Thirty years after bringing Billy Loomis to life in the original Scream, Skeet Ulrich reflected on watching the movie only three times — and explained why he likely won’t return to the franchise in the future.
“Matthew Lillard and I did a live commentary while watching [the original Scream], and I think that’s only the third time I’ve seen it,” Ulrich, 56, exclusively told Us at Angry Orchard’s Video pop-up experience in honor of the brand’s limited-edition Thriller Variety Pack, which is inspired by Scream.
Ulrich said it had been “a long time” prior to his rewatch with Lillard, 56, adding, “It held up. We were laughing at ourselves.”
Scream, released in 1996, focused on Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) as she faced off against numerous killers hiding their identity behind the infamous Ghostface persona. In the film, she received help from fellow OG Scream characters Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) and Dewey Riley (David Arquette), which led to the creation of three sequels in 1997, 2000 and 2011.
Ulrich played Sidney’s boyfriend in the first movie — who turned out to be one of the two killers opposite Lillard’s Stu. After Lillard was brought back as a deepfake in Scream 7, Ulrich weighed in on his costar and friend’s theory that Stu could still be alive.
“I do [support his theory]. One-hundred percent,” Ulrich added before addressing the chances of Billy faking his death too. “I don’t think a gunshot wound to the head [is survivable].”
Ulrich continued: “[Matthew] wanted to rejoin the franchise for a while, and so when it finally happened, I was so excited for him. I called him right away.”
Despite returning in Scream 5 when new protagonist Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera) has a vision about her dad, Billy, Ulrich doesn’t see himself filming more content for the franchise.
“Without Melissa Barrera and Sam Loomis, there’s no Billy Loomis,” the actor said in reference to Barrera being fired in 2023. “He was in her head. They had their chance at it and didn’t quite get to complete the three-film arc that they talked to me about.”
Ulrich is still grateful for his experience within the Scream universe, which had many highlights, including his friendship with Lillard.
“We really primarily started doing conventions together, and the dinners after a day of work led to just getting to know each other. That’s gone on for the last 10 to 12 years. In the beginning we finished Scream and he went one direction and I went another,” Ulrich recalled. “I wound up moving to a farm in Virginia. He was all over the world filming. So we didn’t really see each other for a long time.”
He continued: “And then when we did, it was just a rekindling. We’re both fathers. He’s an incredible father, and we had so much more to discuss later in our lives than we did back then. So I’m proud to call him a friend. He’s somebody I can call and throw anything at and he’s got a good answer and good advice for it.”
The horror genre hasn’t been the same since Ghostface asked Drew Barrymore that question in 1996. Three sequels and one TV spinoff later, the Scream franchise isn’t going anywhere. The first Scream film debuted in December, a month usually reserved for awards contenders and family-friendly holiday fare. Even so, it became a runaway hit, and […]
Ulrich’s long-lasting friendship with Lillard seems fitting after meeting on the set of Scream, which has stood the test of time. Ulrich reflected on the horror movie’s legacy while making an appearance tied to Angry Orchard Video.
“They just have the same sense of nostalgia that the movie has, and there’s just an intriguing aspect to what they do that I think it lends really well to Scream,” he told Us. “It’s pretty wild though. Thirty years later and people are still interested.”
Angry Orchard is channeling the spooky speak with its Halloween collaboration with Scream that includes the limited-edition Thriller Variety Pack. The glow-in-the-dark packaging and seasonal flavors include Mystery Caller, Caramel Apple Curse, Blood Orange and Headless Pumpkin.
“I like Mystery Caller, believe it or not. As I should, right?” Ulrich quipped before complimenting the pop-up’s ability to recreate a video rental store in honor of Scream coming out in the ’90s. “I remember going all the time in West Hollywood to the Blockbuster there, and people were just trying to find what they wanted to watch.”
He concluded: “But if you knew exactly what you wanted to watch and it wasn’t on the shelves, you would wait for the return box and go and check in the return box. There was just a real social element to it and a way for fans to interact that, unfortunately, we don’t get anymore.”
