Neve Campbell is a Canadian actress best known for her leading female role in the popular horror film series, Scream. Having first appeared on television in a Coca Cola commercial at the age of eighteen, Campbell played a number of roles throughout the 90’s both on television and filmーher TV debut was that of a cameo character in the sketch comedy, The Kids in the Hall in 1992.
Some of her other earlier works include My Secret Identity (1991), The Kids in the Hall (1992), The Dark (1993), The Passion of John Ruskin (1994), I Know My Son is Alive (1994), Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1994) and The Craft (1996). In 1994, she was also cast in a leading role for the first time in the Fox teen drama, Party of Five.
Five years after her debut, the brunette eventually landed her breakthrough role on the big screen in the 1996 horror movie, Scream. Having played mostly minor characters in various films prior to Scream, it would be Campbell’s first time portraying the role of a leading protagonist in a movie.
Created by Kevin Williamson, the slasher film followed the life of a high school student named Sidney Prescott (played by none other than Campbell herself) who finds herself becoming the target of a mysterious murdered named Ghostface. Despite having been released over twenty years ago, Scream remains to be one of the best classic thrillers ever made; since it first screened in theatres in December 1996, the movie has also spawned a handful of successful spin-offs including, Scream 2 (1997), Scream 3 (2000) and Scream 4 (2011).
Over the next two decades, Campbell continued to appear in numerous television series and movies, including Drowning Mona (2000), Investigating Sex (2002), Last Call (2002), The Company (2003), Churchill: The Hollywood Years (2004), Relative Strangers (2006), Medium (2007), Grey’s Anatomy (2012) amongst several others. In addition to her work as an actress, the brunette has also lent her voice to a handful of animated shows including the Disney direct-to-video film, The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride (1998) and the well-known Simpsons (2009) series.
But what has the talented actress been up to as of late? What happened to Neve Campbell? What has she been working on recently? Where is she now in 2018?
Neve Campbell’s Early Life and Passion for Dancing
When Campbell was two years old, her parents divorcedーleading her to have mostly spent her childhood with her father, whom had received custody of Campbell and another one of her brothers at the time. However while she had lived with her father, she would also regularly visit her mother and other brothers at their home. At the age of six, Campbell was brought to see a production of The Nutcracker; impressed by what she’d seen, the experience would eventually inspire the young girl to take up ballet lessons at the Erinvale School of Dance. Following several years of dance training, Campbell moved to live at the residence located at the National Ballet School of Canadaーduring her time training with the institution, she would also appear in a number of performances including, Sleepy Beauty and The Nutcracker.
However despite her talents and interest in ballet at the time, Campbell would ultimately turn her attention to acting following a series of dance-related injuries at the age of fifteen. She eventually performed on the stage for the first time as an aspiring actress in the musical, The Phantom of the Opera in Toronto while attending the John F. Ross Collegiate Vocational Institute located in her home city of Guelph.
Neve Campbell’s Early Acting Career in the 1990s
Following her starring role in Catwalk, Campbell made a handful of guest appearances on the small screen including the television films, I Know My Son is Alive and The Forget-Me-Not-Murders in 1994. After playing a couple of minor roles in the martial arts drama, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues and the Canadian horror fantasy series, Are You Afraid of the Dark? Later that same year, Campbell was cast in the long-running teen series, Party of Fiveーit would be her first time performing with an ensemble cast. Set in the city of San Francisco, the show revolved around the lives of five siblings, who later become orphans after the tragic death of their parents in a car accident.
In it, Campbell played the role of one of the siblings named Julia Salingerーan intelligent, yet sensitive teen who finds herself struggling with the added responsibilities after her parents’ untimely death. Other members of ensemble cast include Matthew Fox, Scott Wolf and Lacey Chabert. Initially broadcast on Fox in September 1994, Party of Five was known to have touched upon some mature matters such as domestic and substance abuse. Despite the darker theme, the series would be huge hit upon its release, having received a numerous positive reviews from critics at the time of its airing.
