Just because he happens to be the writer and star's brother didn't mean he would be hired. Marlon Wayans reveals power move he pulled while having to audition for his brother Damon's movie Just because he happens to be the writer and star's brother didn't mean he would be hired. By Raechal Shewfelt :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/RaechalShewfeltauthorphotoc49d3a3b6aa442f588f2bbc0de804e09.jpg) Raechal Shewfelt Raechal Shewfelt is a writer at . She has been working at EW since 2024. Her work has previously appeared on Yahoo and in American Journalism Review and The Shreveport Times.

Just because he happens to be the writer and star's brother didn't mean he would be hired.

Marlon Wayans reveals power move he pulled while having to audition for his brother Damon's movie

Just because he happens to be the writer and star's brother didn't mean he would be hired.

By Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt is a writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2024. Her work has previously appeared on Yahoo and in American *Journalism Review* and *The Shreveport Times*.

EW's editorial guidelines

on February 3, 2026 12:06 p.m. ET

Leave a Comment

Damon and Marlon Wayans played brothers in 1992's 'Mo' Money'. Credit:

Michael P. Weinstein/columbia

Marlon Wayans hasn't forgotten what his big brother Damon put him through for a part in the 1992 film *Mo' Money*, which Damon wrote, starred in, and executive-produced.

"'Look, I'm going to be honest. You're not gonna get the part,'" Marlon said while impersonating his older brother on a recent episode of *Big Boy's Neighborhood*. "First of all, I never thought we looked alike."

The pair, who have eight other siblings, were supposed to play brothers in the action comedy that also starred future *Clueless* actress Stacey Dash.

"But to be very honest with you, I think you're funny, but I want Kadeem Hardison," Marlon continued in his Damon voice.

As it turned out, though, Marlon was told that Hardison turned down the offer because he was on TV's *A Different World*, and Damon said his movie wasn't working with the budget of a hit show.

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.*****

There was interest in actor Claude Brooks, Marlon recalled, noting that Damon said the *Amen* and *True Colors* actor looked similar-ish to him.

"I don't think his ears are big enough to be my brother, so you have a shot," Marlon recalled being told. He said he was instructed to focus on making his brother laugh, because the others in the room "don't know what's funny."

Where is the 'Scary Movie' cast now? See the parody's original stars ahead of the reboot

Marlon Wayans responds to criticism after flubbing Golden Globe nominee names

Marlon took that as a challenge, and went even further.

"I didn't do his jokes. I went in there, and I wrote brand new stuff on top of his jokes," Marlon said. "So I gave him something different that he didn't write, because he's already expecting what he wrote. So if I give him something different, and I make him laugh with that, now he knows he has another writer on the set. So I'm not just coming in there as his little brother, just saying the words. No, he knows that, 'Hey, I can give you the ball and, even if you don't have that shot, you can create off the dribble."

Even before he went in, Marlon knew he was on the right track.

Marlon Wayans and brother Damon Wayans accept the NAACP Awards Hall of Fame award on Feb. 22, 2025 in Pasadena, Calif.

Paras Griffin/Getty

He remembered that his "best friend" Omar Epps, who had also planned to try out for the part, was impressed by all his effort.

"He saw all the squiggly lines and he was like, 'Oh, I'm not even going to audition,'" Marlon explained. "I said, 'Why?' And he said, 'You got this part. This is yours.'"**

It was his, and Marlon and Damon Wayans have continued to collaborate with their siblings over the years. The two of them worked together last year, when Marlon appeared on *Poppa's House*, the CBS sitcom that starred Damon and Damon Wayans Jr.

Listen to Marlon Wayans recall how he convinced his brother to hire him in the clip above.

- Comedy Movies

Original Article on Source

Source: "EW Comedy"

Read More

---

Source: Comedy

Published: February 07, 2026 at 10:38AM on Source: PRIME TIME

#ShowBiz#Sports#Celebrities#Lifestyle