Where Is The Cast Of Scream Today?
As modern as its commentary on the horror film industry still feels, it's hard to believe that the original "Scream" is over 25 years old. Debuting in 1996, this Wes Craven teen horror flick is a meta classic that has inspired a franchise that is now on its sixth film, along with an underseen, underrated TV series. But the original "Scream" is still in a league of its own.
Many of the actors in "Scream" went on to have careers that flourished throughout the 1990s and 2000s, some of which flickered out later, while others sustained or made their comeback in recent years. The first "Scream" movie changed many of their lives: It created stars like Neve Campbell, boosted the already thriving careers of Courtney Cox and Drew Barrymore, and gave a platform to young talents like Matthew Lillard and Jamie Kennedy.
All this star power helped launch "Scream" into becoming one of Hollywood's biggest horror franchises. So let's wind the clock back to 1996 by remembering the cast of this modern classic and checking in to see what they have been up to in the years since.
Neve Campbell as Sydney Prescott
Up until "Scream VI," Neve Campbell's name was synonymous with "Scream." The franchise's original heroine has become one of horror's most famous final girls, but eventually wound up leaving it behind. Her explanation for turning down the role a sixth time came down to the actress feeling under-appreciated by the offer made to her, versus what she felt she was worth. 2022's "Scream" was her final appearance in the series.
Outside of "Scream," Campbell had a brief turn as a major Hollywood presence, appearing in the cult hit "Wild Things" and Robert Altman's critically acclaimed "The Company." But since the late 2000s, Campbell's acting work has primarily been on TV. She's gone from having guest spots on dramas, including "Medium" and "Mad Men," to landing a recurring role as Leann Harvey on Netflix's "House of Cards." She has also played Kitty Oppenheimer in the miniseries "Manhattan." Most recently, Campbell starred in the 2022 Netflix series "The Lincoln Lawyer."
Neve Campbell also has two children with her partner, actor JJ Field. In 2022, the actress shared a story on "The Kelly Clarkson Show" about how she was attacked by a bear on a film set when she was 17. Like Sydney, Campbell is a true fighter and a survivor.
Courteney Cox as Gale Weathers
Courteney Cox is the only remaining member of the old "Scream" guard. She has reprised her role as the intrepid, and often nosey, news reporter Gale Weathers in each of the subsequent "Scream" sequels, up to and including "Scream VI." While Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega make up the fresh new faces of "Scream," Weathers remains very much active with the franchise.
Cox stuck by her insanely popular series, "Friends," until it ended its 10-year run in 2004. Cox's post-"Scream" career stumbled out of the gate. Her first major gig, the FX tabloid drama "Dirt," was panned by critics and canceled after only two seasons. It wasn't long until Cox was back in the spotlight, starring in the ABC comedy "Cougar Town," which earned her critical acclaim and a Golden Globe nomination. Low ratings led ABC to cancel the show after three seasons; however, TBS rescued the cult comedy and kept it alive long enough for the show to make it to six seasons.
In 2012, Cox made her directorial debut with "TallhotBlond," a docudrama feature that aired on Lifetime. The actress also directed the 2014 comedy "Just Before I Go" and starred in the 2016 drama "Mothers and Daughters," neither of which were well received. Cox reunited with the rest of the "Friends" cast for the 2021 HBO special "Friends: The Reunion."
David Arquette as Dewey Riley
David Arquette continued to play the affably dopey Deputy Dewey Riley in "Screams" 2, 3, 4, and 5. In the fifth movie, "Scream" (2022), Arquette and the writers of the new film decided it was time to leave the franchise that put him on the map. Sadly, fans said their goodbyes to Dewey after 26 years.
In between him taking up the mantle as Dewey, Arquette's career has been a bit of a head-scratcher. While he gained even more popularity opposite Drew Barrymore in the 1999 romantic comedy "Never Been Kissed," subsequent roles tended to come in the types of movies you'd typically see nowadays in a discount DVD bin at Best Buy — we're talking "Eight-Legged Freaks," "Ready to Rumble," and "See Spot Run." TV has been a bit kinder to Arquette over the years; he's appeared on everything from "Pushing Daisies" to "Dancing with the Stars."
Most unexpected of all has been Arquette's enduring wrestling career. After acting alongside some WCW hot shots in 2000's "Ready to Rumble," he made repeat appearances on the pay-per-view program. On the December 13, 2010, episode of "Raw," Arquette made his WWE debut. The actor would continue appearing in various cage matches until he retired in 2021.
