The dudes who shout ‘Schwing’ are the less annoying fans?
Tia Carrere voiced Lilo’s sister in Lilo & Stitch, went on Indiana Jones-like adventures for the show Relic Hunter and acted as Larry David’s “bathroom monitor” on Curb Your Enthusiasm…
…but for many of us, she will always be Crucial Taunt frontwoman Cassandra Wong from Wayne’s World, the beloved comedy/third best Terminator movie.
Carrere’s performance is unquestionably a key ingredient in what makes Wayne’s World work so well. She’s funny, but also finds a way to ground the frequently goofy movie, giving the Wayne-Cassandra relationship a feeling of realism. And obviously the entire climax of the movie hinges on her impressive musical talents. Even in the Scooby-Doo ending.
During a recent appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, Carrere revealed that she actually turned down a role in TV’s Baywatch after reading the Wayne’s World script. “I thought, ‘It will be mine, oh yes. It will be mine,” Carrere joked, explaining that she felt that she had to make the movie because “there’s nobody else I know that can sing, that can do martial arts, that can act, and I’d been doing it for a while. And so (I thought) this is gonna be my movie.”
Even though Carrere chose the project that didn’t require a “swim test,” the shoot was far from being easy. “The whole thing was hard because we had, I think, 29 or 28 days of principal photography,” Carrere explained. “For a studio picture, that’s breakneck speed. You had a couple of takes each and you’re moving on. So you had to have your stuff together.”
And Carrere’s role was especially time-consuming. “I had to learn how to play the bass, I had to learn all the songs. I was recording the soundtrack at the same time. And learning all that Cantonese dialogue,” she told Eisen. “It was a lot.”
When asked whether or not Wayne’s World fans have greeted her with Wayne’s trademark horny declaration, she confirmed that they have indeed. “Yesss… people have said ‘Schwing,’” Carrere noted.
While that’s clearly not the most appropriate way to greet a stranger, more bothersome, it would seem, are the fans that somehow mixed up their Wayne’s World scenes. “I’ve turned around and guys have dropped to their knees bowing before me saying ‘We’re not worthy, we’re not worthy! We suck!’” Carrere recalled. “I’m like. ‘That was Alice Cooper. That’s not me.’” Tia Carrere also never sang any songs about Frankenstein, or offered up any facts about the history of Milwaukee. For all we know, these same confused fans also yell “Schwing” at Alice Cooper while gyrating their pelvises.
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