It’s a great time to be a fan of scary movies, as some of the best horror movies have returned to theaters thanks to new sequels. The most recent of these is the new Scream sequel, which was so successful that a sixth movie was quickly ordered. And recent Oscar nominee Kristen Stewart has revealed why she previously turned down a role in the slasher franchise.
The Scream movie has featured stellar actors throughout its run on the big screen, and this was especially true for Wes Craven’s last directorial effort before his death: Scream 4. But it turns out that Kristen Stewart could have been part of that ensemble alongside names like Emma Roberts and Hayden Panettiere. The Twilight alum recently spoke to the role she was offered, and why she ultimately passed. As she explained,
So it’s the Drew [Barrymore] character that gets killed in the beginning, and they created a whole sequence where a lot of people got killed to emulate the Drew thing. But it was just going to be one person, and I was like, ‘I can’t do a Drew. I can’t touch that.’ Do you know what I mean? But, yeah, so then they ended up doing, if I’m remembering correctly, a larger sequence and not just one victim.
Honestly, can you blame her? The horror genre was changed forever as a result of Drew Barrymore’s opening scene in the 1996 original Scream. Those are some big shoes to fill, despite how successful these sequences have been throughout the franchise. And Kristen Stewart seemingly didn’t want to have that pressure for a role in Scream 4.
Kristen Stewart’s comments to Slant Magazine have shown how methodically the 31 year-old actor has thought about her career. And while being killed by Ghostface in a Scream movie is a dream gig for many, it has to be the right role. Unfortunately, she wasn’t interested in being one of the first victims when Scream 4 hit theaters back in 2011.
Of course, Kristen Stewart’s comments about Scream 4 will likely only inspire more question from the hardcore fans. After all, Wes Craven’s slasher featuring a multi-opening sequence to throw audiences off. I have to wonder which of the six “first” girls she would have played if production played their cards right. Would she have been an actual citizen of Woodsboro like Jenny and Marnie, or one of the Stab characters like Kristen Bell and Anna Paquin? Hopefully we’ll get these questions answered sometime down the line.
Later in the same interview, Kristen Stewart was asked if she might be interested in joining the Scream franchise sometime down the line. After all, the wild success of the fifth movie has led to the folks at Radio Silence developing a sixth installment. She answered honestly, while citing her love for franchise star Neve Campbell. In her words,
Maybe. I would read the script. I love Neve Campbell so much. She was very nice to me, and it was very satisfying that she’s a very nice person. I love that movie. I’ve watched it recently, as an adult though. It’s so gnarly. I love the movie because it loves movies. The coolest part of Scream is what it says about film. It’s so self-aware. It folds in on itself like six times. I love how much [Wes Craven] loves movies and how embedded that is. It’s a total film nerd type of movie. It’s not just a flasher flick. It’s a beautiful movie. It’s so hard to watch. I’m like, ‘I don’t have the stomach for that shit anymore.’ I was like, “Oh, man, this is very, very, very intense.’
Do you hear that sound? That's horror fans collectively crossing their fingers and hoping that Kristen Stewart makes her entrance in Woodsboro for Scream 6. It’s currently unclear what directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett have up their sleeves for the developing sequel, but new characters are needed for every new sequel. Although Ghostface did leave a surprising amount of survivors alive.
For now Kristen Stewart is in the midst of Awards Season, recently getting an Academy Award nomination for her acclaimed performance as Diana, Princess of Wales in Spencer. And while she’s always busy with new movie projects, we’ll have to see if she ever gets to actually join the cast of Scream.
The latest Scream movie is currently available in VOD, and will be released for Blu-ray on April 5th. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
