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Neve Campbell, celebrated for her role in the “Scream” series, initially gained notoriety as Julia Salinger in “Party of Five.” Interestingly, her audition for the show wasn’t intended to secure a long-term TV contract but rather to obtain a green card. As a Canadian, Campbell ventured to the United States seeking broader opportunities, not in acting, but in dance. However, fate had a different plan, and she became an integral character among the five orphaned Salinger siblings.
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The show’s co-creator, Amy Lippman, shared insights with Vulture, revealing the challenge of casting Julia. “Julia was very hard to cast,” Lippman recalled. “Neve came in, and she struck us as someone who had chosen independence, which was compelling. She auditioned alone, without her mother, which set her apart.”
Campbell’s independent streak might have stemmed from her indifference towards the audition. “It was my second audition in Los Angeles,” she explained, “and I had come to L.A. to pursue dance professionally.” Her goal was to secure a pilot role to facilitate her green card, enabling her to remain in the U.S. and focus on dance. Instead, she received a visa, and the unexpected success of the show kept her acting for six years, without the dancing she had envisioned.
Although Campbell initially aimed to dance, the success of “Party of Five” led her to continue acting. Injuries from dance made acting a more viable and less physically demanding career. She revealed to First for Women, “Transitioning made sense with my injuries, allowing me to tell stories with less pain, and it suited me well.” Her career boasts numerous film and television accomplishments.
By 1996, two years after “Party of Five” launched, Campbell starred in “The Craft” and landed her iconic role as Sidney Prescott in “Scream.” This franchise, still thriving three decades later, combined horror with humor, elevating Campbell to new heights of fame.
Neve Campbell has continued to act instead of dance
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While Neve Campbell initially came to Los Angeles to dance, after “Party of Five” ended up being a success, she continued to act. Campbell had suffered from numerous injuries from dance, and so acting was a safer career path for her. She told First for Women, “It made sense to make the transition when I had the injuries and find another way to tell stories, with a little less pain. It worked for me.” And she has had plenty of great film and TV roles to show for it.
In 1996, two years after “Party of Five” started, she was cast in “The Craft” and then got perhaps her most well-known role as Sidney Prescott in “Scream,” a franchise that has been going for 30 years and counting. “Scream” was a unique take on a horror movie when it premiered, combining laughs with screams, and made Campbell more famous than ever.
More recently, she’s had roles in streaming shows like “The Lincoln Lawyer,” “House of Cards,” and “Twisted Metal,” but she hasn’t entirely lost her connection to dance either. She co-developed the story for the movie “The Company,” which she also starred in as a dancer at the Joffrey Ballet. That 2003 film has the distinction of being the second-to-last movie to be directed by Robert Altman. And she executive-produced the 2023 documentary “Swan Song,” which focuses on a new take on the classic ballet “Swan Lake” put on by Campbell’s alma mater, the National Ballet of Canada. She’ll next be seen in “Scream 7,” which will reunite Campbell with Kevin Williamson and come out in 2026.
