CINEAVIEW EXCLUSIVE WITH THE WAYANS
CINEAVIEW EXCLUSIVE CHAT WITH THE WAYANS
BY CARLISHA JENNINGSCineaview hits the Tribeca Film Festival red carpet and speaks with the creator and cast of the iconic ‘90s sketch comedy series, In Living Color.
It's been 25 years since In Living Color premiered on Fox in April of 1990. The popular sketch comedy series ran for 5 seasons, eventually coming to an end on May 19, 1994. In Living Color was created, written, executive produced, and hosted by Keenen Ivory Wayans. During its run, the show shattered racial and cultural boundaries by showcasing a mostly Black cast, unlike other sketch comedy series such as Saturday Night Live, which featured a predominately White cast at the time. In Living Color also crossed boundaries by primarily focusing on comedy from a Black American perspective and providing bold commentary on race relations. The series served as a platform for the talented Wayans family and launched the careers of many legendary actors and musicians such as Jamie Foxx, Jim Carey, Tommy Davidson, David Alan Grier, Kim Coles, Jennifer Lopez, Molly Shannon, and Rosie Perez.
At this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, Cineaview covered the red carpet for the 25th Reunion of the show. Our red carpet correspondent, Rhonda Fleming, chatted with several cast members, including Keenen Ivory Wayans, Kim Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Tommy Davidson, and David Alan Grier. They shared their excitement about the anniversary, talked about working in the entertainment industry as a person of color, and more. Here are a few snippets from the interviews.
RHONDA FLEMING INTERVIEWING THE WAYANS
INTERVIEW WITH THE WAYANS FAMILY
BY: RHONDA FLEMING
Kim Wayans: How are you?
Cineaview: I’m doing good. How are you? And I would like to know, as a
person of color working in this industry, has it gotten any better from 1990 to
where we are today? [Directed to Keenen Wayans]
Keenen Wayans: Well, I think that better is relative. I think it’s definitely
better and it’ll keep getting better. I mean, that’s what the journey is, so
were taking those steps and every generation takes us closer to the finish line.
Cineaview: [To Kim Wayans] And as a woman in this industry, what positive
inspiration you can give to other women that’s trying to break into this field?
Kim Wayans: Don’t do it, girl. [Laughter] Just teasing. No, things. A lot of wonderful things are happening with black women right now, you know? Ava is just on it. I mean, the things she’s doing is just amazing and, you know, I feel like there’s been a shift and a lot of things are opening up. Especially, you know, for women of color right now. So I think that’s exciting. I just want it to hold. I want it to continue and I want it to build until it’s not something that we have to put effort into anymore. It’s just the way it is.
Cineaview: [To Shawn Wayans] And in terms of family, we understand that when you guys start, normally in the black community, we open a lot in prayer. So when you're at work, in the studio, how did you open up? You know, I think we would come together.
Shawn Wayans: Usually with a joke. With somebody being made fun of. Probably me, because I was the baby on the set. I did something silly that not everybody got on me for, but it was always with something funny, just to break the ice of the day. And then from that point on, it was just nonstop laughter. So a big man would come and, you know, find out, gather all the funny that we were talking about and then briefly put it onto the show.
You can purchase In Living Color today on Amazon.
