BeforeNatasha Lyonnewas one of our most acclaimed actresses, earning Emmy nominationsfor the likes ofOrange Is the New Black,Russian Doll, andPoker Face, she was a mostly supporting actor rising up the comedy ranks. Such was the case in 2001 when, at the age of 22, she was cast in a small role for the Wayans brothers’Scary Movie 2. In the horror comedy hit, Lyonne played Megan Voorhees, a possessed Regan-like characterin a scene parodyingThe Exorcist. It’s a funny yet awkward moment, but the most notable part of it all is that she was nearly in the same frame as acting legendMarlon Brando.It would have been the last movie he ever made, but after a bizarre filming session, he was forced to drop out. It was the last role he ever took.
Marlon Brando Nearly Co-Starred in ‘Scary Movie 2’
2000’sScary Moviewas a hilarious horror comedythat parodied the big horror movies of the day, likeScreamandI Know What You Did Last Summer.With its huge box office success,taking in $278 million worldwide on a $19 million budget, it was only a matter of time before there was a sequel. In fact,Scary Movie 2came out one year later, this time taking jabs at supernatural classics. Among them wasThe Exorcist. Here,Lyonne played a teenager named Megan Voorhees, who becomes possessed. It’s an obvious parody ofLinda Blair’s Regan fromThe Exorcist, complete with nearly identical makeup, and the girl tied to her bed.
InThe Exorcist, one of the men who tries to help her isFather Merrin, played byMax von Sydow. In the climax of the film, he goes to battle with the demon inside the teenage girl, a scene which is parodied in the opening scene ofScary Movie 2. Despite being a silly comedy, they went all out, casting an actor even bigger than Max von Sydow by somehow landing Marlon Brando. However, his time in the movie never saw the light of day.
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We’re not “bull shooting” you.
Natasha Lyonne explained in a 2022 interview withEntertainment Weeklywhat went wrong during her time on set with Brando, who was set to play Father McFeely, a hyper-sexualized priest who is drawn to the possessed girl’s advances. Brando, who was then in his late 70s, was in bad health,showing up with an earpiece and an oxygen tank. Lyonne added, “He just kind of held my boob, because that was in the script. 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.'”
James Woods Replaced Marlon Brando as Father McFeely
Natasha Lyonne appreciated the moment as she worked with an acting legend on a silly comedy. She told Entertainment Weekly that as she took in the surreal energy of it all, she thought, “You know, showbiz is all right.” Sadly, the feeling didn’t last, becauseBrando’s health was so bad that he had to drop out during filming. On theConan O’BrienNeeds a Friendpodcast, the host recalled hearing about Brando being hired to have a cameo inScary Movie 2but that he was too ill to fulfill the role. Natasha Lyonne confirmed this, but also revealed that she had no desire to be inScary Movie 2at first, but as a big fan ofThe Exorcistandfriend of its director,William Friedkin, she was eager for the chance to parody one of her favorite movies, and to work with a Hollywood icon like Marlon Brando. She recalled that he seemed so confused that he left his hand on the prosthetics over her chest, as if he didn’t think Lyonne in all of her makeup was a real person. She joked that it wasn’t the acting dream she hoped for, as after one day, he dropped out.
Brando was replaced byJames Woods,but no offense to James Woods, he’s no Brando. Still, he played the role well. If you watch his scenes inScary Movie 2now, they’re so wild thatit’s hard to imagine Academy Award winner Marlon Brando doing what Father McFeely does, as he takes a loud dump on the toilet, then with Megan Voorhees, mimes cunnilingus before getting on the bed and humping her.
Natasha Lyonne told Entertainment Weekly, “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 thisExorcistopening teaser. I don’t know what he was thinking, really. I mean, why would he do that?” It is indeed strange that someone of his caliber would sign on for such a role.Scary Movie 2is a funny movie, but is that how we’d want to remember Brando in his last role? Marlon Brando died three years later on July 01, 2025.His last credit is officiallyThe Score, which came out just a week afterScary Movie 2. Here he got to work with directorFrank Ozand act alongsideRobert De Niro,Edward Norton, andAngela Bassettin this serious drama. That’s more like it.
Scary Movie 2
