Horror is a tried and true genre in the film world, and it’s been experiencing a renaissance for a number of years now. Some of the best horror movies returned to theaters as a result, including Wes Craven’s Scream. One Scream actor recently revealed that they begged to be killed off, and explains why they regret it nowadays.
Plenty of outstanding talent has worked on the Scream franchise throughout the years, including actor Liev Schreiber. He debuted at Cotton Weary in the 1996 original movie, and reprised his role in the first two sequels. The Ray Donavan actor recently spoke to GQ about his career, and revealed that he actually wanted to be killed by Ghostface. He offered context, saying:
At that point in my career, I didn't really fully understand the value of being in a franchise. To be frank, I was like, 'Let me get out of this while I can. Get out while things are going well. I just thought it would be fun to be one of the iconic kills from the top. I was working and doing a lot of other stuff in New York in theater, and I was just like, 'How many times can I play this character?' Now I realize you can play that character as many times as they want you to.
Points were made. While major franchises and IPs dominate the entertainment industry nowadays, that wasn’t always the cast. In the 1990s, Liev Schreiber didn’t see the potential in his Scream character, and was all too happy to retire as Cotton Weary. Unfortunately, that might have been a misstep given the slasher property’s continued success.
Schreiber’s roles throughout the original Scream trilogy vary in size. While he was only seen briefly in the 1996 original, he had a much larger role in Scream 2 and even got to participate in the final battle against Ghostface. In the threequel he was part of the opening kill sequence, ending his tenure as Cotton in the process. Later in that same interview, he explained how this came about, and why he regrets campaigning to be killed in Scream 3. In his words:
Later: I suggested they knocked me off. Part of the device of the movies is that somebody in the first five minutes gets killed because you don't expect them to get killed. Which, now, I'm kicking myself for because I would have liked to be in Scream 5.
Points were made. The beloved horror franchise returned to theaters with 2022’s Scream, which was the fifth movie to hit theaters. While it was the first two be released since Wes Craven’s death, the team at Radio Silence released two hit movies in quick succession, with Scream VI breaking records for the franchise. And if Schreiber hadn’t insisted on being killed off in the threequel, he probably could have returned as a legacy character.
While the last two Scream movies focused on the quartet of new heroes known as the Core Four, the filmmakers have also included legacy characters in the fun. The 2022 brought back Marley Shelton’s Judy Hicks, while Scream VI featured Hayden Panettiere’s Kirby Reed. If Cotton was still alive, smart money says the Radio Silence team would have brought him back. Looks like Liev Schreieber learned a lesson in that way.
Considering how successful Scream VI was in theaters, I have to assume that Paramount will be announcing a new sequel. But so far there hasn't been any concrete information about the franchise’s future. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
