In light of Jamie Kennedy returning to the horror genre with the new slasher movie Trick, the actor is looking back at his memorable role from Wes Craven’s Scream series. In the original 1996 movie, Kennedy appeared as horror movie expert Randy Meeks, co-starring with Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Rose McGowan, Matthew Lillard, and Skeet Ulrich. The character was also featured prominently in the 1997 sequel Scream 2, although he was controversially killed off halfway through.
Reflecting on his role as Randy in the classic horror movies, Jamie Kennedy admits he isn’t thrilled about his character’s death in the sequel, but still holds both movies in very high regard. From a new interview with TooFab:
“It’s crazy how 2 is almost as good as 1. It’s hard to say anything’s better than 1, because it was the one that did it, put it on the map. 2 just holds up so well, it’s so good and it’s as good as a sequel can be. It doesn’t fall off at all. For me, I love them both, it’s hard for me to pick. But I love some of my monologues in 2, I love that Randy got to do a lot. But I hated that he died. It also made a huge impact. So even though I hate it, somebody had to die, it made it talked about that I did.”
In the original Scream, Kennedy’s Randy character played a very important role by explaining the horror movie “rules” they each needed to follow in order to survive. According to the rules, abstinence was required, as having sex would all but guarantee your gruesome death. Of course, this would ironically be proven by Randy himself later in the movie. Close to the end, Randy is shot and seemingly killed by one of the two Ghostface killers, but it’s revealed he has in fact survived his wounds. “I never thought I’d be so happy to be a virgin,” Randy memorably says when the character is found alive, clearly believing his virginity saved his life.
Unfortunately, Randy’s luck runs out in Scream 2 when a new pair of maniacs pick up the Ghostface masks. This time, the horror enthusiast’s knowledge doesn’t save him, as one of the killers pulls him into a van and stabs him to death after first taunting him on the phone. Randy’s death was certainly a bummer, so Craven found a way to work him into Scream 3 by having the characters watch a video Randy had apparently recorded prior to his death. For big fans of the series, it wasn’t quite the same as having Randy there, but it was nice for Kennedy to have a presence in the movie. It marked the final time Randy would be seen in the franchise, as Kennedy did not appear in the 2011 sequel Scream 4.
Related: Scream 2 Will Screen at College Filming Location in Georgia with Elise Neal
As for what’s next for Kennedy, the actor can be seen in the new slasher movie Trick. The slasher flick serves as a Scream franchise reunion of sorts, as it’s directed by Patrick Lussier - editor of the first three Scream movies. It will also star Omar Epps, who appeared along with Kennedy in Scream 2, although the two didn’t share any screen time together in the sequel. The story follows a no-nonsense detective tracking down a serial killer named Trick, who is terrorizing a small town.
Trick with Jamie Kennedy is now available in theaters, on demand, and on digital outlets. Randy might be long dead, but it’s awesome to see Kennedy coming back home to the slasher subgenre of horror. For Scream fans in particular, it definitely seems to be one worth checking out. You can read the Kennedy’s interview in full at TooFab.
