Drew Barrymore reveals she was originally cast as Sidney in 'Scream'

The teen slasher might have looked very different were it not for her

With the franchise's 25th anniversary here this year, everyone's going a little bit 'Scream' crazy all over again.

It's official: 'The Drew Barrymore Show' is the gift that just keeps on giving. This week, Drew Barrymore chatted all about her iconic appearance in 'Scream', revealing that she was originally cast as the main character of the teen slasher.

'Scream' was released in 1996 to huge acclaim, flipping the script on what a horror movie could be, taking the slasher genre to a whole new level, and introducing what would eventually become one of the most recognisable horror villains, Ghostface. The film also spawned an endless amount of copycats ever since its inception, which can still be seen in new releases today.

Now 25 years since it hit theatres, and with the fifth entry in the franchise arriving in January, Drew Barrymore has dished some unknown happenings from her time on 'Scream' all these years later.

According to the actor-turned-talk-show-host, the original film was a project she was "silently producing", for which she didn't get a credit for. Originally attached to play the role of Sidney (which eventually went to Neve Campbell), Barrymore said that it was her idea to play the first person to die at the hands of Ghostface, Casey.

She went to the producers with her idea, saying that as a viewer of horror movies: "You kind of always have this tension, but you kind of know that your hero is going to make it. And I thought 'What if I die?', and then it'll be like all bets are off, anybody could get killed in this movie and would take away that cliché safety net of 'the girl always gets away'."

Barrymore also revealed that the film's original title was 'Scary Movie', the very same title of a franchise that ripped the piss out of Wes Craven's classic.

Ross Matthews also asked what he says is a "frivolous" question to the host, asking her about the blonde bob that Barrymore's Casey wore within those first 10 minutes. Drew Barrymore said her 'Scream' look was inspired by Michelle Pfeiffer's hair from 'Scarface'. Oh, and she still has the wig.

And as for if we'll be seeing Casey return in the upcoming 'Scream' sequel film? Don't count on it. But hey, there's always an origin story.

Here's the full clip of her interview.

The next entry in the 'Scream' franchise starring Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette will arrive in cinemas on January 14, 2022.