Laurie Metcalf Thinks Her ‘Scream 2’ Killer Has the “Best Reveal”

The big picture

• Laurie Metcalf praised Kevin Williamson for creating such a complex character
  Call 2
  which allows him to play two separate roles with ease.
• The iconic twist that reveals Metcalf's character as Billy Loomis' mother
  Call 2
  it was a surprise for the audience and a highlight for the actress.
• Metcalf was grateful for the recognition she received for her role
  Call 2
  celebrating his character's unique reveal in the film.

Over the weekend at the Calgary Expo, Roseanne four-time Emmy-winning star and Oscar-nominated actress, Laurie Metcalf I felt the gratitude. Taking the stage with Collider's Perri Nemiroff, the actress discussed her gender-crossing roles on stage and screen, as well as which titles fans recognize her as most surprising. Of all the films in his repertoire, Metcalf is grateful that he is still receiving recognition for his role in the 1997 film. call 2, in which she played a news anchor named Debbie Salt who was secretly Nancy Loomis, the revenge-driven mother of Shout co-killer, Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich). During her talk, Nemiroff asked Metcalf how she masterfully switched between the characters and if any of the women changed dramatically from her first reading.

“That was all on the page,” explained Metcalf, praising the franchise's writer and creator, Kevin Williamson, for creating such a complex character. Metcalf said he walked the audience through his process as a performer:

“I mean all I had to do was… I guess I just, in my head, split her up and
Debbie Salt, I just played as a villain. And then Nancy, I played an angry mother avenging her son.
They were very separate in my head … There was no overlap … If you're good at playing crazy, basically, as an actor, you have a free pass to be as crazy as you want.”

Iconic ending of Scream 2

For those who may have forgotten, or those who don't care about spoilers for a 27-year-old film, Metcalf's Loomis is just one half of the killer duo in the slasher sequel. He joined Metcalf Timothy Olyphant's Mickey Altierifilm student and friend of Sidney (Neve Campbell) at the University. Giving Debbie Salt the old swap and revealing at the last second that she's not actually a news anchor, but Billy Loomis' mom was a twist no one saw coming. Metcalf is proud of the way things turned out for her, adding, “I think in the Shout movies, my character has the best reveal.” On a more heartfelt note, Metcalf also shared the fun fact that watching Campbell and the rest of Shout family over the weekend at the Calgary Expo was the first time he was in the same room with them since he wrapped production nearly 30 years ago.

Stay tuned to Collider for more from the Calgary Expo and relive Metcalf's iconic performance at Call 2 with the film now streaming on Max.

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