Neve Campbell, Kevin Williamson, and Bob Shaye Remember Wes Craven
Steve Barton
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Similar to what we’ve done with our Farewell to Wes feature, The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to several integral people in the life of Wes Craven to get their thoughts and share their memories.
“Scream was my first film, my first set experience,” says writer Kevin Williamson. “I was a virgin. There’s one on every show, and I was the one on Scream. And Wes embraced me from the start. He let me be a part of the process. I didn’t know at the time that this was unheard of on a set. Most directors would have grown annoyed by the writer dogging their every step, asking questions, whispering constantly in the background — but Wes allowed it. He said it was exciting to see my enthusiasm, and it was always nice to have ‘set virgins’ for this very reason. They’re contagious. They remind everyone why we’re here — to make magic. I’ve never forgotten that.“
“We cut, and from behind the monitor I hear a childlike giggle,” said Scream franchise star Neve Campbell of a particularly stabby scene with co-star Skeet Ulrich. “Wes is beside himself. He can’t stop laughing. His over-6-foot-3 figure and long limbs float into the room like a gazelle as he chuckles away. ‘That was great,’ he says with a boyish excitement. Wes Craven loved to play! On set, he was like a kid in a candy store. He loved what he did, he was great at it, and he was grateful for it.”
“Wes had this quite brilliant idea to hire Shakespearean actor Robert Englund to play the villain, Gollum actually, who wasn’t supposed to say too much.” remembers Bob Shaye of New Line Cinema regarding the casting process of A Nightmare on Elm Street. “The tradition used to be you hired a stuntman to play the bad guy because they always got the crap beat out of them, and they knew how to take it. Instead, we hired Robert, who was a good guy and a terrific actor to boot. He didn’t mind a few bruises when it came down to that. The comedy one-liners, I think, were very much Robert’s idea. There was a lot of growth in the character from when we got started.”
Shaye continues, “One thing that really impressed me about Wes, he had a lot of confidence in himself, and it was justified. I really believed that he mostly knew what he was doing. Obviously, my ego didn’t allow me to say that he knew everything and I knew nothing. But, first of all, it was his idea — he was the writer. Secondly, I’d seen some of his other movies; The Last House on the Left scared the hell out of me. He actually scared me a little bit, too. I realized he had the production pretty much clear in his head, and he knew how to do it.”
Be sure to read the rest, which also features comments from Bob Weinstein. You’ll be glad you did.
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