MASON GOODING

The actor on reprising his role as Chad

Chad made it out of the last film alive – how is he doing now?

He’s trying to acclimate back to normalcy as best he can. He’s at university and trying to distance himself from what he experienced in the previous film. A lot of what you’ll see in the movie deals with responses to immense trauma, especially at such a young age.

How is his sister Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown) responding?

Mindy, I think, has adopted a similar mentality, but despite her desire to move away from her past, she’s still so knowledgeable about the Woodsboro incidents. I think Jasmin plays that dynamic so brilliantly, both in juxtaposing what she wants and what she knows is probably the safest and best option.

The four characters, including Sam and Tara, were such a strong unit. Has that relationship become strained by the events of the last movie?

That’s a major element in the movie, especially as the characters interact with each other. I think the real challenge of the movie is Jasmin, Jenna [Ortega], Melissa [Barrera] and I are such good friends that, even if we did have a scene that was tumultuous and full of bickering, you’d probably be able to feel the love and respect that we have for each other. But I will say that the dynamic of what they’ve experienced certainly impacts how they interact with each other now.

How is the tone of this film different?

What I’ve always liked about Scream as a franchise is it’s not a mean horror movie. It doesn’t hate the audience. It’s respectful to its fanbase, and each instalment pays tribute and homage to what came before it. I think this movie, as well as the darker elements, there’s also maybe a heightened sense of levity. But that’s only to bring the audience that much farther down when we get into the violence and the viscera! The highs are really high and the lows are really, really low.

You’re quite the fan of the franchise, right?

Yeah. I wrote a paper in college about how Scream, as a franchise, was the one that was most ripe for revival in this day and age. I think that had at least some hand in me getting to work on this.

That’s amazing.

Listen, man, stay in school. Write your essays! They benefit you in the long run.