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David Arquette shares the one reason why he’s happy he wasn’t killed off in the original ‘Scream’

David Arquette recently revealed why he's glad he wasn't killed off in the original 'Scream' — and if it was in the plans.

Scream star David Arquette recounted almost being axed from the original film during a recent appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers.

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Arquette plays Dwight ‘Dewey’ Riley, a deputy sheriff and friend to Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) in all four films and in Scream‘s anticipated, upcoming fifth installment. While appearing on the talk show, the actor shared how much he loved portraying Dewey.

He said, “It’s a wonderful opportunity to be part of something for 25 years. I love playing the role of Dewey. He’s such an iconic character.”

But the conversation took at bit of a turn after Arquette mentioned that his character was supposed to be killed in the first movie.

The 50-year-old told the host while mentioning the film’s director, “Well, Wes Craven was sweet enough to say, ‘David, we’re gonna put you in a gurney, we’ll roll you out, and we’ll see if you make it or not.’ Then, the second time we did it, he said, ‘OK, this time just give a little thumbs-up, I dunno if I’ll use it or not…’ Thank god for Wes Craven because I got a baby out of it. I mean, not Wes Craven, thank Courteney Cox!”

In 1996, while working on Scream, Arquette met Cox, and they later married in 1999 and welcomed their daughter Coco in 2004. The couple ultimately split in 2010 and finalized their divorce three years later.

The fifth installment of Scream is slated to be released in January.