Mikey Madison didn’t realize her role in Scream 2022 would have such a big impact on fans.
Madison, who played the Ghostface killer in the film, admitted to Collider that she was unaware of the huge fan following the Scream franchise had before she joined the cast. “I have to be honest, when I did the film, it sounds naive, but I wasn’t so aware of the huge fan base that the franchise has, that I’ve now been able to discover,” she said. After all, Madison wasn’t even born when the first Scream movies were released in 1996 and 1997.
Despite this, she quickly became aware of the passion Scream and horror fans have for the series. “Scream and horror fans and people who love horror films are the best people ever,” she shared, adding, “but I really naively went into it.”
In Scream 2022, Madison’s Ghostface character shocks audiences by killing off the beloved character of Sheriff Dewey Riley, played by David Arquette. Reflecting on the scene, Madison said, “I remember being kind of sad because I was like, ‘Oh, such a great character. It’ll be sad to see him go.’” But it wasn’t until later that she realized the emotional impact Dewey’s death had on fans. “People have come up to me, and they’re like, ‘I hate that this happened. I’m mad at you.’ And I’m like, ‘I’m so sorry, I didn’t write the script!’ I didn’t want to do it,” she laughed.
Madison also shared her audition story for Scream 2022, which was one of her first major film roles. “I had auditioned. I sent in a tape, and then I heard nothing for, like, eight months or something, and I’d pretty much forgotten about it,” she recalled. “Then they came back, and they were like, ‘Hey, would you want to be in this film? The character would be the Scream Ghostface character.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, that sounds really fun. I would absolutely like to do that.’”
She added that playing Ghostface was exciting because of the character’s unpredictable arc. “It’s such an interesting, fun reveal, and it’s such a crazy, unpredictable arc for a character,” Madison said. “I think those films are so self-aware in a way where all the actors know exactly what kind of movie they’re in, and you’re able to have fun with it.”
Scream 2022 also starred Jenna Ortega, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Melissa Barrera, and Jack Quaid.