TheScreamfranchise has delivered quite a few iconic characters over the years, butParker Posey’s Jennifer Jolie fromScream 3continues to be a top-tier fan favorite.
Even though Jennifer Jolie, or rather, Judy Jurgenstern, appeared in the first twoStabmovies as Gale Weathers, we don’t see her in the flesh in theScreamfranchise untilScream 3, the installment that focuses on the production ofStab 3: Return to Woodsboro. When a new Ghostface targets theStab 3cast, Jennifer gets the chance to team up with her real-life counterpart, Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox), and treatScreamfans to one of the most vibrant, hilarious, and hugely charming dynamics of the franchise.
As much as I would have loved endless screen time for Jennifer, her time does get cut short, but in the best possible way — Jennifer’s death is one of the best kill scenes of the series. While trying to navigate John Milton’s (Lance Henriksen) maze of a mansion, Jennifer finds herself trapped behind a one-way mirror. She can see Gale and Dewey (David Arquette), but they can’t see her. With nowhere to go and Ghostface closing in, she attempts to get their attention by banging on the mirror, but Dewey catches on too late. By the time he shoots out the glass, Ghostface has claimed another victim.
So yes, Jennifer Jolie is clearly dead, but we all know what happens when fan-favorite characters perish — survival theories emerge.
I’ve got zero patience for the“Stu (Matthew Lillard) lives” ideas. The guy was stabbed, electrocuted, and his head was smushed by a TV. He’s dead. And the recent suggestion that Casey Becker (Drew Barrymore) could have survived the opening ofScreamis utterly absurd. While I do think the same is true of Jennifer and a surprise survival would likely diminish the impact of one of the best kill scenes of the franchise, based on character condition in her final shot, she’s far more likely to have survived than Casey or Stu.
Again, firm believer she’s dead over here, but just to have a little fun with the idea, on a recent episode ofCollider Ladies Night, I asked Posey what she thinks Jennifer would be up to had she survived the events ofScream 3, and her response was on point:
“I hope she’d be like Gwyneth [Paltrow], you know, and have this incredible life of new age potions, like her own version. I think that would be fun. She’s just been on my mind because of her trial and in the play that I just did, I talk about her. But that would be really fun to write her as that now. I’m just giving the writers some crumbs.”
Posey also took a moment to try to articulate how she created that downright delightful connection and cadence with Cox in the film:
“It was such a joy. It was just so much fun to wear that suit. The writing was great. It was just fun. I don’t know how to answer that except that I loved Courteney and we had so much fun, and she was easy to imitate, right? And then the dialogue was just great.”
Yes, Posey did get quite a few A+ lines inScream 3, but it’s her one-of-a-kind delivery that turned many of them into some of the most quotable lines of the entire franchise. So, Jennifer Jolie may be dead, but she’ll live on as an unforgettableScreamlegend.
Eager to hear even more from Posey? This right here is only a tiny snippet of our 40-minute conversation for her new movieBeau Is Afraid. You can catch the full Ladies Night conversation right here on Collider this weekend whenBeaumakes its way into theaters!
