The Scream actress, 28, told PEOPLE it was “exciting and humbling” to be the first LGBTQ woman of color to become a final girl in the horror franchise as she hit the red carpet at Saturday’s 33rd GLAAD Media Awards in Beverly Hills.
“It just felt right. All of these milestones that I get to be a part of, what makes them so exciting for me is it doesn’t feel like that big of a deal, because this is just who I am,” she explained. “So playing a queer woman of color is just playing a person like myself. There’s nothing that epic about me.”
“We just haven’t seen this in those roles very much, so it feels right and I want more of it. And it’s very humbling,” Brown added.
She made her debut in the franchise’s fifth installment, which premiered earlier this year, playing Mindy Meeks-Martin, a queer film nerd and niece of Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy), who appeared in both Scream and Scream 2. Paramount and Spyglass announced in February that another Screamsequel is officially in the works.
Brown has had a busy year, releasing the debut single “Orange Wine” from her upcoming EP East LA in January, in addition to starring in Showtime’s Yellowjackets, which was nominated for outstanding new TV series at Saturday’s awards show.
The actress has earned praise from LGBTQ fans for her performance as the young Taissa Turner, a high school soccer player whose team becomes stranded in the Canadian wilderness after a plane crash in 1996. Amid the show’s dark storylines, Tai shares an endearing romance with her teammate, Van (Liv Hewson).
“It just feels like not a big deal, which it isn’t. And I think that’s what makes our characters so loved, is they’re 3D, fully functioning human beings who aren’t described by their sexuality, and that’s just like a plus,” Brown noted. “So, it’s cool that people love that.”
Hewson, 26, who walked the red carpet with Brown and their costars, echoed the sentiment. “We care about it so much and it’s so close to our hearts,” they said. “And it’s lovely to see that reflected back at us by people responding to it. I’m proud of it, honestly.”
As they prepare to film season 2 of Yellowjackets, Brown teased that Hewson might also appear in her next music video.
All ‘Scream’ films — including the newest one — are streaming on Paramount Plus.
