Marlon Wayans believes he gave the best performance of his career in the unreleased movie Behind the Smile.

The Scary Movie actor starred alongside his brother Damon Wayans in the 2006 drama about two stand-up comedians, however, Damon, who wrote and directed the film, decided not to release it.

Marlon believes he gave the best performance of his career and that he could have been an Oscar contender if the film had seen the light of day.

“It’s a dark drama about comedy and it’s a great movie and my best performance,” he stated in an interview with Variety. “I tell Damon, ‘You got my Oscar in the closet.’ And he goes, ‘I’ll release it when I’m dead.’ And I go, ‘What’s the point of that?!'”

The White Chicks star noted that awards have been “elusive” for him over the years, but he knows he’s been “blessed” with a successful career, even without the accolades to prove it.

“I look at it like a golden key that unlocks the industry and gets you the anointment of the industry. It makes life easier when you’re the guy that gets the best scripts with the best directors and the best budgets,” he said of Oscars glory. “It’s been elusive for me, so I’ve been blessed to become my own industry.

“I may never get that statue, but every time I do a project and every time I get to gather a family of creatives to go have a great time for a few months and tell these jokes that will hopefully make people laugh, I have a statue. I have an Oscar. I’ve been blessed to have fun every day of my life.”

The Wayans family creations include the TV comedy series In Living Color, plus three Scary Movie instalments, White Chicks and Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood.

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