Neve Campbell may be best known for her role as Sidney Prescott in the iconic slasher Scream series, but she once confessed she “used to hate scary movies” (via The Washington Post). Things have certainly changed, as she’s set to return as the final girl in the upcoming Scream sequel, once again teaming up with Courteney Cox and David Arquette to face Ghostface for a fifth time.
Before her rise to fame in the Scream franchise, Campbell’s path to stardom was anything but typical. Surprisingly, acting wasn’t part of her original plan. However, her passion for performing eventually led her to cult ’90s classics like The Craft and Wild Things.
More recently, she’s taken on roles such as LeAnn Harvey in House of Cards, Laura Sobiech in the musical biopic Clouds, and Rebecca in Castle in the Ground. She’s also set to appear in the upcoming legal drama The Lincoln Lawyer (via Deadline). Of course, her most eagerly awaited project remains the next installment of Scream.
But before Sidney Prescott dominates the conversation again, let’s take a look at Neve Campbell’s early career and the steps that led her to the horror queen spotlight.
#1. Neve Campbell wanted to be a dancer
Before Neve Campbell pursued acting, she was deeply committed to ballet. Her passion for dance began after seeing a performance of The Nutcracker as a child, leading her to take lessons and eventually train at the National Ballet School of Canada. In an interview with IGN, Campbell revealed that her love for ballet was rooted in her struggles with communication.
“I wasn’t very good at expressing my feelings, and like many kids, I faced some challenges with my family. Dance became an outlet where I could communicate without needing to say anything,” she explained. “It became a real passion because of that, and it just grew from there.”
However, the intense physical demands of ballet took a toll on her body. By age 15, after suffering injuries to her hips, knees, ankles, shins, and back, she decided to shift her focus to acting (via IGN). “I never wanted to be an actor,” she admitted to The Guardian. “It was something I found a passion for; it didn’t come right away.”
Despite her successful acting career, Campbell still holds dance close to her heart, describing it as her “first love in art” (via IGN).
#2. Neve Campbell’s early TV career
Though Neve Campbell was initially focused on dancing, she soon discovered that acting provided a similar emotional outlet and became equally passionate about her new path. Her early on-screen work included energetic ’90s commercials for brands like Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, and Tampax.
In 1991, she landed her first TV role, albeit uncredited, on the Canadian sitcom My Secret Identity, which followed a teenage superhero. From there, Campbell appeared on various shows, including a guest spot on the Canadian sketch comedy The Kids in the Hall, and roles on Are You Afraid of the Dark? and Kung Fu: The Legend Continues.
Her first recurring role came as Daisy McKenzie, the keyboardist in a pop band, on the Canadian series Catwalk. Campbell later joked to Entertainment Weekly that this role is “one I usually try to forget,” referring to Daisy’s big hair and “ridiculous” outfits, though she acknowledged it was “fun” and significant since it was her first TV series.
After Catwalk, Campbell took on roles in smaller films like The Dark (1993) and made-for-TV dramas I Know My Son is Alive and The Forget-Me-Not-Murders (1994).
#3. She portrayed Julia Salinger on Party of Five
Shortly after arriving in Hollywood to pursue her acting career, Neve Campbell landed the role of Julia Salinger on Party of Five. The Fox drama centered on the Salinger siblings, who must navigate life after the tragic deaths of their parents while taking on the responsibility of raising one another.
The series, which ran for six seasons, tackled heavy topics such as addiction, cancer, and domestic violence, all while following the family’s efforts to keep their restaurant afloat. As the sensitive middle child, Julia often faced challenges like peer pressure, relationship struggles, and the consequences of impulsive decisions.
Despite its acclaim, Party of Five shocked many when it won the Golden Globe for Best Drama in 1996 (via IMDb). The show’s success helped catapult Campbell, along with her co-stars Lacey Chabert and Jennifer Love Hewitt, into the spotlight.
Campbell looks back fondly on her Party of Five days and revealed that she and the cast have remained close. “We spent so much time together at a very young age and at a very important time in our lives… we hold onto that,” she shared on Live with Kelly and Ryan in 2018.
#4. Neve Campbell became the ultimate final girl in Scream
With several film roles, a recurring part in Party of Five, and a breakout in what would become the cult classic The Craft, Neve Campbell was still relatively unknown when she was cast as Sidney Prescott in Scream. Directed by Wes Craven, the 1996 meta slasher flipped the horror genre on its head by cleverly mocking and subverting familiar tropes.
The film was a critical success and quickly became a cult favorite, with its sequels earning Scream a dedicated fanbase. Sidney Prescott was soon hailed as one of the best “final girls” in horror history.
However, Campbell had no idea just how impactful the film would be. In a conversation with fellow scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween) for Variety, the two bonded over how they both unintentionally stumbled into the genre and never anticipated the massive fan reception their characters would receive.
Campbell reflected on the experience, sharing heartwarming fan encounters and admitting, “I thought I was just making a horror movie,” adding, “It’s amazing what can come out of something when you have no idea.
Fans can now look forward to the highly anticipated fifth installment of the franchise, with Scream set to hit theaters on January 14, 2022.
