‘I Felt Dirty After I Did The Movie’: Marlon Wayans Looks Back On Requiem For A Dream For Its 25th Anniversary

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Truly great movies often leave a lasting emotional impression, but sometimes that impact is so strong it makes the film difficult to watch repeatedly. A prime example is Darren Aronofsky’s *Requiem for a Dream*. It’s a film many viewers can only handle once, and that includes Marlon Wayans, one of the movie’s stars.

October 6th will be the 25th anniversary of the release of *Requiem for a Dream*, and I recently had the chance to ask Marlon Wayans about it while promoting his new horror film, *HIM*. In a video interview with his co-star Tyriq Withers, Wayans shared that he’s proud of the movie, but the experience of filming it was so intense he felt like he needed to wash it off – and he doesn’t plan on ever watching it again. The actor explained,

I watched it once, and it really affected me. I haven’t seen that movie since. It felt like a public service announcement, and honestly, it left me feeling really disturbed. I just needed to talk to my mother and knew I had to stay away from drugs. It was a powerful film that changed my life, even though I only saw it that one time. It was actually a really good movie.

I, like Marlon Wayans, have only watched *Requiem for a Dream* once – it was during college and it left me feeling down for a week – but I still remember the performance vividly. He plays Tyrone, the close friend of Jared Leto’s character, Harry, and is both a drug dealer and user. Both men want to overcome their addictions and build better lives, but their struggles with substance abuse and criminal activity ultimately destroy any chance they have at finding happiness. Tyrone ends up in a terrible situation: imprisoned, suffering through withdrawal, and enduring severe abuse.

While it’s not the most devastating fate for anyone involved – that unfortunate title belongs to Ellen Burstyn’s character, whose struggles with addiction lead to a mental breakdown and being hospitalized – it’s easy to see why Marlon Wayans wouldn’t be eager to relive this experience on screen.

Many consider *Requiem for a Dream* a highlight of Marlon Wayans’ career because it’s so different from his usual comedic roles. He pointed out that this is similar to *HIM*, another unusual and unsettling film he made about professional football. However, Wayans doesn’t think his newest movie will be a one-off departure from his typical work. He explained further:

There are just some films I can revisit endlessly, and this is one of them. It’s perfectly paced, and the story arc really gets to me. It reminds me a bit of ‘Requiem’ in that it introduces you to characters with all these hopes and dreams, then completely pulls the rug out from under them. But where ‘Requiem’ just kept spiraling downwards, this film offers a glimmer of hope. It gets incredibly close to total devastation, then manages a twist that lifts things back into the light. It’s one of those movies where, as soon as it ends, you want to immediately watch it again.

Now in theaters, the film *HIM* stars Marlon Wayans, Tyriq Withers, Julia Fox, Tim Heidecker, and Jim Jeffries. It had a strong opening weekend, coming in second place at the box office.

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2025-09-23 04:08