Scream 7 star Mason Gooding is sharing a small glimpse into what fans can expect the next time they meet back up with Ghostface.
“I’ll say [the movie is] domestic, I’ll say it’s homely and unconventional,” Gooding, 29, exclusively tells Us Weekly about the upcoming horror film.
The actor, who has played Chad Meeks-Martin since Scream 5, also shared what it’s been like to have creator Kevin Williamson behind the camera as director.
“From a creative standpoint, [he] is the dream, because he created that world,” Gooding explains. “So having a level of understanding and world building and in background and ethos of just the concept in general of Scream, was incredibly gratifying and also led to a greater understanding of the lifeblood of the series as a whole.”
Gooding notes that while Chad is just “one piece of the greater machination” of the universe, he still benefits greatly from Williamson’s input. He added that as both part of the cast and “as a fan” himself, he believes people will find Williamson’s participation an “all encompassing edition to the to the movies that can hit on all those tone and world building elements that you maybe hope for in a sequel, or just in a franchise in general.”
Scream first premiered in 1996 and followed Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) as she faced off against the infamous Ghostface. She starred in the cult classic alongside Courteney Cox and David Arquette, who portrayed journalist Gale Weathers and deputy Dewey Riley, respectively. The movie’s success led to three more Wes Craven-directed sequels in 1997, 2000 and 2011.
The franchise was revived nearly a decade later for Scream 5, which followed new protagonists Sam (Melissa Barrera) and Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega) and their friends — including Gooding’s Chad and his twin sister, Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown) — who look to Sidney for help when their own serial killer begins killing them one by one.
Although Campbell was missing for Scream 6, she’ll make her return alongside Cox, Gooding and Brown for Scream 7 after Barrera and Ortega’s exits from the franchise. The seventh installment will pull a few other legacy characters back into the mix as well, with Arquette slated to return as Dewey alongside Matthew Lillard and Scott Foley, who both played Ghostface in the first and third films.
While Gooding has certainly made a name for himself in the horror genre with Scream and 2024’s Valentine’s Day massacre slasher Heart Eyes, he’s been careful to maintain his reputation as a multifaceted actor. This month he teams back up with Dylan Sprouse for their second action flick together, Under Fire.
The buddy-comedy follows Gooding and Sprouse, 33, as two undercover agents for the FBI and DEA who are forced to reveal their true identities to each other during a cartel deal gone wrong. Despite wavering trust in each other, the pair have to come together as a sniper threatens to take them both out for good.
Gooding admits there’s a level of “emotional catharsis” that comes with performing in high stakes situations — “you obviously can’t punch anyone in the face” in real life, he explains — but the real draw is getting “play time” with Sprouse, who is the ultimate costar.
“I [spent every day] trying to make him feel the same level of seen and appreciated that he does for his other performers,” he says of working with the former Disney star. “The fact that we also had moments to dial in the emotion, and Dylan was so ready and willing to go there, and [our director] Steven [C. Miller] so willing to guide us through it, that the whole thing felt like, in addition to being an exciting action movie, you also just get these really rad characters that you get to spend some time with, hopefully.”
Gooding expanded on the importance of finding safe relationships with castmates that echo “that of romantic [ones] in a lot of cases,” especially in a film that depends so much on the chemistry between its two leads.
“As long as we’re articulating our thoughts and feelings, we have a better understanding of the other person’s comfortability or emotional equipment,” he tells Us. “Not that we had, necessarily, any intimacy coordinators on set, but I think the dynamic of creating a safe avenue in which to communicate and express one’s comfortability and boundaries is important, not only in movies, but in real life too.”
Under Fire hits select theaters and digital platforms on August 15. A release date for Scream 7 has yet to be announced.
