Marlon Wayans Says He Doesn't Write His Material Until He Steps Out on Stage

Earlier this year, Marlon Wayans' father, Howell, died, and the news landed between a pair of Marlon's shows at Flappers Comedy Club in Burbank, California. Wayans still went out on stage and talked about the devastating news to an audience of fans, turning one of life's saddest moments into another example of his resiliency and dedication to his comedy.

"I've learned that in my set, it's OK to talk about grief," he says. "The audience needs it as much as I do."

Stand-up has always been part of Wayans' life, as part of one of the most famous funny families of the modern era. His own career has taken him to writing and starring in feature films such as the first two Scary Movie comedies, G.I Joe: The Rise of Cobra and Requiem for a Dream, plus shows In Living Color, The Wayans Bros. and Bel-Air. He'll perform on Sunday, Sept. 17, at The Majestic.

"Even when I'm doing movies, I'm doing stand-up on the weekends," he says. "It reminds me to think funny. When I'm on a movie set, especially when it's a comedy, it's good to do stand-up because you can use your crew as your audience and I'm not just there to do a scene but also to make folks laugh and it's a way to continue to get better.'

The Writers and Actors Guild strikes have put every major production on hold, preventing Wayans from talking about new film or TV projects. However, he says the strike is "necessary," given the dwindling wages going to creators even as studios and streamers rake in billions in profits.

"There's a whole lot of other professions where people are making a whole lot of money," he says. "There's no reason why actors should starve. We've been watching basketball players and baseball players make astronomical numbers. We're not doing that. It's a business. We give entertainment and we're responsible for a lot of these companies that make hundreds of billions of dollars a year. It's only right we get our fair share."  Getting more chances to perform also means he'll have more chances to hone his material for his next special. Wayans says he likes to write the majority of his material on stage.

"I'll come up with a concept, but I don't write the joke out," he says. "I do it on stage while the audience is watching. I've learned how to write on stage."

Performing off the cuff not only gives him the chance to hone his material but also makes each show new and unique for each audience.

"I always do new stuff," he says. "I'm always tweaking and trying new things like a scientist with all these different formulas, and sometimes they blow up in your face but you keep trying."

A lot of his material comes from experiences with his family — from his childhood with his equally funny and famous siblings — Shawn, Damon, Keenan Ivory and Kim — to his two children, who are carving their own path in entertainment.

"My brothers did it, my sister did it, so it was just natural for me to start doing it too," Wayans says. "There's a lot of fear involved. Once I started doing it, I was like I know how to ride this bike and I was doing all kinds of tricks."

Wayans says his son is starting to show an interest in the film business but not in comedy.

"It's funny because I don't think they want to do comedy," he says of his kids. "What they want to do is film and write. My son wants to do horror and thrillers. He's got a darker sensibility. I've read two of their scripts, one was a horror and the other was a thriller. He's a good writer, and whatever he wants to do, I'll support it. Don't be me, be you."

Comedy isn't the torch Wayans wants to pass to his children. Just like his storied family, he wants them to find their own path because it makes the work more meaningful and personal.

"I just want to give you a show," Wayans says. "It's about discovering myself and that's the best connection I have with people."