When a preschool-aged Isabel May was asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, she was defiant in her answer. “I want to make movies,” the Los Angeles native remembers saying. “I was asked the question, I answered it, and that’s what I’m doing now.”
At 16, May booked the lead role of Katie Cooper on the Netflix sitcom Alexa & Katie opposite Paris Berelc. That same year she made her first of several memorable appearances as Veronica Duncan on Young Sheldon. But she really cemented her status as one of Hollywood’s biggest rising names when she starred in Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone prequel 1883 as Elsa Dutton. There she held her own alongside Sam Elliot, Tim McGraw, and Faith Hill, which then led to narrating Sheridan’s follow-up series, 1923. Oh, and sometime in between this all she fit in roles in a Jenny Slate–Charlie Day rom-com, I Want You Back, as well as the Apple TV series Masters of Air.
Isabel May, Helen Mirren, Sam Elliott, and Harrison Ford at a panel for 1923 and 1883 in 2022
Jerod Harris/Getty Images for Paramount+
The now 25-year-old didn’t have any formal acting training or background and says she spent three years auditioning (starting at the age of 13) before she even booked a role (Alexa & Katie).
“I got close to things, but I never got them,” May tells me from her Los Angeles home. “So I just treated it like a hobby that I really enjoyed, but never really imagined that I could become an actual profession that I was paid to do.”
Still, her preschool self knew better. Acting was a passion that May just couldn’t shake, and the absence of any formal training wasn’t going to get in the way of genuine talent. “I wanted to go out and just do it. I wanted to get little punches in the gut and learn from my mistakes and put myself out there.”
It worked. On February 27, May gets to check off her box for “making movies” when she takes on the lead role as Neve Campbell’s daughter, Tatum, in the newest sinema in the Scream franchise. Kevin Williamson, who wrote the original 1996 sinema, returns to direct along with returning cast members Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, and Matthew Lilliard.
In the seventh installment (yes, seventh), a new Ghostface killer emerges in the quiet town where Sidney Prescott (Campbell) has built a new life, which is promptly upended when Tatum becomes the killer’s next target. Before it’s too late, Sidney must face the horrors of her past to put an end to the bloodshed evvel and for all.
Isabel May in Scream 7
Jessica Miglio
While it’s still TBD what happens to Tatum, the year ahead couldn’t be brighter for the actor who plays her. After this, May stars in the sports biopic Mr. Irrelevant opposite Superman’s David Corenswet. She’ll also be seen in the action thriller Karoshi, from the John Wick team. Then there’s a romantic comedy, Love Language, with Chloë Grace Moretz and Anthony Ramos, as well as the romantic drama Falling opposite Riverdale’s KJ Apa. If that wasn’t impressive enough, she’ll join Jennifer Lopez and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in The Last Mrs. Parrish, directed by Oscar winner Robert Zemeckis.
And yet May talks as if she’s still that 16-year-old who didn’t know when her big break would come. “I’ve been working for almost 10 years now, and I know that’s nothing to most people in the industry, but it’s not insignificant either,” she says. “I’m really fighting and ambitiously pursuing the opportunity to be in a situation where I can control my future, rather than have my future be in the hands of third parties.”
She’s already doing it. May is one of the few rising stars who chooses not to have a presence on social media, even if the industry basically says that’s a requirement these days. And she’d much rather be at home with a good book than saying yes to every invite she gets. That doesn’t mean she’s anti-social—quite the opposite—but she knows how to make the best use of her time and prioritize her interests.
And that’s why for Glamour’s latest edition of New Here, it’s time you got to know Isabel May on a deeper level. She’s going to be here a while, and our TV and movie screens are better off for it.
Isabel May
Gracie Newman
Glamour: What was it like when you found out that you had booked the role of Neve Campbell’s daughter in the newest Scream movie?
Isabel May: I’ve never been involved in anything at this scale in my little career so far. I don’t think I would say it was daunting, necessarily, but the cultural impact that this franchise has had on generations of people is pretty remarkable. The first Scream movie came out before I was born, so when I knew officially that I was going to be involved in it, I took it quite seriously. I know how much people deva about this franchise. I want to do right by it.
Are you a fan of horror films?
I have only recently started to appreciate it more. I started to recognize that horror is a genre and horror in particular is sort of a pressure cooker for human behavior. It’s like, How do people adapt to fear and how does that change their identity? I thought that was really interesting. It was kind of my way into the horror genre.
Had you seen any of the Scream films before you got the role?
