Natasha Lyonne Recalls Odd Marlon Brando Cameo in ‘Scary Movie 2’: ‘I Don’t Know What He Was Thinking’
Samantha Bergeson
Oscar-winner Marlon Brando was originally set to star in “Scary Movie 2″ shortly before his death in 2004.
And while Brando certainly could have been a contender for big laughs in the role, co-star Natasha Lyonne recalled an awkward yet “A-OK” experience with the screen legend.
“I have a VHS copy of the dailies that I got because Marlon Brando’s final role — sadly for him, but luckily for me — is doing this ‘Exorcist’ opening teaser,” Lyonne told Entertainment Weekly. “I don’t know what he was thinking, really.”
Brando played a priest alongside Andy Richter who tries to get rid of a demon possessing Lyonne’s character in an “Exorcist” spoof for the 2001 parody film. At one point, Brando’s character flirts with the demonic entity, and they hump one another. Brando only filmed a few scenes before dropping out of “Scary Movie 2” due to health concerns.
“He had an oxygen tank and he just kind of held my boob, because that was in the script,” Lyonne recalled. “He was supposed to be like, ‘The power of Christ compels you.’ I just remember being like, ‘Ah, this is the surrealism that André Breton, Salvador Dali were talking about.'”
The “Russian Doll” creator shared that Brando was “very chatty” on set and wore an earpiece throughout the scene.
“So, I had Brando with the earpiece and the hand on the boob, and the makeup, and ‘The power of Christ compels you,’ and not to curse, but, ‘Your mother sucks c—s in hell,’ and so on,” Lyonne continued. “This was all happening at once, and I remember like, ‘You know, showbiz is all right.’ In that moment, showbiz was A-OK.”
Brando was later replaced by James Woods, which Lyonne called a “little weird” but overall a “fine experience.” Meanwhile, Brando died at age 80 three years later in 2004 from respiratory and heart complications. The “Scary Movie” franchise concluded in 2013 with “Scary Movie V.”
Brando’s famed Academy Award-winning turn as Don Corleone in “The Godfather” is currently at the center of Paramount+’s “The Offer” series about the complicated making of the Francis Ford Coppola film. “Grey’s Anatomy” alum Justin Chambers portrays Brando in the series.
