Jasmin Savoy Brown Opens Up About Her Groundbreaking Scream Role

Rebooting one of the most beloved franchises in horror history must have been a daunting task. Happily, bringing Ghostface back to stalk and slash another gang of quippy teens proved to be a smart move for directing duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the team behind modern horror classic "Ready or Not." The fifth entry in the "Scream" franchise, confusingly entitled simply "Scream" — though many fans read it as "5-cream," since making the "S" into a "5" was right there — garnered positive reviews across the board.

On Rotten Tomatoes, "Scream" (2022) earned an impressive 77%. "The smartest, funniest and stabbiest film since the 1996 original," gushed The Observer's Wendy Ide, while The Independent's Clarisse Loughrey points to the exciting young cast, describing how they bring "the same fresh-faced, cool kid energy that's been the common denominator of every past 'Scream' star." Indeed, casting is crucial when it comes to this particular franchise — consider what the original cast of "Scream" looks like now. 

The hit trilogy made stars out of Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Skeet Ulrich, Rose McGowan, and Matthew Lillard, while Courteney Cox broke out of playing Monica on "Friends" as cutthroat (not literally) news reporter Gale Weathers. In the 2022 film, plenty of actors made an impression, from Jenna Ortega to Jack Quaid, but Jasmin Savoy Brown has a very special reason for feeling especially honored to take part. 

As People notes, during the recent GLAAD Media Awards event, actor Jasmin Savoy Brown expressed her sincere gratitude for playing the first LGBTQ+ Final Girl in "Scream" history. Although Brown acknowledged that it feels entirely natural to portray a queer woman of color, because that's exactly who she is in real life, being given the opportunity to do so on such a big stage is still a huge deal and should be celebrated accordingly. "We just haven't seen this in those roles very much, so it feels right and I want more of it. And it's very humbling," Brown explained.

The actor, who previously made an impression in the indie horror movie "Sound of Violence," as well as in hit survival thriller series "Yellowjackets," plays quick-witted Mindy Meeks-Martin in "Scream" (2022). Aside from being a total film buff like her late uncle Randy (played by Jamie Kennedy in the first two movies), Mindy is an out and proud queer woman who memorably hooks up with a female party-goer during the film's bloody climax. 

Although "Scream" has a major pop culture footprint, during a chat with The Hollywood Reporter, Brown admitted she hadn't watched any of the original movies prior to landing her role. The actor reckons her nonchalant attitude stood to her, informing who Mindy ultimately became. Elsewhere, Brown is equally proud of Taissa, her "Yellowjackets" character who is also openly queer, per W magazine.