Emily Carter
The 2004 comedy film White Chicks stars brothers Marlon and Shawn Wayans as FBI agents who go undercover as blond, blue-eyed hotel heiresses. The brothers' transformation into white women was a challenging process, requiring plaster casts of their faces, layers of paint and makeup, and contact lenses. The film also stars Terry Crews, whose performance was considered a highlight, and Busy Philipps, Jaime King, Brittany Daniel, and Jessica Cauffiel, who recreated their iconic dance battle from the film 15 years later. Despite being largely panned by critics, White Chicks has developed a cult following, with some calling for a sequel.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Movie name | White Chicks |
| Directors | Keenen Ivory Wayans |
| Cast | Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Busy Philipps, Jaime King, Brittany Daniel, Jessica Cauffiel, Terry Crews |
| Plot | FBI agents pose as blond, blue-eyed hotel heiresses |
| Release date | 23 June 2004 |
| Box office performance | $113.1 million worldwide |
| Awards | Nominated for five Razzies, winning one Stinker for Most Painfully Unfunny Romantic Comedy |
| Sequel | Announced by Sony in 2009 but cancelled; confirmed to be in the works in 2018; confirmed by Terry Crews in 2019 |
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What You'll Learn
The Wayans brothers played FBI agents
In the 2004 comedy film "White Chicks," Marlon Wayans and Shawn Wayans play FBI agents Kevin and Marcus, who go undercover as blonde, blue-eyed hotel heiresses, Brittany and Tiffany Wilson. The Wayans brothers' characters win a dance-off against the Vandergelds at a nightclub, where they learn that Warren is behind the kidnappings.
The transformation of the African-American actors into the Wilson sisters was a challenging and time-consuming process. It involved creating plaster casts of their faces, applying water-based acrylic paint to cancel out ashen tones, using Revlon Color-Stay foundation, wearing colour contact lenses, and styling straight blonde wigs.
The film was directed, co-written, and co-produced by Keenen Ivory Wayans, who is also the brother of Marlon and Shawn. "White Chicks" received mixed reviews from critics and was nominated for several Razzies, including Worst Actor for the Wayans brothers in drag. Despite this, the film was a commercial success, grossing $113.1 million worldwide against a budget of $37 million.
The dance-off scene in "White Chicks" has become iconic, with the female co-stars recreating the choreography 15 years later on "Busy Tonight." The Wayans brothers' performance as FBI agents in "White Chicks" showcases their versatility as actors and their commitment to their roles, even undergoing extensive makeup and transformation processes.
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The makeup process was long and painful
The challenge of transforming the Wayans brothers, who are African American, into their characters, blonde and blue-eyed hotel heiresses, was a difficult one. Greg Cannom, the special makeup creator and applicator, described the process as a "painful passion". One of the biggest issues was trying to find the right shade of foundation to match the brothers' skin tones. They tried everything, but nothing seemed to work, and their skin appeared ashen.
To overcome this, Cannom and his team developed a water-based acrylic paint in an orange-red shade, which they airbrushed onto the brothers' skin to cancel out the ash tones. Over this base, they applied Revlon Color-Stay foundation, using 50-gallon drums of the product. The paint gave an overly shiny finish, so the foundation helped to create a softer, more natural look.
The contact lenses were also a source of pain and discomfort. The lenses covered the whole eye, which was necessary to make the whites of their eyes appear brighter. Shawn Wayans described the lenses as so painful that they should be used for interrogation.
The process of transforming the Wayans brothers into their characters was a challenging and time-consuming endeavour, requiring a significant amount of makeup and causing a great deal of discomfort for the actors. Despite the challenges, the final result was a successful transformation that helped bring the characters to life.
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The film was shot in British Columbia
The 2004 comedy White Chicks features two FBI agents, played by brothers Marlon Wayans and Shawn Wayans, who go undercover as white, blonde, blue-eyed socialites in the Hamptons to solve a kidnapping plot. The film also stars Busy Philipps, Jaime King, Brittany Daniel, and Jessica Cauffiel, who perform in a memorable dance-off scene.
Chilliwack was also a key filming location, with many scenes shot around Wellington Ave, including the Royal Hotel Chilliwack, and an alley around Mill St.