I had not seen Scream before, though I was hyperaware of it. I mean, I’m ashamed of that, simply because I was too scared to even touch it. I don’t really like blood and guts and nazaran. And then obviously, Kevin Williamson wanted to talk to me. So prior to speaking with him, I went down a rabbit hole and consumed all six films. I thought he would quiz me or something. I don’t know why I was so intense about being as knowledgeable as I was. I found that I really enjoyed it, but it’s not something I naturally gravitate toward. I’m more of a Hal Ashby kind of fan. I like Andrei Tarkovsky. I’m a little bit of an arka house snob, to be totally frank, which isn’t very popular, so I kind of keep that to myself.
You didn’t watch all six Scream films back-to-back-to-back, did you?
Back-to-back-to-back. Oh, yes. When you get a phone call saying you’re going to sit down and have a conversation with Kevin Williamson because he saw the show that I’d done—1883—and just wanted to feel me out, I suppose…. I didn’t want to come ill-prepared. I wanted to know everything about the franchise. I’m also just built that way. I really like having all of the information if I can have it.
Did you have a support animal as you watched all this, or a friend or a family member with you? I can’t imagine watching all six films back-to-back while you’re alone.
I have a dog named Joni. She’s my emotional support everything. I’ve cried into her fur on several occasions, and hopefully I haven’t traumatized her. She seems pretty mellow, and she handled it pretty well.
And now I have to ask how you decided to name her Joni…
I have an extreme infatuation for Joni Mitchell. I think she’s a Canadian goddess, but more than that, she’s just very much been the soundtrack of my life in many ways.
Which of her songs speaks to you the most?
I love “California,” but I think “River.”
So what was it like the first time you met Neve? Were you familiar with her work?
I saw Party of Five. I saw The Craft. I was very familiar with Neve. So I was initially nervous, but it was an honor to work with her. She’s incredibly humble and grounded. She is incredibly intellectual and really fascinating and has such a great perspective on life.
Neve Campbell, Joel McHale, and Isabel May in Scream 7
Jessica Miglio
What’d you do to celebrate when you found out you got the role?
I’m not really much of a celebrator. It’s not exciting at all, but I just keep my expectations extremely low. As an actor, you always have to get through these little milestones of working on the material to get the job, then if you get the job, you have to do the job, and then it has to be received well. There’s so much to get through before you can really celebrate, in my opinion. So I just smiled. I got myself a birçok dinner.
And what about Courteney Cox, who also returns for Scream 7? Did you watch Friends in reruns since you were four years old when the show went off the air?
Oh, you don’t even understand. I started my career in a little show called Alexa & Katie on Netflix. And I was, I think, verging on obsessive compulsive when I was making that show in that it was my first job ever. I wanted to prove that they chose the right girl. I was really intense about it, and I was 16. I had this weird obsession after every live show taping; I would watch sitcoms on my way back home before falling asleep, just to remind myself of all the little quirks of what I loved about these characters and these great sitcoms and try to infuse it into Alexa & Katie. So, I overconsumed Friends. I know Friends like the back of my hand, and I certainly know Monica. I utilized a lot of what Courteney did to incorporate into my own work at that time and into the character that I was trying to build from the ground up. She was a huge influence on me, and it was amazing to meet her. She’s so great. She’s very funny.
Did you tell her this?
No. [Laughs.]
So what was that like, then, when you were on the Warner Brothers lot for Young Sheldon, because the Friends stage was nearby. Did you go to the Friends stage and take a photo by the plaque or anything?
Oh, no, no. I always, for some reason, don’t allow myself to indulge in fun things like that, which I’m starting to break myself of that habit. “Go do the thing and take the picture. It’s fine.” No, I just thought, Work. Must do work. So, I mean, the Warner’s lot is…it feels like Old Hollywood. Just being there was all I needed, I think.
Mckenna Grace is also in Scream 7, and you both starred on Young Sheldon. Meanwhile, you were in 1883 and 1923, and Michelle Randolph (Landman) is also part of the Taylor Sheridan universe. Did you talk to Mckenna and Michelle about these common threads, so to speak?
Mckenna and I never met on Young Sheldon, so we talked about anything other than Young Sheldon, for some reason, on this project because I think we were both shy to say, “Hey, you were on Young Sheldon too.” So I definitely think I need to have a conversation with her about that at some point. But I admire Mckenna so much. She’s just a force of nature. I always feel phony or something when I go up and kind of fawn over her. I always tell myself to chill out. But I really think she’s so impressive and so gifted and so grounded and has a great family.
