Scream: What if Neve Campbell and Skeet Ulrich weren’t the stars?

Scream was the hottest film around in 1996. Every young up and coming star and starlet wanted in on the Wes Craven production.  This meta horror film helped to cement Neve Campbell’s star status and turned Skeet Ulrich into a Hollywood heartthrob. But who turned down the roles?

Interesting First Choices for Sidney

Scream was one horror film that young Hollywood passionately pursued. This Wes Craven production turned Neve Campbell into a bona fide star and took Skeet Ulrich to hunk status. However, who did Kevin Williamson have in mind when he wrote the script?

Well, believe it or not, according to IMDb, the writer envisioned John Hughes’ muse, Molly Ringwald in the role of Sidney Prescott. Which is interesting because at the time, the 80’s darling was 28 years old. Neve Campbell was only 5 years younger but she was closer to high school age.

Although Hollywood does have a predilection for casting 20 somethings as teenagers, go figure. Oddly enough, Ringwald’s reason for declining, she felt that she could no longer play a high schooler.

Next up in the search for Sidney, Reese Witherspoon. More age appropriate at 20. Her intriguing reason for not signing on, she thought it leaned more toward “B movie horror” territory and not satire. That’s okay, in my opinion she might have been too self-righteous to play the role properly.

Here are some of the other actresses that were in the casting process, Claire Danes, Melissa Joan Hart, Brittany Murphy, Alicia Witt, Melanie Lynskey, A.J. Langer and Chloe Sevigny. Out of these potential scream queens the most intriguing to me would have been Alicia Witt. Witt’s persona is smart and sensible she could have possibly played the Sidney role.

The Craft is what sealed the deal for Neve and rightfully so. She was very believable and vulnerable in her role as Bonnie. Interesting that she and Skeet would once again meet up for another film.

Looking for Billy Loomis

Before Skeet Ulrich assumed the role of hidden psychopath, Billy Loomis there were several other contenders in the mix. Believe it or not, Ben Affleck and Joaquin Phoenix. Ben could have played Billy but he lacks the soulfulness that Ulrich possesses. He is a little intense (not that there is ANYTHING wrong with that).

Joaquin on the other hand, while I enjoy his acting, he is an acquired taste like caviar. He may have been a little too bananas for the part but even if he dialed it down, this role was in the vein of Johnny Depp’s in A Nightmare on Elm Street. Luckily, both actors passed because the universe works in mysterious ways.

Freddie Prinze, Jr. was actually Kevin Williamson’s favorite. However, he ended up being in the scribe’s I Know What You Did Last Summer pictures.

David Arquette was offered the role but he turned it down because he felt more at home playing Dewey. Smart move, David. No one else could have played him quite like you.

Next the casting directors turned to Matthew Lillard but he opted for the role of Stu. An astute move on the actor’s part. As we all know, Skeet Ulrich ended up with the role because of his resemblance to…you guessed it! Johnny Depp!

Rounding out the Cast

Gale Weathers was originally offered to Janeane Garofalo. While she has an assertive persona, she doesn’t really strike me as an on-air personality. An investigative reporter for a website sure but not in this glamorous role.

Brooke Shields and Elizabeth Berkley’s names came up. In my estimation, Brooke could have been a “maybe” but Elizabeth went on to Showgirls. Enough said.

So, how did Courtney Cox wind up as the ambitious reporter? Well, she petitioned Craven. She wanted to shake her Monica from Friends persona for a bit.

Breckin Meyer and Jason Lee both auditioned for Randy Meeks but lost out to Jamie Kennedy. Things usually happen for a reason and in the case of casting Scream, the right actors and actresses wound up in the appropriate parts. The film also sparked a resurgence in the horror genre.

Did you know about some of these actors being considered for parts in Scream? Could you see anyone else playing these well-known roles? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below. We want to hear from you.