Fellow ‘Scream’ Alum Neve Campbell Would Be ‘Intriguing’ As Jughead’s Mom, Says Riverdale’s Skeet Ulrich
Horror icons Sid Prescott and Billy Loomis as Jughead Jones’s mother and father — the perfect marriage or a beautiful disaster?
Television veteran Skeet Ulrich, who plays Jughead’s troubled, racketeering Serpent father on The CW’s Riverdale, seems to believe the former, describing the idea as potentially nostalgic, and “really interesting.” The 48-year-old father of two had only great things to say about former co-star Neve Campbell during an exclusive one-on-one with TVLine, effectively giving long-time fans of the cult classic something new to scream about.
“She’s very talented,” he said, “and I think the reference to Scream would really tickle people.”
The former Law & Order star got his big break in 1996 playing the homicidal boyfriend to Campbell’s Sidney in Wes Craven’s deconstructive sleeper hit, a role that garnered him national accolades, introduced him to a wider audience and turned him into a matinee idol-cum-household figure. He appeared in a string of mildly successful television roles in the years after, before finally landing the one on Riverdale as Cole Sprouse’s tough-as-nails, well-meaning onscreen pops, FP Jones. Ulrich appears on the show as a regular cast member, alongside fellow 90s and early 20s idols Luke Perry, Molly Ringwald, Mädchen Amick, Mark Consuelos, and Martin Cummins.
The Last Piece Of The Puzzle
Jughead’s mother is the only Riverdale parent that has yet to appear on the show. The character moved to Toledo with Jughead’s sister Jellybean in an implied fallout with FP long before the start of the first season and has only been mentioned in passing since.
So far there’s been no word yet over whether the role has been filled, or whether the character will even be appearing on the show or later in this season. Ulrich himself claimed the latter and told TVLine he wasn’t sure Campbell would even have the time to make an appearance, much less schedule a cameo.
“I know she’s busy doing some films and stuff like that,” he mused, “so I don’t know if [joining the cast of Riverdale is] a possibility.”
Is it? Campbell’s character on Netflix’s House of Cards, Texas Democratic nominee LeAnn Harvey, was recently killed in Season 5 in an ominous car crash arranged by Kevin Spacey’s Frank Underwood, meticulously carried out a la Winter Soldier. The “accident” feels quite final for the character, so perhaps this is exactly the time she (Campbell, that is) needs to move on to other endeavors. Knock, knock: the streets of Riverdale, maybe?
The previously elusive Hiram Lodge was also a no-show for most of Season 1, but was eventually given screen time the following season. So, knowing Riverdale showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, it’s likely the big Jones reveal will happen the same way: slowly, then all at once. That gives producers just enough time to cast their final Riverdale parent, and hopefully — for Scream fans everywhere — offer Neve Campbell the part.
