Scream Rules Scene Taught Jamie Kennedy An Unforgettable Lesson

Kennedy was nervous to shoot the Rules scene, as he understood how important it was to the film’s central themes of media obsession. Craven felt that Kennedy did perfectly well on the first take, but that wasn’t good enough for Kennedy, feeling he could have done it better. Kennedy asked for a second take, which must have felt like a huge favor coming from a twentysomthing actor with few film credits. Kennedy recalls the request:

“I did it once, and Wes, he liked it. He was like, ‘I think I got it.’ I was like, ‘Oh, man, I’d really love another take”; Wes said, ‘Are you sure?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, I think there’s more I could do.’ So I did a second take, and Wes let the camera roll, and then I did a third take. Afterward, Wes said, ‘Cut, great, print.’ Wes said, ‘How do you feel?’ And I said, ‘I feel good.’ He said, ‘Well, I want to tell you that I’m probably going to use the third take.'”

The third take is the one that audiences saw in the final cut of the film. The lesson here? Craven spelled it out plainly for Kennedy. The actor recalls: 

“He goes, ‘Never be scared to ask for another take, always trust your instincts.’ That was a big lesson for me, not to be scared. That scene really helped me for my whole career. I’m never scared to ask for another take, to confer with the director. Wes really helped me with that.” 

Poor Randy, quite sadly, was killed by a new murderer in 1997’s “Scream 2,” although he was able to have a cameo in “Scream 3” thanks to a pre-recorded message made before his death. Knowing the rules couldn’t save him.