In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, actress Michelle Randolph shares details about her brutal opening kill in Scream 7 and teases developments for her character in Landman season three. The 28-year-old star, known for roles in Taylor Sheridan's Paramount+ series, performed her own stunts in the horror film's iconic sequence. She also reflects on her career and upcoming projects.
Michelle Randolph, a 28-year-old California native, has gained attention for her role as Ainsley Norris in Taylor Sheridan's Landman on Paramount+. The series premiered in November 2024, with its season two finale in January achieving 1.77 billion viewing minutes on the platform in the week leading up to the January 18 airing. Randolph portrays the daughter of characters played by Billy Bob Thornton and Ali Larter. She previously appeared as Elizabeth Strafford in both seasons of Sheridan's 1923, starring opposite Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford.
Randolph recently entered the horror genre with Scream 7, another Paramount project directed by Kevin Williamson. The film, which grossed $149.5 million on a $45 million budget, opens with a traditional kill scene. In it, Randolph's character Madison and her boyfriend Scott, played by Jimmy Tatro, are murdered by Ghostface at Stu Macher's home from the original Scream—now a Ghostface-themed Airbnb tied to the meta Stab franchise and Woodsboro murders involving Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) and Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox).
Describing the legacy, Randolph said, "Huge. The franchise is so beloved, and fans are so passionate about the series and invested." She met Drew Barrymore during press for The Drew Barrymore Show but kept her role secret initially. The death scene, filmed at 3 a.m., involved fake water simulating fire via CGI. Randolph performed all her stunts, including running up stairs, a hair pull, fight, struggle, and chandelier drop, stating, "I really like to do my own stunts... it’s really imperative that you are doing your own stuff because it matters."
Her scenes were separate from the main cast, including Neve Campbell, and she viewed them as "our own short film within the Scream 7 world." Fans expressed disappointment over her early death, prompting Randolph to note, "That’s so nice... I wish she could come back to life." She shares the film with Isabel May, a 1923 co-star also in Scream 7, highlighting industry connections.
Looking ahead, Randolph is filming Clashing Through the Snow with Christopher Briney in upstate New York amid harsh weather. For Landman season three, her character heads to college, exploring new dynamics: "I’m looking forward to seeing and discovering who she is when she’s around her peers and out of her comfort zone." She trusts Sheridan's vision, entering her fifth season with him, and is open to an Ainsley spinoff: "Definitely, that sounds fun. I love playing her."
Randolph, who earned a film degree from Arizona State after moving from Northern California to Huntington Beach and modeling to fund college, once enjoyed horror films like Final Destination and The Exorcist but now gets scared easily.
