Actors have to draw inspiration from somewhere, and sometimes that inspiration comes from the talented people around them. In a recent interview on The Drew Barrymore Show, the eponymous actress’s nationally syndicated talk show that premiered on CBS in September 2020, Drew Barrymore asked about the influence that her character in 1996’s Scream had on Michelle Pfeiffer’s character in 2000’s What Lies Beneath. In this fun (and rare) moment, the two prolific Hollywood actresses were able to mutually dish about each other’s talents, and for them, that moment wasn’t just fun - it was “trippy.”
Pfeiffer has enjoyed a long-standing career in film, earning her both critical and popular acclaim. The actress made her onscreen debut in 1980 and attracted much attention for her roles in 1982’s Grease 2 and 1983’s Scarface. However, it was her role in 1987’s Witches of Eastwick that really launched her Hollywood career. Since then, Michelle Pfeiffer has gone on to play many memorable roles, including the comic book character Janet van Dyne in Ant-Man and the Wasp and Avengers: Endgame, and she is currently filming the third installment of Marvel’s Ant-Man saga, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
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Meanwhile, Drew Barrymore - Golden Globe winner, actress, producer, author, director, beauty entrepreneur, talk show host, former emancipated minor, and two-time mother - is currently staning for stains on her self-titled syndicated series, which was recently renewed for a second season. Although Barrymore made her onscreen debut in 1980 in Altered States, it was 1982’s E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial that really launched her career.
Notably, Barrymore played Casey Becker, who was the first character to appear in Scream, meaning she also had the dubious honor of being the first character to be killed onscreen and the second murder in the movie. But after a long career in front of the camera, the actress has since retired, stating that she won’t be acting anytime soon and that she is taking a hiatus to focus on her family life. Although the actress won’t be appearing in the next Scream, Barrymore has helped promote the upcoming film.
Recently, Pfeiffer was a guest on Barrymore’s The Drew Barrymore Show, and the two actresses discussed their filmographies and found a coincidental running link in their films. During the interview, the Scream actress brought up this link by asking whether there’s any truth to the rumor that Pfeiffer was inspired by Barrymore’s portrayal of Casey Becker for her role in What Lies Beneath. “Is it true you maybe channeled Casey Becker from Scream?” Barrymore asked excitedly, referring to Pfeiffer’s Claire Spencer character in What Lies Beneath.
Pfeiffer joyously confirmed the question, going into detail about why she was inspired by Barrymore’s performance for the What Lies Beneath role. Read Pfeiffer’s response below:
Barrymore could hardly contain her excitement when Pfeiffer confirmed that she was inspired by the actress’s Scream role for What Lies Beneath. Asking Pfeiffer to elaborate on why she chose Casey Becker as an inspiration for her role in Robert Zemeckis’s supernatural thriller film, the actress revealed that she was prepping for her role around the same time she saw Barrymore in Scream. “Your terror was so real,” Pfeiffer said of Barrymore. “And I thought, that’s it… I copied you, I completely copied you.”
Extremely excited by their connection, Barrymore exclaims, “That’s so trippy.” Going on to explain why, Barrymore said that her iconic blonde wig for her Scream character, Casey Becker, is based on Pfeiffer’s character Elvira in Scarface. Showing a side-by-side photo of herself as Casey and Pfeiffer as Elvira, Barrymore said, “That’s what I took to my wig maker. I said, ‘Can you make me Michelle Pfeiffer in Scarface?’”
The confession was too much for Barrymore and Pfeiffer, who both admitted that they were tripping out about the full circle of it all. At one point, Barrymore exclaimed, “My head is tingling!”, alongside an equally excited Pfeiffer. It’s clear that Barrymore and Pfeiffer have a real chemistry and love for each other. Perhaps, if and when Barrymore decides to return the world of acting, the two actresses can put that chemistry to the test and appear side-by-side in a feature film. Watch the full interview below.
