More than a quarter-century after Scary Movie turned two of Hollywood’s biggest horror stars into punchlines, Anna Faris revealed this week that neither Neve Campbell nor Jennifer Love Hewitt held it against her — and one of them sent flowers.
Faris, whose return as Cindy Campbell in Scary Movie 6 is now in theaters, recently reflected on meeting the women whose iconic roles the original film spoofed. “I met [Campbell] once at an audition, she was so lovely,” she said in an interview with Films Actu. “And Jennifer Love Hewitt sent me flowers.” Faris attributed the gracious reactions to the nature of the film itself: “It did feel like we made something so ridiculous, that it would look silly if you were pissed off.”
Faris said her own approach while playing the role was deliberate deflection — “My goal was to play stupid enough so that no one would think I was actually mocking anybody. I can mock myself pretty well, I guess.” Co-creator Shawn Wayans backed her up, describing the franchise as movies made with care rather than contempt for their targets.
Campbell, currently promoting her return in Scream 7, told the outlet she has only watched a fraction of Scary Movie but takes the parody as a compliment. “If people impersonate you, you must have done something right,” she said. “Even if they’re making fun of you, it’s because it was enjoyed at some point by somebody.”
The goodwill comes as Scary Movie 6 opens to franchise-record numbers. The film earned $7.7 million in Thursday previews, with a $60 million opening weekend now a real possibility — which would make it the most successful comedy release in over 15 years and the second-biggest comedy opening ever behind only The Hangover Part II’s $85 million debut in 2011. The film reportedly cost only $30 million to produce. Faris and Regina Hall, who returns as Brenda, reunited with the Wayans brothers for the film after the franchise had been without its original creative team since the second installment.
The new entry parodies a wave of recent horror hits including Sinners, Get Out, Weapons, and Final Destination, giving the spoof machinery fresh material to work with after a 13-year gap.
