Image Source: Syfy, Golden Globes

The "Scream" 5 successfully managed to bring back the craze of the original franchise from 1996. The film has a huge fanbase, and one of the most loved characters from the series happens to be David Arquette. He played the role of Dwight Dewey Riley, a loveable deputy and then a sheriff of the town. Being in the job that continuously demanded him to be in the line of fire and hailing from Woodsboro, Dewey had his fair share of close calls with death. 

Still, it was surprising to see the character finally meet his end moments in the latest Scream film. The character had almost been hailed as a survivor, and his pitiful ending tore at the hearts of many fans. Dewey was a particular low in the latest film in the franchise, and yet, no one could have guessed that the series will bid its final adieu to the legendary character. 

Just like all the fans, even David Arquette was not ready for his character to breathe his last breath on the series. The actor shared how he learned about the death of his character and said that he was reading the script when he found out this particular detail of the movie. "My heart sank when I got to that page, for sure," said Arquette. 

Because David is part of the original cast of Scream, his exit from the series would have meant that he had a lot to process. "I read it. I put it down. I took a deep breath. It was sad," said the actor about dealing with learning of the death of Dewey.  "I mean, it’s something that I’ve been a part of for so long. So I had to process that. But I get it. I get the emotional stakes that were involved to draw on."

Still, having portrayed the character for these many years, Dewey had essentially become a part of David. Hence, the actor managed to retain the very essence of the character even in his dying moments. Sharing how he managed to preserve the personality of Dewey to the end of his days, he said that he talked with the writers about the parts that did not feel natural to the role he was playing. 

"My concerns were some of the other things that were in there that, in my opinion, weren’t very Dewey. Like, I understood him being in a dark place but never thought he was a drinker. So those were more of the conversations I had with them," revealed the actor. "And they cut some stuff out that was originally in the script that we even filmed."

In the end, David Arquette felt at peace about the fate of his character that he held for over 25 years. He shared that the show being the vision of the director and the scriptwriter, they had full control over how they wanted to share their dream film. Therefore, agreeing to play the bleak ending was his way of showing his support to the vision of the director. 

"The writers and the directors... that’s their new concept. So I respect that, and we honor that… Like on a television show, if you go in as a director, it’s a writer’s medium. It’s an actor’s medium. They’ve been playing these roles for so long, you just go to try to fit in," said the actor. "So I saw it as helping them fulfill the vision they had for this new direction."

Additionally, losing Dewey in the end also weighed heavily on the original cast because the end of that particular character made the OG cast think of Wes Craven. David Arquette agreed that his ending was almost noble, and he needed to do it for his people in Woodsboro. It is almost sad to see the funky deputy from the town get so much into his role as a responsible sheriff. 

"I think it was actually too emotional like it was too much. And a lot of that emotion that I was going through at that time was mourning a loss. The loss of Wes was heavy on our hearts, especially in that scene," said Arquette. 

Throughout his days in Woodsboro, Dewey tried his best to gain the respect that he worked so hard for. His inspiration was Clint Eastwood from "Unforgiven," he wanted to command that sort of respectful adoration. Even back to the previous films, he had said, “When I wear this badge, you treat me like a man of the law!” 

Sadly, he only gets to command that respect for a little while, and his sense of pride and respect for his people gets him killed in the end. Apart from getting that reverence "he also made these fatal flaws," said David Arquette. "As the actor that’s played him for so long, I knew that he needed to shoot (Ghostface) in the head when he had the chance. So you sort of have to play this game with yourself — he’s trying to protect the people to make sure they’re safe first."

Arquette played the role of Dwight Dewey Riley, a Woodsboro sheriff; Credits: Variety

The noble character will continue to live on in the hearts of fans. For his part, David Arquette is presently enjoying the highlights of his career, and many exciting things are coming his way!