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The cast recreated the dance battle 15 years later
The popular comedy film White Chicks, starring brothers Marlon and Shawn Wayans, was released in 2004. Fifteen years later, in 2019, the female co-stars of the film recreated their iconic dance battle on Busy Philipps' late-night TV series, Busy Tonight. The co-stars, including Busy Philipps, Jaime King, Brittany Daniel, and Jessica Cauffiel, nailed the choreography to Beyonce's "Crazy in Love", just as they had done in the film.
Marlon Wayans celebrated his former co-stars on Instagram, exclaiming, " [Fifteen] years later and these white chicks are still killing it on the dance floor." The original dance battle scene took place halfway through the movie, with the opposing teams facing off against each other to the popular 2003 song.
The recreation of the dance battle by the female co-stars of White Chicks demonstrates the lasting impact of the film and the enduring popularity of its memorable dance scenes. The film itself faced challenges with critics, receiving largely negative reviews and several Razzie nominations. However, it found an appreciative audience, grossing $113.1 million worldwide against a budget of $37 million.
The process of transforming the Wayans brothers, who played FBI agents posing as blonde, blue-eyed hotel heiresses, was also challenging. It involved a time-consuming and intricate makeup process, including plaster casts of their faces, acrylic paint, contact lenses, and wigs. Despite the challenges, White Chicks has clearly left a lasting impression, as evidenced by the enthusiastic recreation of the dance battle by its female leads 15 years later.
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Terry Crews' performance of 'A Thousand Miles'
In the 2004 comedy film "White Chicks," Terry Crews plays Latrell Spencer, a professional basketball player who takes a particular liking to "Tiffany," who is actually FBI agent Marcus Copeland (Marlon Wayans) in disguise. In one of the film's most notable and iconic scenes, Crews' character wins a date with Tiffany at an auction. During their date, Tiffany, who does not reciprocate Spencer's feelings, attempts to scare him off by playing "A Thousand Miles." However, to her surprise, Spencer is a fan of the song and begins to sing along enthusiastically, making hilarious facial expressions and hand gestures. This scene is credited with catapulting Crews to stardom and has become closely associated with him. Crews himself has stated that he genuinely loves the song, demonstrating the power of music to transcend gender, race, language, and age.
The song "A Thousand Miles," originally by Vanessa Carlton, was first heard in the 2001 film "Legally Blonde" starring Reese Witherspoon and featured on its soundtrack. It was then released as a single in 2002, peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and remaining on the chart for 41 weeks. The song received substantial promotion on the internet, and the Sessions recording of the song drew over one million requested downloads and streams prior to the release of Carlton's album "Be Not Nobody." It was highly acclaimed by music critics, with Billboard magazine praising its "classical-tied piano hook that endures with urgency throughout the song" and the artist's "vulnerable vocal style."
In "White Chicks," "A Thousand Miles" is played three times: first, when a group of girls refer to it as their "jam" when it comes on the radio; second, when Crews' character sings it to Marcus Copeland (disguised as Tiffany Wilson); and third, when Crews' character sings it to Brittany Wilson (Maitland Ward) and Tiffany Wilson (Anne Dudek). Crews' performance in the film has left a lasting impact, with Crews and TV host Lilly Singh recreating the scene in 2020, and Crews reprising his performance on Paramount's Lip Sync Battle in 2021. Crews has also performed the song outside of the film context, such as during commercial breaks for the live audience of "America's Got Talent" in 2021, showcasing his enduring affinity for the song.
The creation of "White Chicks" involved a significant transformation for the Wayans brothers, Marlon and Shawn, who played the FBI agents posing as blond, blue-eyed hotel heiresses. The process of turning them into white women was challenging and time-consuming, involving plaster casts of their faces, water-based acrylic paint, contact lenses, and wigs. The film was directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans, who also co-wrote and co-produced it with his brothers. Despite facing criticism and nominations for several Razzies, the film grossed $113.1 million worldwide, and the brothers' performance in the dance-off scene remains memorable for audiences.
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Frequently asked questions
Marlon and Shawn Wayans are the actors who played the FBI agents-turned-socialites in the film White Chicks.
Yes, the Wayans brothers did their own dancing in the film. The choreography was recreated by the cast 15 years later on Busy Phillipps' late-night TV series, Busy Tonight.
Turning the Wayans brothers into white women was no easy task. The transformation took up to seven hours of makeup and prosthetics, including plaster casts of their faces, contact lenses, and straight blonde wigs.
