Before Scream, Liev Schreiber was a relative unknown. He'd cropped up in a few indies and taken a memorable role in Ransom but it was his turn as Cotton Weary in Wes Craven's iconic slasher movie that really put him on the map.
It was a small role but one that became fleshed out in the sequels and while promoting the new season of Ray Donovan, we spoke to Schreiber about how he felt to be part of the Scream phenomenon.
But the word phenomenon was not what he had in mind when he originally took the role.
"It was an auspicious beginning for me," he told us. "Bob Weinstein, who was a theatre fan, called me into his office. He said he wanted to me do this thing for him. I’m $70,000 in debt from student loans, and I’m looking for a job wherever I can get it. He says all he wants me to do is walk down some stairs and get into a police car. Twenty seconds. Twenty grand. I was like, “I’m yours.”
But it quickly became something much more.
"It was great," he explained. "Then they fly me to Los Angeles first class. I just couldn’t believe it. Obviously it turned into a huge phenomenon, and they were kind enough to offer me a part in the second one."
After the second one became yet another huge hit, a third seemed only natural. But Schreiber suddenly had a craving to play victim...
"By the time the third came along, I was like, “Alright, can you kill me now?”", he told us. "I wanted out by that point – not because I was tired of the series, I just thought it would be fun to get covered in the blood and all that stuff. It was great, I owe them a lot. I never thought I’d get anywhere near that kind of world – I wouldn’t be talking to you without it."
You can read the full interview here
Find out 15 things you (probably) didn't know about Scream here
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