Try to work in my field. [Laughs] This is all I would do. If I were to do anything else, I think I would be a lawyer. I admire their ability to move mountains for change and make such an impression on this world.
What grounds you and what invigorates you?
My kids ground me and invigorate me. Family is everything. God gave me this big, huge, crazy tribe, and it’s not just my kids, but my brothers and my sister’s kids that I have to be a light for. I assume that responsibility and it just tethers me to the ground and keeps me grounded. And at the end of the day, no matter how big of a star you are, all those titles—actor, producer, comedian—they mean nothing. The titles that really count to me are father, uncle, brother, son.
To read more from the 2026 CULT100 honorees, see the full list here.
in your life?
