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Dana Carvey Says ‘Wayne’s World 2’ Was the Sellout Version of ‘Wayne’s World’

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Dana Carvey Says ‘Wayne’s World 2’ Was the Sellout Version of ‘Wayne’s World’

The original Wayne’s World movie “just landed so beautifully,” Dana Carvey claimed on the latest Fly on the Wall podcast with guests Bonnie and Terry Turner. The Turners were writers for several years on Saturday Night Live, as well as screenwriters for Wayne’s World and its sequel Wayne’s World 2. The first film “was a great experience,” agreed Terry. 

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Part of the reason for the movie’s success, according to Carvey, was its limited number of shooting days and relatively small budget. The problem with the sequel? “We had so much money,” he explained. “They built a set where Garth and Wayne hang out, and it’s just fantastical. It seemed like it was almost a parody of the theme of the first movie.”

Much of the original Wayne’s World revolved around Wayne and Garth struggling with the idea of turning their no-pay, cable-access show into a TV program that requires them to kiss the asses of their corporate sponsors. Sum it up like this, said Carvey: “The two losers and their friends are the happiest people in the town.” 

Bonnie Turner thought Carvey’s notion of spoofing the original was a good one. “(Wayne’s World 2) actually should have been a parody of the first film,” she said. “Garth and Wayne have money!”

That’s exemplified by Wayne and Garth’s new living quarters, a monstrous abandoned doll factory that must have cost a fortune. It’s big enough to recreate their old set in one corner, set up a music recording station in another and still have an entire warehouse floor to stage a kung-fu fight against Cassandra’s father. 

The characters’ ambitions were super-sized as well. “I always felt that the first movie was like, ‘Wayne and Garth get $10 million to make a movie,’” said Terry. “And what do they want? Garth wants the dream girl. And Wayne wants an exotic singer in a rock band.” By the time Wayne’s World 2 rolled around, the goal became to throw a monster outdoor music festival headlined by Aerosmith. Garth even gets to make out with Kim Basinger.

Losing Wayne and Garth’s underdog bona fides might explain why Wayne’s World 2 failed to connect with audiences and critics. Its global box office take was less than half of the original, and its Rotten Tomatoes score fell from the original’s Certified Fresh to something in the “eh, it’s okay” range. 

One unusual aspect of both Wayne’s World movies? The Turners were present during filming, a phenomenon they didn’t realize until later was usually verboten. “Hollywood, they don’t let writers on the set,” Bonnie realized as she and Terry transitioned from SNL to movies. “The idea that Terry and I were there on the set was a weird thing. We didn’t realize it at the time because as far as we were concerned, we were just working.”

Carvey appreciated the SNL way of doing things. “A writer would jump in a sketch,” he said. “If I’m in the character of Garth, I’m doing things, I can get notes from you guys because you’re objectively watching the whole thing. More of a clubhouse feel, rather than you’re the writer and I’m the performer. There was no hierarchy.”

Bonnie agreed. “It was just -archy.”  

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