"THE LONG WAY IS THE SHORTCUT!" — Internet reacts to Marlon Wayans admitting he was hurt when he lost the role of Robin at the age of 19

Actor-comedian Marlon Wayans opened up in a candid conversation with The School of Greatness podcast about a moment in his early career that impacted him. In the interview, which came out on 2 September 2024, Wayans revealed he was 19 when he lost out on the role in Tim Burton's 1989 film Batman, and how much that impacted him.

Marlon Wayans recanted that he initially did get the role. He noted how he was going to "be the first Black person besides Billy D to be in one of these big movies."

But then he received a phone call from Tim Burton and Denise Di Novi that said he no longer had the role. He recalled feeling "hurt," but decided to take the "long route." He opted against "taking the shortcut," so that he learned from it.

In response, social media users were full of surprise and support. One user tweeted,

"THE LONG WAY IS THE SHORTCUT!"

Fans reacted on social media, mainly with support.

"I’ve watched Don’t be a Menace more than Batman Returns," one user quipped.

"he's slow route or fast route either way you got to the success and never give up," another cheered on.

"imagine if we didn't get Scary Movie..," another said.

However, some did react with a tinge of negativity.

"Not hatin but I'm glad this silly nigga didn't get that Robin role. FOH," someone chimed in.

"In what world could or should Marlon Wayans ever play robin, Tim made the right call," another claimed.

"Can not see him as robin," another added.

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Marlon Wayans says he would be "cracked out somewhere" if he got Robin

During the interview, Marlon Wayans further touched on how he was subsequently driven to take the reigns of his own career. He claimed that he had to take the long, scenic route, that allowed him to be on the "journey to create." He said,

"Immediately, I was hurt. But I said, No. I'm going to start writing these movies. I'm going to start creating my own show. I'm going to start doing things that I know put the ball in my own hand. Had Robin happened, I would have had a different career."

The White Chicks actor was then asked what would have happened to him if he did get the role, and he said that he would be "cracked out somewhere" because he "wouldn't know what to do with that success of money." He also attributed the path he took to God, saying that while he was depressed about it, he realized that "sometimes the things that you think is failure is actually success. It's how you interpret not just the business, but life."

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Marlon Wayans debuted his Amazon Prime stand-up special, Marlon Wayans: Good Grief on June 4, 2024. The project is his fourth stand-up special, and he delivered his performance at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York.