David Arquette has been a mainstay in popular culture since the early ’90s. Although the actor has appeared in every genre from comedy to drama, he is probably best known for portraying Dewey Riley in the slasher movie franchise Scream.
The now-50-year-old has once again stepped into Dewey’s shoes for the brand-new Scream movie. While promoting the film, Arquette revealed his playful side. He admitted that he loves to scare his kids with the iconic Ghostface mask.
In a recent interview with IMDb, Arquette revealed that he likes to freak out his kids on occasion with a recognizable prop from the Scream franchise. In response to a question about whether he has a Ghostface mask at home, Arquette said “Absolutely … you know, I have kids…”
Arquette’s co-star, Neve Campbell, helped him answer the question. She added, “When you really want them to go to bed…,” at which point Arquette started laughing uncontrollably, seemingly agreeing to Campbell’s playful dig.
Although Arquette didn’t go into detail about his kids to IMDb, the Never Been Kissed star has discussed being a parent. Arquette has three children: one daughter with his ex-wife Courteney Cox and two kids with his current spouse Christina McLarty. He and Cox were married from 1999 through 2013, welcoming Coco in 2004.
Arquette and Cox split in 2013 but maintain a peaceful co-parenting relationship. The actor has said that he doesn’t believe divorce needs to be nasty. He pointed to the tension-free dynamic he and Cox enjoy. “No matter what people go through, you still have a child together,” he explained.
In 2014, after a few years of dating, Arquette and his girlfriend McLarty welcomed their first son, Charlie West. Arquette and McLarty married one year later. They later had a second son, Augustus. In a 2017 interview with People, Arquette admitted that having three kids is “crazy.” McLarty said, “We’re in baby boot camp and children boot camp. It’s literally one kid here, one kid here.”
Arquette and Cox have never stopped being good friends, even though they divorced nearly a decade ago. Now, with the exes reunited onscreen for the newest Scream film, many fans wonder how the two spend so much time together without any tension. As it turns out, Arquette and Cox had a lot of fun.
“It’s a cathartic experience to just be able to act opposite of Courteney,” Arquette said in a recent interview with The New York Times, referencing the first Scream film, where the two young actors first fell in love. “He got very emotional while he was filming it,” Cox noted in the same interview.
Well before the cast reunited to film the slasher hit, Arquette said he was “excited” about the prospect of working with his ex-wife, also paying homage to the Scream franchise itself: “I am thrilled to be playing Dewey again and to reunite with my Scream family, old and new … Scream has been such a big part of my life, and for both the fans and myself, I look forward to honoring Wes Craven’s legacy.”
With fans of all ages raving about the new film, it’s clear Arquette hasn’t lost any of his onscreen charm.