Top 10 Actors You Forgot Were in Scream

Wait, they were in “Scream”?! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today, we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Stars You Forgot Were in Scream. For this list, we’re looking at actors that you may have forgotten or not known were in the “Scream” film franchise. Since we’ll be discussing the actors’ and the characters they play in detail, a spoiler warning is now in effect.

“Scream 4” opens with a scene which is revealed to be from “Stab”, a fictional movie series within the “Scream” universe based on the Ghostface murders. In attendance for this “Stab” film screening are characters played by Kristen Bell and Anna Paquin. Paquin’s character goes on a rant negatively critiquing the film, which prompts Bell’s character to go a little overboard. A killer is never revealed this early in a “Scream” movie, so what’s going on? Turns out, it’s once again a scene from yet another “Stab” movie.

Don’t feel too bad if you don’t remember Luke Wilson’s cameo in “Scream 2.” It was probably picked up on by the biggest “Scream” fans, or the biggest Luke Wilson fans. Wilson played Billy in the original “Stab” movie, alongside actress Tori Spelling, who was the “Stab” version of heroine Sidney Prescott. Wilson can be seen on a TV playing the film scene while Dewey and Randy are meeting together at a university commons area. Judging from this scene, Wilson is not nearly as menacing as the real Billy.

This was one of Portia De Rossi’s first roles before gaining recognition as Lindsay in “Arrested Development.” In “Scream 2,” she played Murphy, one of the Delta Lambda sorority sisters who tries to persuade Sidney to join her sorority. Though Murphy has a bubbly personality, she also comes off as shallow and insincere, which in turn pokes fun at sorority stereotypes and greek culture. Only appearing in a handful of scenes, this was a pretty small role which really didn’t have much of an impact on the film’s overall plot.

In their “Scream 3” cameo, Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith play Jay and Silent Bob, who are taking part in a film studio tour. When they come across Gail Weathers, Jay believes she’s veteran journalist Connie Chung. While this cameo suggests that the “Jay and Silent Bob” universe takes place in the same one as “Scream”, the relationship between the two franchises is actually a complete paradox. A videocassette of “Clerks,” the first movie to feature Jay and Silent Bob, can be found in the first “Scream” movie on top of a VCR. In “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back,” the duo interrupts the production of a “Scream” sequel. So much for that theory.

In the opening scene of “Scream 2”, Jada’s character, Maureen Evans, is attending the opening weekend of the original “Stab” movie with her boyfriend. Unfortunately, Pinkett Smith’s time on screen comes to an abrupt end when Woodsboro’s most notorious figure makes his return. Mistaking Ghostface as her boyfriend wearing the killer’s infamous mask as a prop, it’s already too late before she realizes what’s going on. Although not nearly as memorable as the opening scene in the original “Scream,” it nonetheless sets the tone for the second installment of this classic slasher film franchise.

Unless you were a fan of “Community” or “Mad Men,” you may not have recognized Allison Brie when “Scream 4” came out in 2011. In this installment of the “Scream” franchise, Brie was Rebecca Walters, Sidney’s assistant, who was not above exploiting tragedies committed in Woodsboro for publicity and money. Due to her shameless personality, Rebecca often got on everyone’s nerves, hence becoming an obvious target for Ghostface.

Best known as “The Fonz” on “Happy Days,” Winkler did a complete 360 when taking on the role of a high school principal in the original “Scream” movie. Looking out for the wellbeing of his students, Winkler’s character, Principal Himbry, tried to keep Sidney safe while she was being stalked. He also had zero tolerance for anyone dressing up as Ghostface. Unfortunately, Principal Himbry meets his demise at the hands of the real Ghostface. “Scream 2” screenwriter Kevin Williamson admitted that he killed off the character on the advice of producer Bob Weinstein, who believed that the screenplay had gone on too long without adding to the body count.

Playing a bitter film studio employee in “Scream 3,” Fisher pokes fun at herself, which may have eluded fans who didn’t recognize the actress who played Princess Leia years after the original “Star Wars” trilogy was released. In this cameo, Gail Weathers remarks how Fisher’s character, Bianca Burnette, resembled Carrie Fisher in a photo taken in the 1970s. This prompted Burnette to mention how she had auditioned for the role of Princess Leia and almost got the part. However, according to Burnette, the part only went to Carrie Fisher because she did the deed with George Lucas.

A year before becoming Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sarah Michelle Gellar was Cici Cooper in “Scream 2.” Gellar only appeared in a couple of scenes before she meets her end. Not much is known about Cici except that she was a college student taking a film class and a member of a sorority, volunteering to stay in and offer sober rides for her sisters. Gellar had a much bigger role earlier that year in “I Know What You Did Last Summer, another horror movie also written by “Scream 2” screenwriter Kevin Williamson.

Before we reveal our top pick, here are some honorable mentions.

Jenny McCarthy

Laurie Metcalf

Heather Graham

Joshua Jackson

Linda Blair

Believe it or not, Ray Donovan himself was in three “Scream” movies, though he didn’t get much screen time in any of them. Schreiber played Cotton Weary, a man who was wrongfully accused by Sidney of murdering her mother, for which he was sent to prison. His first appearance in “Scream” was a brief cameo where he was shown in a news story playing on TV. In “Scream 2,” he was given a much larger role, seeking closure for his imprisonment. Finally, in “Scream 3”, he comes face to face with Ghostface himself, although he unfortunately doesn't survive the encounter. Despite being innocent all along, the menacing way in which Schreiber portrayed the character made Cotton a plausible suspect as the Ghostface killer.