Collections
Rise to Fame
Dewey Riley was supposed to die in the first Scream. The script killed him off, test audiences disagreed, and Arquette ended up reprising the role across five films over 26 years. It was his defining performance. Before Scream, he'd spent the early '90s cycling through TV guest spots and small supporting parts. After, he had a franchise character audiences actually liked, which is more than most actors get, even if his career never quite built anything substantial beyond the sequels.
In the Spotlight
In 2000, WCW gave him their world heavyweight championship as a promotional stunt for Ready to Rumble. Arquette was reportedly against the idea, held the title for 12 days, and donated all his WCW money to the families of Owen Hart, Brian Pillman, and Darren Drozdov. It remains a punchline in wrestling circles. His 2020 documentary You Cannot Kill David Arquette followed his attempt to fix that reputation through 19 actual independent circuit matches, earning 84% on Rotten Tomatoes. Whether it worked depends on who you ask.
Side Notes
He grew up in a Subud commune in Virginia as the youngest of five acting Arquettes. His grandfather was comedian Cliff Arquette. His siblings include Rosanna, Patricia (Oscar winner for Boyhood), and Alexis, a transgender actress who died in 2016. He spent years as Courteney Cox's husband when Friends made her one of the biggest names on television, and has said he felt inferior to her for much of the marriage. In this family, being the most normal one was never really an option.