‘Scream’ star Jamie Kennedy will deliver stand-up and advice for those who want to go Hollywood

Jamie Kennedy isn’t part of “Scream 6” but the character he played, Randy Meeks, in the first two films in the popular horror franchise, is mentioned halfway through the latest movie.

“I’m actually going to see ‘Scream 6’ tonight,” Kennedy said while chuckling. “Please don’t tell me what happens. I can’t wait to see it.”

“Scream 6,” is a forgettable, predictable film, which is the opposite of Kennedy’s wild career. “I’ve always kept it interesting,” Kennedy said while calling from his Los Angeles home. “It’s good to mix it up.”

Kennedy, 52, made noise with the irreverent “Jamie Kennedy Experiment,” which was a hidden camera, practical joke series, which ran from 2002-04 on the WB. Kennedy also starred in the 2020 political-legal drama film “Roe v. Wade,” about the 1973 landmark Supreme Court verdict on abortion.

“I’ve worked on some very different projects,” Kennedy said. “I’ve survived out here and I’m still at it. It’s a good thing.”

Much has changed and much has stayed the same since Kennedy wrote his hilarious memoir, “Wannabe: A Hollywood Experiment” in 2003.

“Hollywood is so different now that it’s so disrupted,” Kennedy said. “Agencies are buying each other. Studios are being bought out. The game has changed in terms of money. There are fewer people in this industry hitting big home runs, even though some are still knocking it out of the park. However, there’s more opportunities to make a living in this business now than when I started.”

Kennedy, 52, believes that fledgling performers can still make it in Hollywood, like he did, without a costly college education. “Anyone who wants to work in this industry should not spend a fortune at a school for four years and accumulate a ton of debt,” Kennedy said. “The only exception is for those who work on the business side of Hollywood. But even those guys can start out in lower level jobs and work their way up.”

After spending a semester at a suburban Philadelphia college, Kennedy left for Hollywood and never looked back.

Part of the appeal of “Wannabe” is that Kennedy waxes about failure as well as success over his 30-plus year career as an actor-stand-up.

Kennedy, who will perform Friday and Saturday at the Spokane Comedy Club, co-starred in the hit series “The Ghost Whisperer” and provided voiceover work for the animated Fox sitcom “The Cleveland Show,” which ran from 2009 to 2013.

“I’ve been very fortunate but it all started when I left for Los Angeles,” Kennedy said. “My advice for anyone who wants to come out here to pursue a career in acting is to take that chance. I’m a firm believer in doing what you love and the money will follow. If I didn’t take that chance, I never would have been part of ‘Scream,’ which will be the mark of my career. Everyone knows me from ‘Scream.’ People come out to conventions for autographs and they just love those films and I’m forever a part of that. I’ve had success and it’s enabled me to do what I want to do.”

The charismatic wiseguy always makes time for stand-up. “Comedy is what I’m so passionate about,” Kennedy said. “When I come to Spokane I’m going to talk about the hypocrisy in life. There’s so much of that going throughout our country. I look back at COVID and how henpecked we were. Denny’s put up plexiglass during COVID. But they should have put up plexiglass before that because there’s always been a Denny’s variant.”

Even though Kennedy has resided in Los Angeles for more than 30 years, he has Philly written all over him. Kennedy’s comedic style, keen storytelling is impacted by his roots.

“I had a crazy anger that comes from where I was raised and I use it in a positive way,” Kennedy said. “It comes from my city and my family. My older brother once told me that they didn’t baby me but you know, a hug once in awhile would have been nice.”

Kennedy’s mentor is the comic Dom Irrera. “My comedy oracle is Dom Irrera, who came straight out of South Philly,” Kennedy said. “I remember when he told me years ago that I’m really tame onstage and much funnier offstage. Dom taught me the phrase, ‘You’re funnier than your act.’ I worked at it to become as funny onstage as I am off of it. It’s the 10,000 hours thing. It’s the Beatles playing in the Hamburg club for 12 hours a day. It’s about getting your reps in whenever and wherever you can, whether it’s in a strip club or on a cruise ship. You just got to prepare, show up and bring it and that’s what I’m going to do when I get to Spokane.”