If you’re even a little bit of a horror fan, chances are you’ve been psyched for the newest Scream film ever since the fourth installment came out ten years ago. Seeing the OG Scream cast (or, at least the actors whose characters have lived this long) back on screen has been such a refreshing throwback. It’s hard to ignore the similarities to real life, though, as the on-screen relationship between Dewey Riley and Gail Weathers more or less reflects that of their portrayers, David Arquette and Courteney Cox. Arquette (whose character was nearly killed in the original film) has now opened up on how franchise creator and original director Wes Craven helped encourage his relationship with Cox.
Although there's a lot to love about the Scream series, one thing that viewers seems to love most is the relationship between David Arquette and Courteney Cox’s iconic characters. In an interview with People, Arquette explained that it was because of Wes Craven that he stepped up and pursued a relationship with the Friends star. Here’s what he said, exactly:
Wes had a real impact. [He was] like, 'David, you know she likes you and you should really get your stuff together.' He gave me a real man-to-man talk and that had an impact on the course of my life.
Listen, I’m not sure what kind of "stuff" the late director was specifically referring to in regards to David Arquette. However, if I heard through the grapevine that I had a shot with Courteney Cox, there’s no amount of “stuff” organizing I wouldn’t do to jump at the chance. And it would seem that Arquette agreed, because he and his co-star began dating shortly after that and were married two years later.
It’s pretty clear what David Arquette means when he says Wes Craven’s heart-to-heart over Courteney Cox changed the course of his life, though. The two were married for a pretty significant chunk of time (over a decade), and they share a daughter together. And by all appearances, the two still remain pretty close.
With such a big part of his life affected by Wes Craven, not even taking into consideration that he worked closely with him on the majority of the Scream franchise, it’s easy to see why making Scream 5 without the iconic horror director was so difficult for the Dewey Riley actor. Craven passed away back in 2015, and the new film is the first in the franchise to be made without him. With this, the recently released film even includes a tribute to the beloved filmmaker. The love for the Hollywood legend goes further than just David Arquette, as the new directors aimed to uphold the legacy of his creation.
You can check out Scream in theaters now, while the rest of the franchise installments on streaming. With any luck, there will be a sixth film in the future (although, let's hope it doesn't take another decade for it to arrive).
