Roger L. Jackson will always have a strong connection to theScreamfranchise with his history voicing the slasher icon Ghostface, but he wouldn’t have acquired the role without working on one ofTim Burton’s moviesfrom the ’90s. By the timeScreamdebuted in 1996, Burton was best known for his work on titles likePee-wee’s Big Adventure, Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, twoBatmanmovies, andThe Nightmare Before Christmas(not as the director). Jackson, on the other hand, had only worked on video games through voice acting, but his career in movies and TV took off after working on a Burton movie.
Aside from voicing the Ghostface, Roger L. Jackson has brought dozens of characters to life through his method of acting. His biggest role outside the realm of horror would be voicing Mojo Dojo inThe Powerpuff Girls, including the 2002 movie. As for video games, Jackson has worked on notable franchises likeStar Wars,Final Fantasy, Mass Effect, The Wolf Among Us, andFallout,to name a few. Still, Ghostface was Jackson’s career-defining role, and it’s exciting to see Jackson still involved in theScreammovies 28 years later. However, that may not have happened without Burton’s 1996 sci-fi movie.
Roger L. Jackson Was Cast As Ghostface In Scream After Working On Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks!
The Sci-Fi Movie Was Jackson’s First Major Movie Role
Before joining the firstScreammovie, Roger L. Jackson worked onTim Burton’sMars Attacks!movie, where he voiced the alien translation device. Following his work onMars Attacks!in early 1996,Jackson received an audition shortly after for a role in Wes Craven’s horror movieScreamthat would change his life forever. Jackson acknowledged (viaVice)Mars Attacks!as “one of [his] first big jobs” before discussing what went into crafting the voice of Ghostface, the masked killer who uses a voice-changer to taunt his victims.
Though Roger L. Jackson voiced Ghostface and did his lines on set, he did not portray the figure onscreen. At least 17 different stunt performers played Ghostface in theScreamfranchise.
The voice has been a signature aspect of Ghostface since the start, and Jackson has explained that “there’s this texture and erotic color to his voice” while also stating that he “knew it had to be a sexy voice.” The actor understood the predatory hunt between Ghostface and the victims, so he leaned into the sinister tone. In fact,part of the role required Jackson to be on set so that he could perform his lines with otherScreamcast membersrather than have them dubbed later. Burton’s $101 million sci-fi movie may have opened doors for Jackson, but the originalScreamcasting is creating opportunities.
Roger L. Jackson Still Holds A Scream Record
Scream 7 Could Continue Jackson’s Record
To date, Roger L. Jackson and Courteney Cox, who portrays Gale Weathers in the franchise, are the only two cast members to appear inall sixScreammovies. That said, Jackson holds the real record, considering he reprised the voice role as Ghostface for theScream: ResurrectionTV show in 2019. Not only is he the only movie cast member to make the jump from the movies to the shows, but he also voiced Ghostface in other projects likeRobot Chicken, Call of Duty, andMortal Kombat.If Jacksonreturns as Ghostface inScream 7, he and Cox could continue their sharedScreammovie record, but for now, he continues to have the edge.
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