Why Gary From Fear Street 1978 Looks So Familiar
Netflix's new slasher trilogy, "Fear Street," dives into the series of novels of the same name from author R.L. Stine, who is best known for his children's horror series "Goosebumps." While the "Fear Street" novels were more intense than anything found in "Goosebumps," they were still aimed at a teenage audience. However, the new "Fear Street" films have a slightly more mature audience in mind, with each film officially rated R, according to CNET.
The movies move backward through the story of the Shadyside murders. The first film, "Fear Street Part One: 1994" begins the story, "Fear Street Part Two: 1978" delves into the violent events at a summer camp in the recent past, and "Fear Street Part Three: 1666" explores the saga's dark origins centuries before. This reversed chronology means that the movies can fully introduce characters hinted at in previous films, such as C. Berman, played by "Community" star Gillian Jacobs and Ziggy, played by "Stranger Things" actress Sadie Sink.
While Jacobs and Sink are two of the biggest names joining the trilogy in "Fear Street Part Two: 1978," there are plenty of other recognizable faces arriving as well. Some viewers might do a double-take when curly-haired camper Gary shows up, which is no surprise because actor Drew Scheid has recently appeared in some pretty prominent projects. Here is why Gary from "Fear Street Part Two: 1978" looks so familiar.
Drew Scheid has had some small parts in big productions
As a young actor still carving out his place in the industry, Scheid has found himself in some great, although brief, appearances in both film and TV. One of his first professional acting jobs was on Netflix's "Stranger Things," when he appeared in three consecutive episodes of Season 2. In "Chapter Two: Trick or Treat, Freak," Scheid plays a drunk partygoer at an event attended by Nancy (Natalia Dyer), whereas in the following two episodes, he appears as a track teammate of Steve's (Joe Keery).
Next, Scheid landed a recurring role on "Insatiable," another Netflix show. While his appearances on that show were also brief, he at least plays a recurring character, Gary, the leader of a group of socially awkward young men who occasionally assist main character Patty (Debby Ryan).
All of that work helped Scheid land a role in what would become the biggest film of his burgeoning career, in the 2018 revival of the "Halloween" franchise starring Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode. In that movie, Scheid plays Oscar, a close friend of Laurie's granddaughter and an eventual victim of Michael Myers (James Jude Courtney).
Scheid appeared as Pride's long-lost son on NCIS: New Orleans
After "Halloween" became an unexpected success, Drew Scheid's profile began to rise, and the young actor eventually landed a crucial supporting role in the final season of "NCIS: New Orleans." Halfway through Season 7, Pride's (Scott Bakula) former romantic partner and occasional nemesis, Sasha (Callie Thorne), returns to introduce him to a son he never knew he had: Connor, played by Scheid.
The introduction of Pride's previously unmentioned son was meant to bring the character's arc full circle from its rocky starting point at the beginning of the show. Executive producer Christopher Silber told CinemaBlend, "When we first met Pride, his marriage was ending and his daughter was heading off to college. Seven seasons later we've managed to come full circle with a new marriage and a 'new' son."
The bond between Dwayne and Connor became much stronger when Sasha abruptly departed, leaving Connor to join the Pride household. While the five-episode arc of "NCIS: New Orleans" that introduces Connor and then ends the show doesn't give Scheid a lot of time to develop the character, his inclusion was a vital part of giving audiences the satisfying ending they had hoped for.
Drew Scheid landed a spot on the acclaimed HBO drama Mare of Easttown
Scheid appeared in perhaps his most prestigious role so far when he was cast in the HBO miniseries "Mare of Easttown" as Geoff, a drummer in the fictional band Androgynous. Geoff is in Androgynous with Siobhan (Angourie Rice), who is the daughter of the main character, Mare (Kate Winslet).
In an interview with the AV Club, showrunner Brad Ingelsby explained that it was important to him to show the relatively blue-collar area's outsized influence on the music industry, resulting from its proximity to Philadelphia. That impulse led to the creation of Androgynous and the licensing of songs from local indie-rock group Mannequin P***y for the actors to perform.
While Scheid's character Geoff isn't particularly pivotal to the plot of "Mare of Easttown," the producers wanted to make sure that everyone in Androgynous knew how to perform as a scrappy DIY band. To that end, Scheid and the other were able to rehearsed as a band together and even received instructions from Japanese Breakfast, another prominent indie rock group, about performing on stage. The opportunity to work with these indie rock icons was especially exciting for Scheid, who told the AV Club, "I was like, 'Oh my god, that's so cool!' I was the only one who was like, 'Guys, these guys are great. You're listening to their album tonight.'"