Mike Myers had been a remarkable influence on the cinemas from a very early time. With his incredible on-screen performances in movie series like Austin Powers and voiceover ones in animated films like the Shrek projects, the actor/producer/comedian/scriptwriter/filmmaker all in one always had the audience yearning for more. Yet, at one point in his career, he might have used his ginormous influence to get rid of a director from his film.
That film is not one of the Austin Powers series as most fans must expect. Instead, it was the $72 million sequel to his superhit film Wayne’s World, Wayne’s World 2, for which Myers did everything in his hands to stop the director from the first film from returning to direct the sequel as well.
How It All Started Between Mike Myers And Wayne’s World Director
Also Read: Austin Powers: Dumb Yet Funny Scenes In The Series
1992 comedy Wayne’s World was the epitome of comedy. A truly brilliant masterpiece leaving its audience rolling with laughter, it had Mike Myers in the lead and Penelope Spheeris as the director. But while the film was a remarkable piece, its off-screen shoot wasn’t.
As it turns out, the comedian developed a rather sour side to Spheeris following the shoot of the famous “head-banging to ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’” scene in the film because the filmmaker tried her best to improvise the scene and it didn’t appease the actor too much.
Recalling the entire situation in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the director of the cult comedy said:
“The guys, when we shot it, were really complaining because they didn’t like having to bang their heads so much. I did so many different shots and we mounted the cameras [in] different ways and Mike was complaining that his head hurt and he needed Advil and they were both saying that the scene wasn’t funny and why are we doing this? But it’s the scene people remember.”
Although the hilarious scene was truly loved by fans, Mike Myers wasn’t willing to give in just yet.
Also Read: Mike Myers Net Worth – How Much Did He Make from Shrek?
Penelope Spheeris’ Take On How Mike Myers Got Rid Of Her From Wayne’s World 2
Continuing in the interview with Entertainment Weekly, Penelope Spheeris was asked if she was genuinely interested in returning for the sequel. Replying to this question, she said:
“Of course, I was. Like I told you, I would take any gig that I could get. I just assumed that I would be able to do it. And… you know why it didn’t happen, right?”
The reason wasn’t just because of the iconic “head-banging to ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’” scene, but something bigger than that: due to different perspectives over the final cut of the film, tension had developed between the comedian and the director, and the Shrek star decided that that was the end of it.
“Because of [the tension between me and Mike over the final cut of the movie], he decided that I couldn’t direct it, and he had the power with the studio because, without Mike [Myers], you don’t have a movie. So then I got snubbed there.”
However, despite wanting to direct the sequel, filmmaker Penelope Spheeris held no grudge against Mike Myers for not being able to direct Wayne’s World 2 but rather saw it as a ‘great lesson’ that made her a better person.
“I always look at things like that as, ‘What a great lesson.’ It really made me a better person and a stronger person. I mean, I was really depressed over it. I tore all of the phones out of the walls, they were still connected at that point [laughs]. And I felt horrible. When you go through something like that, you just come out stronger. So I thank them for it.”
Nonetheless, while Myers did succeed in getting rid of Spheeris and not letting her direct the sequel, it sort of backfired on him as Wayne’s World 2 didn’t end up being as tremendous a success as the initial one.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
