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Courteney Cox shares origin of her dreadful Scream 3 haircut

Courteney Cox finally explains the bad Gale Weathers haircut seen in Scream 3

Courtney Cox shares origin of her dreadful Scream 3 haircut
Emma-Jane Betts's Avatar

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Scream 

Let’s be honest the early 2000s wasn’t a great time for fashion. Instead, it was a time of extreme low-rise jeans, layered tops that went to your knees and if you are Gale Weathers, a strange hairdo that has become infamous in horror movie history. Courteney Cox has recently opened up about her haircut in Wes Craven’s Scream 3 and how her iconic bad bangs came to be.

Cox has been a firm staple in the Scream franchise appearing in all the films, as well as the upcoming thriller movie Scream (2022) – also known as Scream 5. Playing the character of assertive reporter Gale Weathers, she has managed to survive Ghostface many a time but couldn’t save herself from the unfortunate haircut we see in Scream 3. Released in 2000, Gale sports a unique style with extremely short bangs in the film.

In an interview with her Scream co-stars David Arquette and Neve Campbell on The Drew Barrymore Show, the star admitted that she knew the bangs in the movie were “the worst” and shared the story of the haircut that made it all happen.

“That was the worst. I forgot about that. There’s nothing worse. That was a big lesson in life because that will forever be on film. And we only had one set, one set of bangs,” Cox explained. “And I remember they were cut on the set. You’re supposed to have a thing that starts back here, far back. And that’s where the part goes for the bangs. For some reason, someone put it here and started cutting it. And I thought, ‘I don’t have a choice now.'”

So, it turns out that a set mistake was the cause of the unique hairdo. Despite the questionable style choice, Cox’s hair in Scream 3 is iconic and has gone down as one of the most distinctive moments in the entire popular franchise. However, since Scream 3, Cox has grown her hair out, so it is unlikely that we will see her bangs return anytime soon.

You can next see Cox as Gale Weathers in Scream 5, which is set to hit theatres on January 14, 2022. For more slasher action, here is our list of the best horror movies of 2021.

Emma-Jane Betts is the Guides Editor of The Digital Fix. She helps our team cover all your favorite TV shows and movies, keeps all our guides up to date, and makes sure all our lists are filled with trusty recommendations. Emma-Jane is an entertainment journalist with over four years of editorial experience; she has covered film festivals, appeared on multiple radio shows, attended press conferences held by the likes of Amazon and Disney, and is a Rotten-Tomatoes-approved film critic. She’s also worked in the film industry and in a literary agency. You’ll likely find her rewatching The Lord of the Rings or quoting obscure horror movies in her spare time.