https://vimeo.com/120374610
The road to the Richard Pryor biopic has been a long and twisted one with many names attached to play the legendary comedian. Mike Epps won in the end, but it wasn’t an easy victory. This unreleased audition for Marlon Wayans shows just how tough the competition for the role was before the production found its legs.
Now, this is the moment where I cry foul at Mike Epps being cast and call Wayans performance riveting, but I’m not going to do that. It’s a perfectly fine performance, and it’s nice to see the guy behind White Chicks and Little Man show he’s still got the acting chops he flexed in Requiem for a Dream. The best thing I can say about this audition is that it’s something I could see myself watching, AND that it’s nice to see Omar Epps has crawled away from the cruel tutelage of Gregory House.
That said, I’m one of the mob that’s burnt out on biopics. They’re alright when they are well made, but every famous person in history is going to have a biographical movie here soon.
(Via: Tambay Obenson / Okayplayer)
