In a recent interview reflecting on the original 1996 Scream film, Matthew Lillard discusses his and Skeet Ulrich’s performances in the film’s climax. Lillard and Ulrich played horror movie-obsessed killer teens Stu Macher and Billy Loomis in Wes Craven’s 1996 slasher film. The pair starred alongside Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Rose McGowan, Jamie Kennedy, and Drew Barrymore.
After the shocking murders of Casey Becker (Barrymore) and Steve Orth (Kevin Pattrick Walls), the citizens of Woodsboro are caught in the media frenzy as more and more deaths and attacks occur, leading to curfews being implemented. As the film draws to a close, the town’s teens hold a party at Stu’s home. When Ghostface strikes the house, it is revealed that Stu and Billy were the killers behind the mask all along (albeit in a more toned-down scene than had originally been planned). The pair launched their killing spree to get revenge on Sidney (Campbell) for her mother’s affair with Billy’s father that tore his family apart. With their identities revealed, the duo becomes frenzied as they’re on the verge of completing their scheme. Despite becoming an iconic moment for its twist and meta-commentary on the genre, one of the pivotal stars feels the reveal scene and the two killers’ behavior may have gone too far.
Speaking to Vulture alongside Ulrich, Lillard reflected on the original film, discussing how he felt about their performance in the climax. Lillard stated that he felt he and Ulrich descended into scenery-chewing performances, as the two characters tossed their calmer facade to the side as they explain their entire villainous plan to Sidney while threatening her with a gun and a knife and screaming lines like, “Guess how you’re gonna die!” He elaborated, saying that if he saw someone else delivering a similar performance, he’d ask them to turn it down. Check out Lillard’s comments below:
“It’s [us] completely losing our minds! I mean, that whole last sequence is us on a 10 and chewing scenery like no one’s business. The idea that Wes Craven sat behind the monitor and was like, This is great. We were crazy! If I ever saw somebody do that on a set, I’d be like, “Dude, bring it down 58 percent.”
Despite his reflection, Lillard has fond memories of his role, jokingly appealing for Stu’s return to the franchise. In order to celebrate the film’s 25th anniversary and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release, Lillard and Ulrich came together in an interview to discuss their character’s fates, with Lillard insisting Stu survived being crushed under a TV set in the 1996 film, appealing to fans to petition for his return. While it wasn’t known to audiences at the time, both Lillard and Ulrich would return in some form for the latest entry in the franchise, Scream (2022). Ulrich returned as a ghastly apparition of Billy seen by secret daughter Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera), while Lillard had a cameo as a flamethrower-wielding Ghostface killer seen in the trailer for the in-universe “Stab 8” movie.
While Lillard and Ulrich’s performances are over the top, it is hard to imagine Scream without their frenzied deliveries. After the film did its best to hide its true killer, Stu and Billy’s behavior is a stark contrast to what audiences had seen up until the climax, showing the true depths of their villainy. Not only is it entertaining and memorable to see both actors give it their all, but it also inspired fans to rewatch the film time and time again to pinpoint where their true selves showed, and which killer committed which murder.
Source: Vulture
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Author: Nathan Graham-Lowery
