'Wayne's World' at 25: Tia Carrere on Her Rocker Wardrobe, the Funniest Scene to Shoot, and More
Tia Carrere was just 25 years old when she starred opposite Mike Myers as the kickass, Cantonese-speaking rocker Cassandra in 1992’s Wayne’s World, directed by Penelope Spheeris. We caught up with the Hawaii-raised singer and actress — whose own background is Filipino, Spanish, and Chinese — to revisit the movie that changed her career. (Carrere, who learned how to play bass for her role, has since won two Grammys for Best Hawaiian Music Album.) Read on to see what parts of the movie she likes best, and her memories of landing the role. All hail Babe-raham Lincoln.
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Favorite line from the movie: “My Cantonese dialogue, which was the bane of my existence. I was so afraid. You have to learn it in a musical way, like high and low. It’s a musical thing. I still have it memorized 25 years later.”
On being the rare Asian-American leading lady in Hollywood: “That’s due to Mike Myers’s vision. He thought it was funny that you see this rocking band, and then they get offstage and they could barely speak English. It was a gag in the film, but thank God he wrote it that way; otherwise it would have been another blond-haired, blue-eyed girl in the lead. It got me in the door, and it changed the game for me. This movie put me in a position to get True Lies.”
Only in the ’90s: “The hair. My hair is very classic Asian: straight, with the bangs. But Wayne’s ex-girlfriend, Lara Flynn Boyle’s character, has a big, poufy ponytail on top of her head.”
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Three words that describe Cassandra: “Kickass. Powerful. Brave.”
Three words that describe you at the time: “Hardworking. Diligent. Dependable. I know, so boring.”
How you got the job: “I just went in for the audition. I had a contract — well, they wanted me for Baywatch, to play a marine biologist. There was one last thing they wanted me to do: a swimming test. I told my agent, ‘Oh, I can’t do it,’ because I knew that I really wanted Wayne’s World. We dragged our feet to buy us time for my auditions for Wayne’s World. And then I got it, so it was a good gamble. I never did Baywatch.”
Laugh-out-loud moment: “The wacky love scene with Mike Myers in his underwear, humping the mannequin in my bedroom. That whole scene is like, ‘ahh!’”
Most schwing-worthy costume: “The red stretch lace dress from Trashy Lingerie, a great store [in Los Angeles]. I still have it: It’s in my closet, hermetically sealed. I was very shy about my body. I felt like my hips and thighs were too big, which is ridiculous now that I see the movie. I used to model, so I was worried about looking fat, which is so dumb, because I was so skinny.”
Rock star you channeled: “I was always a big fan of the way Pat Benatar sang. As far as channeling a rocker, I was really emulating Penelope [Spheeris], her energy. She’s got this real strong way of walking and talking, and I definitely was modeling after her. She was the best example of what I should be as a rocker chick.”
Favorite scene that you’re in? “I mean, ‘The Ballroom Blitz’ is dynamic. It’s dynamite. And it holds up today. I’m very proud that I was able to do that vocally. It’s hard to sing that song.”
Line that gets quoted to you all the time: “I went to the House of Blues, and three young guys dropped to their knees, like, ‘We’re not worthy, we’re not worthy.’ I videotaped it. It was hilarious. It’s incredible, the reach and the goodwill of this film. It really is a cultural phenomenon. It’s like The Rocky Horror Picture Show of our time.”
Line you can’t stop quoting: “‘Way!’ ‘No way!’ I do that all the time.”
Last time you saw Wayne’s World: “I went with my family to see it for the 25th anniversary. It was wonderful getting to see the film with my 11-year-old daughter. She thinks it’s awesome.”
Thoughts about a Wayne’s World 3: “You must be kidding. We’re all going to walk out on our walkers, and I’m going to come out in my muumuu from Hawaii, eating papayas.”
Watch a Wayne’s World trailer:
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