During the show’s second year of broadcast in 1995, it was also named as “The Best Show You’re to Watching” by TV Guide. A critical success, Party of Five would later go on to win a Golden Globe Award for “Best Drama Television Series” in 1994. Following a stunning 142 episodes, the series eventually ended in May 2000 after a six year runーCampbell’s portrayal of Julia in the show would also be the longest in her acting career.
Throughout the six years that Campbell spent filming for Party of Five, she also made a number of appearances in various movies including Wild Things (1998), Hairshirt (1998), Three to Tango (1999) and in the TV movie, The Canterville Ghost (1998). During that time, she also reprised her role as Sidney Prescott in the Scream spin-offs, Scream 2 in 1997 and Scream 3 in 2000, with the former having performed significantly better than the latter at the box office. For her portrayal of Sidney in the second thriller movie, she’d also win many awards and nominations including a Blockbuster Entertainment Award for ‘Favourite Actress in Horror Film” and a MTV Movie Award for “Best Female Performance.”
Neve Campbell’s Later Acting Career in the 2000s
On television, Campbell played a number of recurring roles in various TV shows, including NBC drama series Medium (2007) and the BBC mini-series Burn Up (2008). Nine years after the end of Party of Five, the actress would land her second major television role in the action drama, The Philanthropist. First premiered on NBC in June 2009, the show revolved around the life of a billionaire named Teddy Rist, who as the show progresses, becomes driven to do good after the tragic death of his son. In the series, Campbell played the role of Olivia Maidstone, the wife of Teddy’s best friend. Despite initially high ratings however, The Philanthropist was eventually cancelled after on season due to a fall in viewership; the last episode aired in August of 2009.
After the cancellation of The Philanthropist, the actress guest-starred in a handful of well known-series such as The Simpsons later in 2009, and the popular medical drama, Grey’s Anatomy in 2012. She then followed up with a few appearances in the television dramas, Welcome to Sweden and Manhattan in 2015.
What’s Neve Campbell Doing Now in 2024 – Recent Updates
In 2018, she starred in the action thriller film Skyscraper alongside Dwayne Johnson, Noah Taylor, Chin Han, Pablo Schreiber, Bryon Mann, and Roland Moller. Directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber, the film centers around Will Sawyer, a former FBI agent who must save his family after terrorists set fire to a Hong Kong skyscraper. While Johnson played the role of Sawyer, Campbell played the part of Sarah Sawyer, his wife, and former US Navy surgeon.
That same year, she appeared in the comedy-drama film Hot Air, which follows the life of Lionel Macomb, a conservative talk radio host whose worldview changes after meeting his bi-racial niece. One of the main characters, Campbell played the role of Val, Lionel’s publicist and girlfriend. She’s joined by fellow cast members Steve Coogan, Taylor Russell, Griffin Newman, Tina Benko, and Pico Alexander.
Later in 2019, she played a supporting character in the drama film Castle in the Ground, which follows a teen’s narcotic addiction following the death off his mother.
From there, she starred in the biographical musical film Clouds, which is based on Laura Sobiech’s memoir Fly a Little Higher: How God Answered a Mom’s Small Prayer in a Big Way. Released on October 16, 2020, on Disney+, it also starred Fin Argus, Madison Iseman, Tom Everett Scott, and Lil Rel Howery.
In 2022, she also joined the cast of The Lincoln Lawyer, a legal drama series that’s based on Michael Connelly’s novel The Brass Verdict. In it, she plays the role of Maggie McPherson, a criminal prosecutor who also happens to be the main character’s wife. Praised by critics, the show was eventually renewed for a second season in June 2022 and is expected to come out sometime in 2023. According to sources, Campbell will return as a recurring character in season two.
Speaking of which, she will also be playing a supporting character in the upcoming action comedy series Twisted Metal, which is based on the video game series of the same name. While it’s set to premiere on Peacock, a release date has not yet been announced.
At one point, she was also cast in ABC’s upcoming series Avalon, however, the project was later canceled by the network despite having been given a straight-to-series order back in February 2022.
For those who’d like to know what else she’s up to, you can follow her on Instagram at @nevecampbell. As far as we can tell, that’s the only social media platform that she’s active on.
