'Wayne's World' Director Penelope Spheeris Debunks 'Urban Legend' on the Film's 30th Anniversary (Exclusive)
Born from one of the greatest Saturday Night Live sketches justifying its own spinoff feature film starring original scene partners Mike Myers and Dana Carvey, Wayne's World remains one of the best 1990s comedy classics to date. Cemented in the argot of popular culture with enduring phrases like, "We're not worthy!" and "Party on!" the film became a surprise box office hit and critical success when it was released Feb. 14, 1992. Now three decades later, Paramount Home Entertainment is celebrating the film's impact on mainstream culture with the limited-edition re-release 30th anniversary Blu-Ray SteelBook, now available to purchase.
While Myers and Carvey sparked a movement among absurdist comedies in the early '90s thanks to their affable characters Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar, the sketch-turned-movie owed much of its success to award-winning director Penelope Spheeris. Bringing the two SNL characters to life with screenwriters, Myers, Bonnie and Terry Turner meant rounding off Wayne and Garth's personalities by elevating the game from a brief NBC skit to full-fledged characters. While it was the first studio film for Spheeris, her long-time friend and SNL creator Lorne Michaels knew she would bring the cheeky, rock and roll qualities to the film in the best way she knows how — and naturally, she did.
But as the film continues to be a favorite among audiences, new and old thanks to streaming and re-releases like Paramount Home Entertainment's, Spheeris recalls the initial news surrounding the film's shoot in 1991 was one marred with rumors. Particularly when it came to the film's most memorable scene with Wayne, Garth and their friends headbanging to Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" in the car. In an exclusive with PopCulture.com to chat about the film's impact 30 years later, Spheeris reveals the disagreements are the furthest thing from the truth while debunking one specific "urban legend."
"There are urban legends running around about how certain people might have wanted a Guns N' Roses song. Well, that wasn't me. I did not want a Guns N' Roses song instead of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' — the Queen song — because Guns N' Roses just refused to be in a movie I had done right before Wayne's World. So. I was mad at them. I'm over it now," she laughed with PopCulture. "The fact of the matter is when I got the original version of the script, 'Bohemian Rhapsody' was written into that version so that was the song from the start. People like to say, 'Oh, you argued over which song.' We didn't. That was the song. The thing about it that I think is weird is that Wayne and Garth think about themselves as headbangers."
Adding how the two were just kind of "poser guys" leading with Wayne living in his parents' home while broadcasting his "live" show from the basement, Spheeris adds if he and Garth would have been real "headbangers," they'd be listening to some Black Sabbath, Judas Priest or Iron Maiden. "Queen is not heavy metal," she said. "It's something else."
With the film shot in just 34 days while Myers and Carvey had to make it back in time every weekend for Saturday Night Live duty, Spheeris says a lot of it was "do or die" for the pair under Michaels' request. "There was a limo outside the sound stage when we shot the last scene, which was them laying on the car looking up in the sky, except it was a sound stage. The reason the guys were laughing so hard was because the limo guy was honking so he could get them to the airport on time. They just went off script and they just started improvising. But that made the movie better, I think," she said.
Using a "couple of extras that dressed up" like Myers and Carvey's on-screen characters to save time while they shot in Illinois, Spheeris said there wasn't much pressure in those 34 days despite reports stating she and Myers butt heads. On the contrary, she remembers a lot of the shenanigans Myers would play to lighten up the mood with the cast and crew.
"It's really difficult to do a big, long street like where Wayne lives and light up the whole street, so the cinematographer, Theo van de Sande, would spend a lot of time lighting up the whole street. But Mike was hilarious because he would do impressions of all of us," she said of the shoot's production while interpreting Myers' impression. "When Theo was lighting — he would do Theo because Theo's from the Netherlands — he would say, 'I'm going to light every single leaf on every single tree on this street,' and he would make fun of him that way. He would make fun of me by putting on my leather jacket and my shades. I have to wear shades at night because the lights bug me, [but] he'd stick his butt out and go, 'Okay, action. Cut. You're an idiot. Do it again.' But Mike was always trying to entertain people even when the camera wasn't running."
Further stating how she is humbled and astonished at the film's impact in 30 years, Spheeris says a lot of the Wayne's World appeal three decades later has a lot to do with its generational relatability. "I think it has a lot to do with the fact that each new generation of teenagers and young 20s really have a similar mindset and really love the way that Wayne and Garth handle the world. It's just something that different generations can relate to," she said adding how the two are very relatable for audiences because Wayne and Garth are so carefree. "They are so optimistic and exuberant about life. When you watch the movie, you get into this mindset of, 'Oh, life isn't so bad.' Even if you have a problem, you can have a good time with it. I think it's just because they love life so much, and it reminds us that things don't have to be so difficult every day."
Wayne's World, the 30th Anniversary — Party On! Blu-ray Limited Edition Steelbook is now available to purchase. For more on the Wayne's World anniversary, stick to PopCulture.com for more.