Following Sid's triumphant (and severely injured) exit from Woodsboro in Scream 4, Ghostface took over a decade off from killing sprees. Although Sid, Dewey, and Gale believed that their days of fighting murderous mayhem were finally in the past, 2022's Scream finds a unique way to rope the trio back to their small town's latest bloody crime scene.
In Scream's latest entry in the massively successful and beloved film franchise, audiences meet Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera), a Woodsboro local with a secretive past. As the murder mystery soon envelops Sam and her sister's tight-knit friend group, audiences learn how she's connected to Ghostface and who she is. During a spoiler-free interview with CBR, the Scream star reflected on what it was like to be on-set with veterans of the franchise, teased Sam's future, and celebrated how the film focuses on the power of sisterhood.
CBR: For Sam, a big part of her character arc is about what sisterhood means to her. I would love to hear what it was like for you to bring that to life on screen?
Melissa Barrera: I'm the oldest of four sisters in real life, so sisterhood to me is everything. My sisters are everything to me. So it was a pretty easy feeling to tap into this idea of, "I have to return to this place that I've run away from because I need to protect my sister. I need to make sure that she's okay." Getting to work with Jenna was just incredible. From the moment that we did our chemistry read, it was just like, instant, automatic. I was like, "Yes, I will do anything for this girl."
I love that it's a sister story now. I love that in this movie you get to have that sibling relationship really at the center. I think it justifies everything that my character does because anyone would do anything to protect their loved ones. I think the motivation for my character came so easily and clear from the beginning.
There's a lot of battles, so to speak, in this movie for Sam -- a lot of running. What's one piece of advice you wish you could tell your past self when you're preparing for those epic chase scenes?
It was so fun getting to work out with the stunt team and learn all things that we had to do. I didn't really have a chase scene per se -- there's the hospital scene at the beginning and in the break room and there's a little bit of running in that. But I would hope that in the next installment, there would be more chase scenes kind of like that epic chase scene in Scream 3 where Courteney and David are literally running all over trying to hide. That, to me, is epic. So I would love that.
I feel like if I could tell something to myself to prepare, it would be just like, "Stay in shape." When you're shooting it, like when you see it in the movie, you're like, "Oh, what they had to run for like three minutes?" But those three minutes is an entire day of running when you're shooting it. So that's why you need to keep your stamina up and be in good physical shape.
You got to do what's probably every diehard Scream fan's dream -- to be sassed by Gale Weathers. I know you're a huge fan of her character too, so what was going through your head during those moments?
Ah, oh my gosh, I was freaking out. I remember my mind exploding every five seconds because I couldn't believe that I was getting to work with Courteney Cox and that I got to like share scenes with her and then become friends with her. Sam gets her fair amount of sass from Gale Weathers in this movie [laughs].
Though I feel like the Gale in this movie, we got to see her heart more. I think that that was a beautiful thing for the fans that have been following her and her relationship with Dewey. To see this iteration of the more heartfelt Gale and [see] the more heartbreaking part of their relationship. I think it was beautiful and I loved getting to experience it there and live. When Gale and Dewey meet for the first time in the movie when she comes back, we were all on the monitor. Like all of us were on the monitor watching this incredible dual reunion with these two characters and these two actors too that have such a special relationship. So it was mind-blowing. It was amazing.
Speaking of David Arquette, when I spoke with Jack Quaid, he mentioned that David taught everyone on set how to paint like Bob Ross. So I was curious if you still had your Bob Ross painting?
It's somewhere, but I just moved -- so it must be in a box somewhere. But I definitely have it. It was such a fun day. David is such a box of surprises. He's just full of surprises and he has all these skills and he's just the nicest human being ever.
2022's Scream is now available on Digital and arriving on Paramount+ on March 8. Diehard fans can get their hands on the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray version of the film on April 5.