We’re still celebrating the 25th anniversary of Wes Craven‘s Scream, while of course also looking ahead to next weekend, which will bring the franchise back to movie theaters.
It was in 1996 that Craven introduced us to the iconic Ghostface mask and the characters who will be returning to the big screen in this year’s Scream, but two actors we probably shouldn’t expect to see in Scream ’22 are Matthew Lillard and Skeet Ulrich, who of course memorably starred in the original slasher classic as Stu and Billy, revealed to be the film’s killers.
Their characters may be dead, but Lillard and Ulrich have still been part of the Scream 25th anniversary festivities, reflecting on the loss of Wes Craven in a recent chat with People.com.
“I sat there… and I sobbed the entire time in darkness,” Lillard recalls Craven’s memorial service in 2015. “And it wasn’t until I was there that I realized the impact he had on my life.”
The actor continues, “We speak about this movie being so seminal in our youth and being part of our childhood in this industry, so I will never forget being like, ‘Oh, he was older, he passed, I loved him,’ but just weeping uncontrollably for like an hour. It was really crazy.”
Scream co-star Ulrich tells the same outlet, “He just had such compassion for the project, for all of us as human beings and individuals, and he worked at a deep level. He was always focused on the subtext and what was going on behind the character. And [he was] just such a gentle, beautiful human being. He was fun and he had so many cool stories. A great captain.”
“And outside of the work, he was just so much fun to be around,” Ulrich adds.
This year’s new Scream will be the first film in the franchise not directed by Wes Craven, but the film has been dedicated to his life and legacy. You can watch a touching tribute below.