Scary Movie is stirring up laughs (and maybe some groans) in theaters. Fans of the franchise have waited a long time to see some of their favorite characters return, like Anna Faris’ Cindy. She’s been a staple in the films as a main character since the beginning, but Faris almost didn’t get the role. Marlon Wayans revealed that Melissa Joan Hart was supposed to be Cindy in the Scary Movie franchise, but his brother Keenan advocated for Anna Faris to get the role instead.
It’s pretty hard to imagine anyone else besides Faris’ as the well-meaning yet rather dimwitted Cindy in the Scary Movie franchise. Her comedic timing and facial expressions are impeccable and a huge reason why the films became so popular. But it would have made a lot of sense to have Melissa Joan Hart in the role as well.
She can be quite funny when given the chance and, more importantly, her name would have been a huge draw for audiences. Hart was well known for her starring role in Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, so playing Cindy would have been a huge departure from her family friendly sitcom roots. And it would have been incredibly funny to see her fight a black cat in Scary Movie 2 considering she had a black cat in the series.
Marlon Wayans’ admission of this was a surprise to both Faris and his brother Shawn Wayans. And, in classic Marlon fashion, he joked that Faris did a good job of taking a job from another white lady. Now, it would be interesting to see what Melissa Joan Hart’s thoughts are about all of this. Scary Movie is pulling in box office numbers so we are sure that Anna Faris will be able to keep playing Cindy in the coming years.