Skeet Ulrich as Billy Loomis
Possibly because Billy Loomis was one of the scariest teenagers of all time, Skeet Ulrich's career on the big screen was verifiably short-lived; his only major role of note was a very small one, in the Oscar-winning dramedy "As Good As It Gets," in which he played one of the people who robbed Greg Kinnear's character. He's since made a handful of appearances on television, including the cult favorite "Jericho" and various crime dramas like "CSI: NY" and "Law and Order: LA. Ulrich returned to horror in 2017 with a role in the movie "Escape Room." That one wasn't quite as much of a hit as "Scream" — at least not according to its measly 12% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
In recent years, Ulrich has been getting out there again, and scored the biggest role of his career since playing Billy Loomis. From 2017 to 2021, Ulrich was a series regular on "Riverdale," where he played Jughead's dad F.P. Jones. He left during the fifth season.
All things come full circle, though, and Ulrich's biggest film appearances as of late have involved him coming back to "Scream" to reprise his iconic role. We won't say how or when, just in case you haven't seen them, but Ulrich brings Billy Loomis to life once again in the two most recent "Scream" sequels, which came out in 2022 and 2023.
Matthew Lillard as Stu Macher
To a certain generation of moviegoers who missed out on "Scream," Matthew Lillard is known for one role — playing Shaggy in the 2002 live action "Scooby Doo!" movie (and of course its sequel). This was him at the absolute pinnacle of the career that "Scream" had opened up for him after he played the movie's deranged teenage killer. Far from a household name in the late '90s, Lillard went on to play starring roles in comedies like "She's All That" and indies like "SLC Punk."
After the Shaggy days, though, Lillard faded into obscurity for some time. However, the actor took on more prestigious television roles in the 2010s, appearing in "The Good Wife," "Bosch," and "Twin Peaks: The Return," as well as the 2011 Best Picture nominee "The Descendants."
Coincidentally, it was also during this decade that Lillard began voicing Shaggy again periodically until original voice actor Casey Kasem died in 2014. After that, Lillard took over as the full-time voice of Shaggy Rogers in (nearly) every piece of "Scooby-Doo" media, an opportunity that has played no small part in revitalizing his acting career.
Jamie Kennedy as Randy Meeks
Although Randy eventually gets his comeuppance in "Scream 2," the actor who played him will be forever tied to "Scream" as the first one who ever explained the rules. For a couple of years, Jamie Kennedy was Hollywood's "it" boy. A foul-mouthed prankster was all the rage in the late '90s and Kennedy seemed poised for a successful movie career, landing one role after another. Films like "As Good As It Gets," "Three Kings," and "Boiler Room" certainly kept his profile high enough, and even "Malibu's Most Wanted" made a little money. This all culminated in The WB's "The Jamie Kennedy Experiment," a practical joke comedy show that predated "Punk'd" by a year, but only ran for three seasons, from 2002 to 2004.
Then came 2005's "Son of the Mask," a bizarre, utterly unnecessary sequel to the classic Jim Carrey comedy "The Mask.' The film was a colossal disaster with critics and audiences, earning just $17 million domestically against an $84 million budget. It also earned Kennedy two Razzie nominations, including one for Worst Screen Couple, which he shared with "anybody stuck sharing the screen with him."
More than any of the low-budget movies he's starred in recently or the one-off episodes of "CSI" and "Entourage" he appeared in, Kennedy is best known for ruining New Year's Eve. He became the subject of internet infamy when a disastrous New Year's Eve special he hosted on local television in Southern California went viral in January 2013.
Rose McGowan as Tatum Riley
After co-starring in the teen comedy "Jawbreaker," Rose McGowan became best known for replacing Shannen Doherty on the WB supernatural dramedy "Charmed," where she remained through the series finale in 2006. From there, she went on to appear in the movie "Grindhouse" for co-director Robert Rodriguez, to whom she was very briefly engaged and was in a relationship with from 2006 to 2009. Other high-profile roles include guest spots on "Nip/Tuck" and "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit."
McGowan hasn't made many headlines for acting work as of late. She appeared in a couple of episodes of "Once Upon a Time" and other TV shows, but her last film role was back in 2017, opposite Christopher Lloyd in the indie thriller "The Sound." In 2017, Rose McGowan was one of the women who spoke up to accuse Harvey Weinstein of sexual misconduct and alleged rape. An activist for her entire career, McGowan wrote about her experiences with Weinstein as well as her childhood in a cult in a 2018 memoir titled "Brave."
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
W. Earl Brown as Kenny
After playing Gale Weathers' food-loving cameraman Kenny, W. Earl Brown became one of the quintessential "hey, it's that guy!" actors, thanks to endless roles on television and in movies. Arguably his most famous roles remain Dan Dority, Al Swearengen's close confidant and partner on the beloved HBO drama "Deadwood," and Cameron Diaz's brother, Warren, in the 1998 comedy "There's Something About Mary." He spent the early 2000s making appearances in hit TV shows like "The X-Files," "Six Feet Under," and "Justified."
