Drew Barrymore and her iconic guest appearance in 1996’s horror hit Scream is trending again as the actress revealed in an episode of her talk show, The Drew Barrymore Show, that her young daughters saw the film for the first time.
Actress Drew Barrymore’s name is synonymously associated with Wes Craven’s slasher film series Scream. Despite her merely 10-15 minute appearance in the first film of the iconic 90s and early 2000s franchise which was revived in 2022, Barrymore’s influence on the film’s popularity is incontestable.
In a 2020 interview with Hot Ones, Barrymore was asked why she rejected the main role but “fought to take a character who was killed in the first 12 minutes.” Barrymore explained that within the horror film genre, main characters are at risk of impending death, but they always survive till the film's climax. She wanted to play on the genre and shock the audience who would be expecting that Barrymore’s character would survive. Barrymore said,
“So, in the horror film genre, my biggest pet peeve was that I always knew the main character was going to be like slugging through at the end, but was gonna like creak by and make it. And that’s the art of great filmmaking that even if you know that, you’re still like, ‘oh God!’ What I wanted to do is to take that comfort zone away. So, I asked if I could be Casey Becker so that we would establish that that rule does not apply in this film.”
Barrymore played high-schooler Casey Becker in the first scene of the film, who is brutally murdered by an unnamed killer after she fails a round of horror film trivia. The main role, of Sidney Prescott, ultimately went to actress Neve Campbell. In a 2011 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Barrymore revealed what attracted her to Casey’s role. She said,
“The first scene was really reminiscent to me of When A Stranger Calls, like these great things that left you wanting more. And it was absolutely my favorite part, but I loved the whole thing.”
Drew Barrymore’s daughter's reaction to Scream
Drew Barrymore shares two daughters with her ex-husband, Will Kopelman. In the February 26, 2025 episode of The Drew Barrymore Show, the actress revealed that her daughters saw Scream for the very first time, and they loved her performance. She said,
“They came home the other day and said they watched Scream, and they were like, ‘Mom, you got it so good in that movie! Oh my God!’ They were with girlfriends and they were at a sleepover and they were watching Scream.”
Barrymore’s daughter Olive reacted so positively to her mother’s performance that she expressed her desire to dress up like her character, Casey, for Halloween, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Olive is on the right track, after all, Barrymore’s distinct blonde bob and white sweater, alongside her performance as a scared and screaming Casey, are seared into the minds of all Scream fans despite the short length of the role.
The impact of Drew Barrymore’s role in Scream
The short-lived performance of Barrymore as Casey in the first few minutes of Scream was a masterclass in acting. Jenna Ortega, the star of the Scream reboot, revealed on The Drew Barrymore Show that Barrymore influenced her during her preparation for the Scream reboot. Ortega said,
“I cannot tell you how many times I have seen your opening scene.”
In another interview for her talk show, actress Michelle Pfeiffer admitted that Barrymore’s Scream performance was influential in her role in What Lies Beneath. Pfeiffer said,
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“I was prepping for it and around the same time that I saw you in that film and your terror was so, it was so real, it was so real. And I thought oh, that's it…I copied you, completely copied you.”
In a hilarious turn of events, Barrymore revealed that her blonde bob in Scream was in turn inspired by Pfeiffer’s iconic look in Scarface. This was undoubtedly a hilarious case of intersecting Hollywood influences, and also a nod to great cinematic masterpieces. Meanwhile, fans of Scream are waiting for the 7th film to be released sometime next year.
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