Created/written by Kevin Williamson and directed by Wes Craven, the Scream franchise consists of four films with a fifth on the way. Here are 10 actors you forgot made an appearance.
In March 2020, it was announced that Scream 5 was officially in development. The news comes almost a decade after the previous outing, which welcomed new cast members such as Emma Roberts and Hayden Panettiere combined with more familiar characters. However, the fifth instalment will be the first film not directed by Wes Craven. The prolific director passed away in 2015.
In the months following the announcement, it was confirmed that original cast members David Arquette and Courteney Cox will reprise their leading roles as Dewey Riley and Gale Weathers respectively from the first four films. Meanwhile, The Boys actor Jack Quaid will be playing one of the many new characters making their acquaintance. Quaid’s casting mirrors Courteney Cox’s from the original film – an established television star most likely playing an entirely different role than the one they are known for.
Other than Arquette, Cox and Quaid, there are many other actors who have found themselves in Ghostface’s presence throughout the films to date. Here are 10 that you may have forgotten about.
Henry Winkler
Henry Winkler, best known for playing “The Fonz” on Happy Days (1974-1984), made an uncredited cameo appearance in the original 1996 Scream. He played Arthur Himbry, Principal of Woodsboro High School, where Sidney Prescott attended. As you may already know or guessed, Winkler’s time in the Scream franchise was brief, as he was dispatched by Ghostface.
Liev Schreiber (Scream 1, 2 and 3)
Long before Liev Schreiber played the titular character in Showtime’s Ray Donovan, he was a supporting actor in the Scream films. He played Cotton Weary, the man falsely convicted for murdering Maureen Prescott, Sidney’s mother, which was a central plot point in the first films. Schreiber returned in a larger supporting role in Scream 2 and a minor role in Scream 3. Although the character of Cotton Weary was semi-important to the overall story, people may not remember that it was Liev Schreiber who played the role.
Jada Pinkett Smith and Omar Epps (Scream 2)
Jada Pinkett Smith (then known as Jada Pinkett) and Omar Epps each had minor roles at the start of Scream 2. The pair played Maureen Evans and Phil Stevens, a young couple on a date at a movie preview when Ghostface attacks, costing both their lives in the process.
For anyone unfamiliar, Pinkett later married Will Smith and appeared in projects including FOX’s Gotham, where she played crime boss Fish Mooney. Epps, on the other hand, has starred in television series such as House, Shooter and Resurrection.
Portia de Rossi
In one of her earliest film appearances, Australian-born actress Portia de Rossi had a minor supporting role as “Sorority Sister Murphy” in the second film. Despite only having a short tenure in the franchise, de Rossi’s character actually survived the bloodbath meaning that the character could return in the future, even if it’s unlikely.
de Rossi is better known nowadays as a businesswoman, wife of Ellen DeGeneres and for starring in a variety of shows which include Scandal, Ally McBeal and Better Off Ted.
Parker Posey
Parker Posey had a supporting role as actress “Jennifer Jolie” in 2000’s Scream 3. In the context of the story, Posey’s character was playing Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) in the fictional “Stab” films, based on Sidney Prescott’s clashes with Ghostface. Posey’s character, Jennifer, also has multiple scenes with Cox as the real Gale.
Most recently, Posey is known for her starring role as the villainous Dr. Smith on Netflix’s Lost In Space, where she appears alongside Molly Parker, Toby Stephens and Maxwell Jenkins, among others.
Scott Foley
Scott Foley appears in Scream 3 as film director Roman Bridger, whose latest project is “Stab 3” which many of the other new characters are involved with. However, as anyone who has seen the film will know, there is more to Roman than what initially meets the eye. Not only is he Ghostface, but Roman is also Sidney’s half-brother and the person responsible for setting the events of the entire Scream series in motion.
Nowadays, Foley is known for his roles in television series including Scandal, Felicity, The Unit, Grey’s Anatomy and Whiskey Cavalier.
Patrick Dempsey
Yet another new Scream 3 addition, Patrick Dempsey played Det. Mark Kincaid, one of the police officers investigating the murders that had been happening surrounding the set of “Stab 3”. Over the course of his investigation, Kincaid meets and forms a romantic connection with Sidney Prescott, which is evident by the end of the film.
Just five years after his Scream 3 appearance, Dempsey went on to land the role of Dr. Derek Shepherd on Grey’s Anatomy, which he played for 11 seasons. Interestingly, Neve Campbell (Sidney Prescott) appeared on the show, playing Derek Shepherd’s sister.
Anthony Anderson
Actor/comedian Anthony Anderson had a supporting part in Scream 4, playing local Woodsboro police officer “Anthony Perkins”, partnered with Ross Hoss (Adam Brody). Unfortunately, Anderson’s character is one of many to not survive the film, being murdered by Ghostface thus ruling out any possible future appearances for Officer Perkins.
More recently, Anderson is known for playing Andre “Dre” Johnson Sr, the lead character on ABC’s sitcom Black-ish. The series has spawned two spin-offs, Grown-ish and Mixed-ish.
Nico Tortorella
In Scream 4, Nico Tortorella co-starred as “Trevor Sheldon”, the unfaithful boyfriend to Emma Roberts’ character, Jill. After initially being framed as the murderer, Trevor is eventually killed by one of the actual culprits, Jill. Her accomplice (and secret lover) is social outcast, Charlie Walker (Rory Culkin).
Tortorella is known for his role as “Jacob” in Season 1 of The Following, starring Kevin Bacon and James Purefoy. The actor has also appeared in Younger and will star in the upcoming Walking Dead television series, World Beyond.
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