MoviesOnline caught up with Wanda Sykes at the Los Angeles press day to promote her new film, "Evan Almighty.” Sykes has been called "one of the funniest stand-up comics” by her peers and ranks among Entertainment Weekly’s 25 Funniest People in America. Her smart-witted stand-up has sent her career in many different creative directions.
She was last seen co-starring with Luke Wilson and Uma Thurman in the romantic comedy "My Super Ex-Girlfriend” and in the new New Line feature "Monster-in-Law,” opposite Jennifer Lopez and Jane Fonda, and was recently heard in the animated features "Over the Hedge” for DreamWorks and "Barnyard” for Paramount Pictures. She also recently guest starred on "The New Adventures of Old Christine” and on NBC’s "Will Grace.” And she was seen on Comedy Central’s "Wanda Does It,” where she tried various non-showbiz jobs.
Her first book, titled "Yeah, I Said It” and published by Simon and Schuster, is a hilarious collection of essays touching on life, family and current events. In the upcoming "Evan Almighty,” Steve Carell reprises his role as the polished, preening newscaster Evan Baxter of "Bruce Almighty” and is the next one anointed by God to accomplish a holy mission in this hilarious new comedy directed by Tom Shadyac from a script by Steve Oedekerk. Newly elected to Congress, Evan leaves Buffalo behind and shepherds his family to suburban northern Virginia.
Once there, his life gets turned upside-down when God (Morgan Freeman) appears and mysteriously commands him to build an ark. His befuddled family can’t decide whether Evan is having an extraordinary mid-life crisis or is truly onto something of biblical proportions. Wanda plays Evan’s no-nonsense assistant, Rita, a member of his crackerjack team of congressional aides who struggle to bring order to Evan’s increasingly chaotic life.
Adding Sykes to the mix of gifted actors provided a backdrop ripe for good comedy. Shadyac comments, "I love these moments of creativity and spontaneity. I’ve watched Wanda get into her head for a second, and then come back with this gem.
” Wanda Sykes is a fabulous person and we really appreciated her time. Here’s what she had to tell us about her upcoming film: MoviesOnline: I take it 90% of what you had to say in this movie was improv. Being a clean cut family film, did you have to censor yourself as you were riffing there or were you aware of the audience when you were doing this?
Wanda: I would say you’re right. In the nineties – that’s about right as far as ad libs. And as far as to censor, there are some things that just wouldn’t work, you know.
I guess it just felt like – OK well put it this way, we weren’t told that ‘Hey, this is a PG. This is going to be a clean movie, so no cursing.’ We weren’t getting – at least I wasn’t getting that direction, which I’m happy he didn’t give it to me because it probably would have stifled me.
But you just could feel it. You’re standing here in this big ark, and you know, all these animals so, you know, you just had that – it just felt right. But as far as – there was a couple of incidents when I wanted to say ‘ass’ and Tom was like, ‘Oh that’s so funny but you can’t say ass.
Try butt.’ And I was like ‘Nah, butt’s not funny man.’ And he’s like ‘No, it will, just say butt.
Just give me one butt’ and I’m like ‘No, I’m going to do butt because that’s the one you’ll use and then we’ll be fighting at the premiere so let’s – I’ll just try another line.’ So yeah, there was quite a bit of that. MoviesOnline: It seems like there’s some things in this movie where they just put you alone in a room and said ‘OK read that.
’ Is that kind of an accurate way to describe how it happened? There was, like the scene where I’m looking at the – when he goes to Congress I think, his first time and I’m just looking at the TV screen and I’m kind of just making comments as far as what’s going on. First, I’m just looking at a blank screen – there’s nothing going on.
And they hadn’t even shot that scene yet so I didn’t even have anything to even go on. Tom was just ‘OK, he’s going to have this thing and he’s going to look something like the guy from Fleetwood Mac’ and blah blah blah and I’m like ‘Alright’ so it was a lot of that and at times funny but frustrating ‘cause I felt like I was working in the dark. You know, I’m like ‘Man, can I at least see the scene first and I’m sure I can come up with stuff that’s better’ and he’s like ‘No, no, it’ll be fine.
’ Those were the days that I would call my agent and go, ‘You know what? We really didn’t get a good deal on this movie. I mean it sounded good at first.
But trust me, they’re getting’ every penny out of me.’ (laughs). ‘They’re making up stuff.
They’re making up stuff! It isn’t even in the script. You should see it!
’ MoviesOnline: Hey Wanda, a couple of questions. First is you roll into God on the street and he told you to build an ark, what are you putting on it? Wanda: Ah, well first, you know, I’m walking down the street and this guy whoever tells me to build an ark, I’d give him a dollar and keep him moving.
Yeah, whatever.’ What am I putting on it? A flat screen TV, some air conditioning, but it’ll be a hybrid though.
News RSS