The seventh installment in the Scream universe is set to be released in just a matter of months on February 7, and fans of the franchise are brimming with excitement about the return of their favorite slasher series. One of them is actually participating in Scream 7. Mckenna Grace, best known for her roles in The Handmaid’s Tale and the new Ghostbusters sequels, will be joining the iconic horror franchise in a role that’s still a mystery. Careful not to reveal any details about the upcoming movie, Grace has teased the return of the series, saying it was a dream to be on the set with the characters she grew up watching.
Grace spoke to Collider recently during their Ladies Night interview series. The actor’s horror credits speak for themselves. Annabelle Comes Home, Malignant, and Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House, among others. However, joining the Scream franchise is unlike anything she has ever done. She was excited enough to insist on visiting the set after having shot her scenes in order to witness the return of the star-studded cast:
“Oh my God, literally while I was shooting Regretting You, because I had wrapped on Scream, and they were still shooting, I was shooting Regretting You, and I went and visited the set, and I just got to sit there and watch Sidney Prescott in front of me do her thing, and I was just totally tripping. Getting to be on a set with Neve Campbell? Nobody even talk to me! Oh my God.”
After a short career with numerous horror appearances, Grace’s knowledge of the genre is vast, and her characters have confronted every trope in the genre. However, she says, “there were a lot of horror filmmaking firsts that I cannot say yet.” One of the “firsts” had to do with her voice:
“I did lose my voice, and that was a first… It was so cool! I lost my voice from how much yelling and screaming are involved for those types of films. But yeah, I lost my voice, and then the next day, I had an audition for the biggest musical ever, and I was like, ‘You’re joking. Of course.'”
Even though the original Scream movie was released 20 years before she was born, Grace was asked if she was familiar with the franchise. According to her comments about her favorite set pieces, it’s safe to say that she’s a devoted fan of the series:
“Oh my God, I mean, just the kitchen from the first one is so big and iconic. The house from the first one… I mean, Sidney’s entire house is really memorable. Or just the beginning sequence with Drew Barrymore whenever she’s in the kitchen making popcorn. Iconic. Is it the second or the third one whenever Sidney is in a play, and they have that big sequence? That was crazy. That one stuck with me because that’s, like, so… Ugh!”
Mckenna Grace Is Now Part of the ‘Scream’ Legacy
Mckenna Grace will be one of several new arrivals to the Scream franchise. Isabel May, Joel McHale, Ethan Embry, Anna Camp, and Asa Germann will also make their franchise debut. Returning stars include Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Mason Good, and Jasmin Savoy Brown. Although their characters were killed in previous entries, David Arquette, Scott Foley, and Matthew Lillard will also return in the film. Scream 7 is written by Guy Busick, and directed by original Scream writer, Kevin Williamson.