Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox on Their Close Bond After 25 Years of 'Scream' (Exclusive)

The two stars open up to ET about their longtime friendship on and off the screen.

Sidney and Gale are back at it again! Twenty-five years after first battling Ghostface in the 1996 horror classic Scream, the duo is reuniting on the big screen to take on a new psycho killer who has donned the mask to target a new crop of teens. Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox reprise their roles in the highly anticipated fifth entry in the $600 million franchise -- once again titled Scream -- but don't expect these final girls to be at each other's throats like in previous entries. 

"We had a lot of time where the two characters did not enjoy each other and the audiences loved that," Campbell reflected to ET's Matt Cohen. "I think the audiences are equally gonna love us sort of coming together and being strong women together," she added. 
 
Fans may remember in the original Scream and its 1997 sequel, Scream 2, Campbell's final girl, Sidney, and Cox's cutthroat reporter, Gale, didn't exactly see eye to eye, with the former punching the news anchor to the ground in both films. 

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Now, in 2022's Scream, the two will be teaming up together to take down Ghostface, as teased by the sequel's trailer. "You ready?" asks Sidney after loading up their firearms, before Gale quips, "For this? Never." 

"I think it's great. I mean, it's fun in the sense that it's transitioned," Campbell remarked to ET. Cox added that she is "loving" the new dynamic between these characters.  

Unsurprisingly, the actresses' personal bond has also evolved since first working together 25 years ago. "We both became parents," Cox noted as to what has changed the most for them both. 
 
Cox welcomed daughter Coco in 2004 with ex-husband David Arquette (who also reprises his role of lovable Dewey Riley in the new sequel). Campbell shares two sons, Caspian and Raynor, with longtime boyfriend, actor JJ Feild. 
 
"Yes, we're both moms [now] so that's obviously a big one," Campbell echoed before adding, "We've been making these movies together for 25 years so we're always super, super happy to see each other when we get the chance to." 
 
"I think we're closer though in a weird way because we're older now," Cox commented. "I think our conversations and our bond is for some reason, because we've known each so long, it feels, I don't know, I feel, 'Yeah aw,'" she added before grabbing Campbell's hand affectionately beside her. 
 
"We like each other," Campbell summarized with a laugh. 
 
The admiration for one another is shared by co-star and newcomer to the franchise, Melissa Barrera. "It was like a masterclass in acting and professionalism and longevity," Barrera shared about working alongside Campbell and Cox. "These women have such successful careers because of the way they are when they work and getting to see that up close is just the best lesson that I could've gotten." 
 
"It was just beautiful energy. They say never meet your heroes because it can be disappointing but these two are even better than anyone could imagine," Barrera concluded. 


To learn the fate of Sidney, Gale, Dewey and all the Woodsboro newcomers, catch Scream when it hits theaters Jan. 14. 

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