Neve Campbell, A Most Influential Figure in Popular Culture

Neve Campbell was everyplace in the ’90s and early ’00s. The Canadian actor’s first big break was playing Julia Salinger on Fox’s “Party of Five,” which aired for six seasons from 1994 until 2000. 

Her turn as the stunning, brooding member of the Salinger clan was a breakout role and opened the door for her to play a bullied witch in the 1995 cult classic “The Craft.” 

One year later, she appeared as final girl Sidney Prescott in the terrifying teen horror movie “Scream.” The success of the 1996 screamfest turned Campbell into a household name and modern scream queen. 

Just one year after “Scream,” she reprised her role as Sidney in “Scream 2” before going on to star opposite Denise Richards, Matt Dillon, and Kevin Bacon in the provocative 1998 thriller “Wild Things.” 

In February 2000, “Scream 3” hit theaters just a few months before “Party of Five” aired its final episode. 

Free from the time constraints of starring in a television series and with a proven box office track record, Campbell could have easily made the transition into a full-time big-screen leading lady. 

Instead, she had the luxury of choosing projects she felt passionate about, allowing her to focus on her personal life while still having a fulfilling career. 

Here’s what happened to Campbell.

Neve Campbell Moved to London

Neve Campbell’s first movie role post “Scream 3” was “Investigating Sex,” a dramedy co-starring fellow “The Craft” alum Robin Tunney that has sunk into anonymity following its release. 

Following this, she starred in and produced the 2003 Robert Altman film “The Company,” which followed a year in the life of the Joffrey Ballet Company in Chicago. Campbell, who trained at the National Ballet School of Canada before “Party of Five,” spent seven years trying to make the movie.

Campbell moved to London in 2004, which the actress considered a welcome respite from Los Angeles. 

In a 2007 interview with The Guardian, the “Scream” alum revealed, “I was [in Los Angeles] for 13 years, and it just didn’t suit me. But you get caught up in this belief that you can’t leave or your career will disappear. You start to feel that it’s all about the business and money.” 

During her five years in the U.K., Campbell continued working. She made her West End debut in 2006 in a production of Arthur Miller’s “Resurrection Blues.”

She also appeared in independent films, TV series, and miniseries, but this was a time in Campbell’s that went largely unnoticed by American audiences, which likely contributes to the curiosity about her seemingly hot-and-cold career.

She ‘needed a minute’ to step back from Hollywood

In 2011, Neve Campbell reprised her role as Sidney in “Scream 4.” Although she was hesitant at first, Kevin Williamson sold her with his pitch, Campbell told Entertainment Weekly, “I thought it might be fun to revisit. And I realized it also might be fun for the audiences.” 

Following her supporting turn as campaign advisor Leann Harvey on Season 4 and 5 of Netflix’s “House of Cards,” Campbell returned to the big screen for the first time in three years to star opposite Dwayne Johnson in 2018’s “Skyscraper.” 

It seemed like a strange choice for the actress who turned down the lead in “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” (via The Independent) to do a physically demanding action movie, but Campbell’s career choices prove she’s not one to be typecast. In 2018, Campbell told Australian outlet PEDESTRIAN.

TV that she “was excited at the idea of an action movie having a very strong female character who’s not just a damsel in distress,” but rather a woman who was “capable and courageous and as strong as her male counterpart.”

While promoting the film, Campbell reflected on her Hollywood hiatus on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (via The Hollywood Reporter). While explaining the lull in her career (from the American perspective, at least), Campbell explained, “I needed a minute. In my 20s, it all hit so fast and so big that it was a little overwhelming.” 

Neve Campbell factored in her family when making career decisions

In an interview with Refinery29, Campbell disclosed she’d turned down 11 shows in 2018 because the time, responsibility or shooting locations weren’t a good fit for her family. 

In recent years, she appeared in 2019’s “Castle in the Ground,” starring Imogen Poots and Alex Wolff, and the 2020 Disney+ movie “Clouds,” a biographical music drama about young musician Zach Sobiech.

In an industry where one bad choice can make or break a career, Campbell has remained in demand despite her discerning taste — or maybe because of it. 

Next, she’ll appear in Netflix’s legal drama “The Lincoln Lawyer,” a television adaptation of Michael E. Connelly’s bestselling novels (via Deadline). Campbell will also return for the “Scream” reboot because it’s not a “Scream” movie unless Sidney Prescott is present.

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