Calgary Expo welcomes Lee Waddell, the original Ghostface from the Scream franchise
By Ansharah Shakil, April 24 2024—
1996 film Scream has built up a loyal and long-lasting fan base over the years for its well-deserved reputation as one of the greatest slasher films. Its legacy has always included the famous Ghostface costume its killers wear. The man behind the first costume, stuntman and actor Lee Waddell, will be appearing at this year’s Calgary Expo from Apr. 25-28.
“Scream was cutting edge,” Waddell said in an interview with The Gauntlet. “It broke down some genres and it kind of pokes fun at making films. It was a film within the film and it did things differently, and that’s why it was so successful. Now here we are six films later, seven is being talked about and now it’s generational. I [sometimes meet] three generations of Scream fans. The Scream franchise always takes whatever the current times are and lights itself around that.”
Alongside Waddell, Scream stars Neve Campbell, Jamie Kennedy, Matthew Lillard and Skeet Ulrich are set to appear at the Calgary Expo to discuss the franchise and interact with fans. Waddell looks forward to reuniting with the other cast members of Scream.
“When we have a Scream reunion show, as we affectionately call these, it’s always great to cross everybody’s paths,” he said. “We see [each other] a few times a year, so it’s always great to catch up on what’s going on.”
Waddell, who got into the stunt industry right after high school, spoke about his experience with stunts and acting.
“I took my head down, started grinding, hustled really hard, making the right connections with the right people, and worked really hard,” he explained. “The Hollywood that I worked in and grew up in is definitely not the same Hollywood today. One of the great things about today is there’s so much medium out there to get your projects out, right? You and I can sit there and shoot a film on our cell phones, edit it and get it out online for the masses to see. In that aspect, distribution has changed radically. The greatest thing now is that there’s so much opportunity.”
Though he loved being a stuntman, he has since retired from complicated stunts but still acts and hopes to continue to be involved in the legacy of Ghostface and potentially with upcoming Scream installments.
“Here we are, person seven, and he, it, the entity of being of Ghostface, it still goes on. I hope I’m involved with the franchise for a long, long time but as long as […] Hollywood will keep making [Scream] movies, Ghostface will be immortal,” Waddell said.
The unforgettable opening sequence of Scream, with Waddell and Drew Barrymore, is still a top three opening movie sequence for Waddell — though challenging due to him being the actor and the stuntman in the scene.
“I liked [the first Scream film] obviously. I got to play Ghostface, that was fantastic,” he said. “I liked [the sixth film], because I liked how Ghostface was portrayed once again. They kind of brought the edginess and the aggressiveness of that character back to the film.”
Waddell looks forward to being in Calgary and to partake in the Calgary Expo, where there will likely be many cosplayers recreating iconic horror movie looks like that of Ghostface.
“Yeah, I love seeing people dressed as Ghostface,” Waddell said. “I sure as hell love the kids dressed as Ghostface. The little mini wings are fantastic. It’s always great to see somebody in cosplay and wearing some version of the mask. The great thing about cosplay, especially on the horror side of it, is you can mix and match your favourite horror icons. I’ll be excited to see how people dress and then the con in general, because it’ll be super fun and exciting like it always is.”
Waddell will appear at the Calgary Expo from Apr. 26-28. More information can be found on the Calgary Expo website.