Scream Star Jack Quaid Addresses His Next Horror Movie Role 2 Years After Playing Ghostface: “I Was Blown Away”

Jack Quaid will be best known to many viewers for his role as Hughie in the cast of Prime Video's The Boys, but he also had a prominent role in 2022's Scream. Coming 11 years after the release of Scream 4, the fifth installment hails from directors Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, serving as a legacy sequel that mixes new and returning cast members for a scary, bloody, and self-referential outing. Quaid stars as Richie Kirsch in the movie, Sam's (Melissa Barrera) boyfriend.

The Scream ending features the surprise reveal that Richie, along with his partner, Amber (Mikey Madison), were both Ghostface all along. Though the pair meet fairly gruesome ends and don't appear in Scream 6, which was a big hit in 2023, Quaid is now set to return to the horror genre once more. Set to release before The Boys season 5, this upcoming horror flick unites him with the creative team behind another 2022 horror hit, Barbarian.

Jack Quaid Addresses His Return To Horror With Companion

The 2025 Film Remains Mysterious

Two years after surprising viewers as Ghostface, Quaid talks getting back to horror with Companion . Directed by Drew Hancock, the upcoming horror flick doesn't yet have an official plot synopsis, but it is produced by Zach Cregger, who directed Barbarian, a surprise horror success of 2022. In addition to Quaid as Josh, the movie stars Sophie Thatcher, Harvey Guillén, Lukas Gage, and Rupert Friend, with a recent teaser trailer promising a bloody and twisted experience.

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In a recent interview with Empire magazine, Quaid reveals more details about Companion, recalling what it was like reading the script for the first time. According to the actor, it was quite the experience:

I got an email, and I remember seeing the words: "From the team that did (all caps) BARBARIAN." As an actor, when you read something for the first time, that's when you get to be like a fan - and when every reveal hit, I was blown away.

As for who Josh is and what he wants in the movie, Quaid keeps things close to the vest. He does reveal, though, that Josh has layers and sees himself differently than audiences might:

“Josh is not someone I'd call a good guy - but to him, he is. He's the protagonist of his own story. For me, [it] was not judging him too much, because I just didn't want to play-act a cartoonish bad guy.”

Quaid also speaks about his dynamic with Thatcher, who plays Iris, the film's protagonist. The pair anchor much of Companion, and Quaid reveals that he and his costar had strong chemistry:

“The relationship between Josh and Iris is so complicated, to work with someone as talented as Sophie was a joy. I think chemistry is bred from two people who are willing to listen to each other, and Sophie's an unbelievable listener. I also realised that if there was ever a moment where it felt our relationship was a bit off, it served us, because our relationship in the film is a bit off.”

What Quaid's Return To Horror Means For Companion

The Horror Movie Has The Ingredients For Success

Considering Companion is set to release in theaters in January, much remains unknown about the movie. It's unclear, for example, what Josh wants and why. Quaid, however, has only become a bigger star since Scream's release, and it will be interesting to see him once again playing a villain. After the positive response to Heretic (2024), as well as her roles in projects like Yellowjackets and The Boogeyman (2023), Thatcher, too, has become a bigger name in the world of horror.

Quaid is set to star in Novocaine next year as well, marking his first major role as an action star.

Combined with Cregger producing, Companion is shaping up to be an exciting way to start off 2025. It remains to be seen whether Companion will be successful enough to lead to some kind of sequel or continuation as 2022's Scream did, but Quaid is evidently an actor to keep an eye on over the next few years as his star power only continues to grow.

Source: Empire