Brown has gone on to have quite the wide-ranging television career, which has lasted even into the modern wave of prestige TV. He's been on "True Detective" and "Hacks" and even has a small role in the "Star Wars" universe, appearing in both "The Mandalorian" and "The Book of Boba Fett." He also played the wicked sheriff Hugo Root in the first two seasons of AMC's "Preacher." Most recently, he played Big Fred in the Apple TV+ series "Hello Tomorrow!" Notably, the actor also voiced the character Bill (played by Nick Offerman in the TV adaptation) in the video game "The Last of Us."
Henry Winkler as Principal Himbry
Thanks to his iconic role on the '70s sitcom "Happy Days," Henry Winkler could have quit the business after his brief cameo in "Scream" and still remained one of Hollywood's most recognizable actors. Fortunately for all of us, his career remains in full swing. He's managed to reinvent and re-introduce himself time after time to new generations of TV fans, remaining a household name from the 1970s all the way to the 2020s.
From Zuckerkorn to Cousineau, Winkler has given us a lot to laugh about over the years. A regular on "Arrested Development," "Parks and Recreation," and "Royal Pains," Winkler's work in HBO's "Barry" cemented him as a big name in Hollywood yet again. Not only did the role earn him an Emmy, it boosted the actor's career after he was well into his 70s. This has led to roles in "The French Dispatch," "Black Adam," and the 2020 animated "Scooby-Doo" movie "Scoob!"
Drew Barrymore as Casey Becker
Although Casey Becker famously died at the beginning of the movie, "Scream" came at a moment when Drew Barrymore's once-moribund career was already in full comeback mode — and after it hit theaters, she continued her ascension to '90s rom-com queen, arguably exemplified by her role in Adam Sandler's "The Wedding Singer" in 1998. Mixing in dramas like "Riding in Cars with Boys" and blockbusters like the "Charlie's Angels" movies along the way, Barrymore went on to star in "Never Been Kissed," "First Dates," and "Music and Lyrics," among many other movies you'll secretly catch yourself watching on a lazy Saturday afternoon.
After winning acclaim, including an Emmy nomination and a Golden Globe, for HBO's adaptation of "Grey Gardens" in 2009, Barrymore's career slowed down considerably. But that was merely a hiccup. Nowadays, Barrymore is back and stronger than ever.
The Barrymore-essaince (if you can call it that) began when she starred in and produced the Netflix comedy "Santa Clarita Diet." Hot off the heels of that show, the actress embarked on the biggest project of her career, "The Drew Barrymore Show." The CBS talk show, also just called "Drew," launched in 2020 and features Barrymore diving into hot-button issues of the day and celebrity guest interviews.
Liev Schreiber as Cotton Weary
Although his character, Cotton Weary, only appeared in news footage in the first movie, Liev Schreiber went on to play a more prominent role in "Scream 2" and concluded the character's arc in "Scream 3." Overall, whether in the movies, on television or the Broadway stage, Schreiber has become an acclaimed and respected actor over the last 20 years. He received an Emmy nomination in 2000 for playing Orson Welles in the TV movie "RKO 281." A few years later, he won positive reviews — not to mention a Tony award — in the Broadway revival of "Glengarry Glen Ross." He's also appeared in a number of movies, including "The Manchurian Candidate," "Salt," and "X-Men Origins: Wolverine."
While it never slowed down per se, Schreiber's career reached a new level when he landed the titular role on the Showtime drama "Ray Donovan." He played this character from 2013 until 2022 (if you include "Ray Donovan: The Movie," which you should), earning five Golden Globe Award nominations and three Primetime Emmy Award nominations during a seven-season run.
On the film side of things, Schreiber has become a member of Wes Anderson's inner circle, appearing in the last three of the director's films, most recently "Asteroid City." He also lent his talents to animation mega-hit "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," where he voiced Kingpin.
Roger L. Jackson as Ghostface
Given how effectively he scared the you-know-what out of movie audiences using only his voice, it should come as no surprise that Roger L. Jackson has kept very busy as a voiceover actor in the last 20 years. He provided the voice for the Ghostface killer in all three of the original "Scream" sequels, and has appeared in an endless number of TV series and video games. In the realm of gaming alone, Jackson has lent his voice to over 100 of them, including major titles like "Red Dead Redemption 2," "Horizon: Zero Dawn," and the "Mass Effect" series. And it's not just modern hits: Jackson's voice-acting credits in the gaming industry go back way before his Ghostface days, all the way to the LucasArts heyday with games like "The Secret of Monkey Island," where Jackson got his start in 1990.
Jackson's longest-running gig has been as the voice of Mojo Jojo in every iteration of "The Powerpuff Girls," including the most recent series that ran until 2019. In addition to coming back to voice Ghostface in the 2020s "Scream" reboot, he also reprised the role for the third and final season of the "Scream" TV series.