Skeet Ulrich doesn’t expect to return to the “Scream” franchise anytime soon — but his lifelong bond with co-star Matthew Lillard is here to stay.
The actor, 56, recently revisited the original 1996 film that made him a horror icon as Billy Loomis. “Matthew Lillard and I did a live commentary while watching [the original Scream], and I think that’s only the third time I’ve seen it,” Ulrich said.
He discussed the rewatch at Angry Orchard’s Scream-inspired Video pop-up, noting it had been “a long time” since he’d last seen the film, in which Billy and Lillard’s Stu are revealed as the killers terrorizing Sidney Prescott, played by Neve Campbell.
Ulrich is firmly behind Matthew Lillard‘s campaign to return to the films, embracing the theory that his character Stu Macher may still be alive. “I do [support his theory]. One-hundred percent… [Matthew] wanted to rejoin the franchise for a while, and so when it finally happened, I was so excited for him. I called him right away.”
His own return, though, looks far less likely. “I don’t think a gunshot wound to the head [is survivable],” Ulrich said.
He also pointed to the firing of Melissa Barrera as a reason his character won’t be coming back. “He was in her head. They had their chance at it and didn’t quite get to complete the three-film arc that they talked to me about.”
Still, Ulrich counts a lifelong friendship with Lillard among the things the films gave him.
That bond actually grew closer years after they made the movie. Ulrich moved to a Virginia farm while Lillard traveled for filming, and the two spent a long stretch apart. Over the last 10 to 12 years, conventions brought them back together, with dinners afterward giving them time to catch up.
“We’re both fathers. He’s an incredible father, and we had so much more to discuss later in our lives than we did back then,” Ulrich said of Lillard, who’s also 56. “So I’m proud to call him a friend. He’s somebody I can call and throw anything at and he’s got a good answer and good advice for it.”
