The first two Scream films are undoubtedly the best for many reasons. They laid a foundation for a franchise that leans into meta commentary, clever phone calls and kills, and a villainous persona with an instantly recognizable silhouette and voice. The films were not afraid to poke fun at the genre and even a few real-life people, like Tori Spelling. When the first Scream film hit in 1996, Spelling was very well-known for her role as Donna on Beverly Hills, 90210. But, who knew that Tori Spelling’s history with the Scream franchise would become one of its funniest gags?
Years ago, she revealed that she actually auditioned for the role of Sidney Prescott. She was up against some stiff competition, including Reese Witherspoon, Alicia Dewitt, Neve Campbell, and even Drew Barrymore, who later requested the role of Casey Becker. It was pretty stiff competition for a horror film, many of which did not typically have known names in leading roles.
While reading the Scream script, Tori Spelling was surprised to see a joke about her in it. Fans are very familiar with this scene where Sid’s friend Tatum asks her who would play her in a movie. Dewey Riley thinks Meg Ryan is a great fit, but Sidney dryly retorts that, with her luck, Tori Spelling would get the role. And, as we know, Tori Spelling did not star in the first Scream film at all. But, how did she feel about that line poking fun at her?
Well, in 2025, Tori Spelling opened up about her funny connection to the Scream franchise on Jamie Kennedy’s Hate To Break It To Ya podcast. As we all know, Kennedy is famous for playing horror film geek Randy Meeks in the first two films. “My whole life has been a diss, so, like, self-deprecating came at a young age to me, like, because people made fun of me like that,” she said about the joke. “I looked at that and I wasn’t like, ‘Oh my god, that hurts.’ I was like, ‘Oh yeah, story of my life. That’s funny. I get it. I’m there.'”
Scream 2 gives fans a funny callback to that seemingly one-off line. While sitting in a cafe watching TV, Randy and Dewey see Tori Spelling doing an interview/sneak peek for Stab, the new film based on the events of the Woodsboro murders. Randy even exclaims that they got Tori to play Sidney while he has a nobody portraying him, suggesting that Randy is possibly a fan of hers. Or, he at the very least sees her as a notable actress and/or attractive.
There’s a preview Stab scene that goes back to when Sidney and Billy encounter each other at school the day after she has him arrested. And, hilariously, Tori Spelling does play Sidney in that film within a film. Director Wes Craven himself offered her the cameo, saying that the Scream creative team really does love her. She told Craven that she was totally fine with the first film’s joke and jumped at the chance to poke a little fun at herself. I mean, if I could get paid to do a gag in a film that references me, I’d do it too.
We haven’t seen Tori Spelling in the franchise since then, but we know that in this universe she played Sidney in at least the first two Stab films. (The third one, which chronicles the Hollywood murders of Scream 3, could have possibly had Spelling return as Sidney, but it’s doubtful because, well, murders scared her way in the first place). And now she has a permanent place in the Scream universe for one of the franchise’s funniest gags.
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Source: Kiat Media
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