After three decades in the comedy spotlight, Marlon Wayans takes a bold leap into the horror genre with the film Him. Wayans expressed his gratitude to the film’s creative team for believing in his potential in this new role, stating, “I don’t know that I would have auditioned for it.”
The film, directed by Justin Tipping and executive produced by Jordan Peele, portrays Wayans as a legendary quarterback who mentors an emerging star in the football world, played by Tyriq Withers, as chaotic events unfold.
At the film’s Los Angeles premiere, Wayans elaborated on his transition to horror after a long-standing career in comedy, stating to The Hollywood Reporter, “I feel like now I’ve been doing it too long for me to have to show you guys what I do — I’ve played a white woman, I’ve played seven people in one movie, I’ve played a little person, I’ve played a junkie, I’ve played so many things it’s like bro pick one, what do you need? I can do it all.”
He reflected on the confidence the producers had in him, saying, “When they told me they wanted me to do it, they said ‘You’re the only guy, you are him.’ I was like ‘What do you mean?’ They’re like, ‘You’re one of one. You’re the only one who is doing what you’re doing at the level that you’re doing it.’ Other people have — Robin Williams, Eddie Murphy, Jim Carrey — but right now the world hasn’t seen your everything, so let’s go do it.'”
Director Tipping noted that given Wayans’ past roles in the Scary Movie franchise, this project felt subversive, remarking, “horror fans only knew him for the parody and it was like great, buckle up. I knew he had it in him, I just don’t think he had the opportunity to play this… he did Requiem for a Dream and never really got to do that again or expand on it and be front and center in a story.”
Wayans’ performance draws comparisons to films like Black Swan and Whiplash. Tipping described how the film explores the brutal realities of athletics, stating, “I felt like body horror was inherent in the game itself and we didn’t have to do anything crazy to achieve that; it’s just how you shoot it. The recovery that these professional athletes have to do to their body to just be consistently there, getting in basically a car wreck every weekend and then doing it again the next — the toll it takes on the body on a daily basis is already body horror.”
Further delving into the athletes’ psyches, Tipping noted, “I wanted to explore the psychology of these athletes and what it really does take to be the greatest of all time and how much you sacrifice, to the point that you may not recognize yourself anymore. That was a horrifying thought for me.”
Withers, who comes from an athletic background, expressed how the script resonated with him, stating, “after seeing the finished project I went nonverbal.”
Him is set to hit theaters this Friday, providing audiences a unique horror experience entwined with the world of sports.
Based on reporting by Hollywood Reporter. Read the full story at Hollywood Reporter.