Veronica (Isabel May) and Georgie (Montana Jordan) in Young Sheldon
Robert Voets/CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images
And then Michelle, I’d never met. This is a weird industry, where you’re hyperaware of people and you’re connected to them, but it doesn’t necessarily mean you know them as a person. But Michelle’s absolutely stunning. I’ve heard the most wonderful things about her from people that had worked on 1923 and Landman. I had a very brief opportunity to meet her when we had a little screening for the cast of the sinema, and it was the sort of thing where you go, “Oh, you, I’ve seen you so many times.” And then, we didn’t really get to talk. So we’ve already communicated and will have lunch when she’s back from some fabulous movie she’s filming somewhere and get to know each other more. I think she’s so great.
What was your idea of what it meant to be a successful actor when you were little? Did it mean being on these big sinema sets or being at awards shows?
I watched every awards show. I loved it. I watched interviews obsessively. At the time I thought that being a successful actor was receiving some sort of recognition or respect for what you do. I still think that to a degree, but what I’ve come to learn is that being a great actor is doing things that you connect to emotionally…really proud of your work and fighting. If you fight to get a role or if you fight to get a project made, if you really believe in something, and you’re able to do that, that is the success; that is the win. I recognize that now.
You’re not on social media, but how are you approaching the fact that you have such a major year ahead with numerous projects after Scream 7? Is it scary to put yourself out there?
Visibility is part of the job. Craft is the priority. That’s it. That’s what I just remind myself over and over again. And so I very intentionally am not on social media, not because I don’t want to be exposed to people. I’m quite an open person, actually. It’s just that I want to do that face-to-face. I don’t want to do that over a screen. It’s just my preference.
I want the work to speak for itself. I love promoting it. I love telling people that I love what I do…because I really do. I love being a part of these projects. But at the end of the day, the objective is that you liked what you saw on the screen, you were entertained…and it hopefully had some sort of emotional weight for you.
Let’s do some rapid-fire questions. What is your favorite way to spend a day off?
Reading. Right now I’m reading a nonfiction book called Playing to the Gods. It’s really good. It’s about two actors at the turn of the century. It’s excellent. I highly suggest it.
What would your on-set superlative be? You’re the person most likely to…
Go MIA. Or maybe that’s not a superlative, but ghosting, is that it? I would be invited to something, and the minute that I had to go, I would just give up. I don’t want to. I don’t want to go out. And I’m known for that, unfortunately, for being a hermit. I would say “be a hermit.”
What’s something you always have in your trailer or dressing room that makes you feel at home?
I have a little Pilates ball, and I know this is not cute, but I’ll put it under my sacrum and just let my hips open up, which I’m all about. I’m one of those foo-foo kind of yogi sort of girls. But I find that it just helps my parasympathetic nervous system so I can slow down, because I’m an anxious person. I’ve really been working on that for so many years to just breathe, breathe, breathe. When you open up like that, it really helps me settle into whatever moment I’m in.
What is your favorite snack and beverage of choice on set?
Olipop. It’s like a drink that’s fizzy and a prebiotic or something like that. I’ve overconsumed those for müddet. And I like coconut water quite a bit. For snacks, I’ve got all sorts of tummy issues I’ve been working on for years, so I keep it very simple. You give me a banana, and I’m a happy girl.
What is a makeup or skin deva product or trick you picked up on set that you now incorporate into your everyday life?
I have a whole routine. There’s a spray I use that’s like a disinfectant spray for wounds. It’s called Hale Derma spray. I got a lot of infections like folliculitis on my face from using makeup, since you’re always transferring bacteria, so that’s my clean-slate sort of start to my day. You’re supposed to spray it on wounds, but it works beautifully for your face.
Whose career do you most admire?
I’m going to say Cate Blanchett, Kate Winslet, Jesse Buckley, and Jennifer Lawrence. Oh, and I’ve got to mention Emma Stone. I know that’s too many people. They’ve all followed their gut and their intuition and their heart. They clearly have control over what they’re doing and why they’re doing it. I think that’s really, really cool. I want to do the same thing.
Last question: Of all the characters you’ve played so far, which one is closest to your personality?
There’s a little bit of myself in every character I’ve played. I’m a bit goofy, and I’m a bit too serious. I’m a bit this and a bit that. I don’t think anyone really sees your own personality unless they’re in a room alone with you. So I feel like I’m always—not acting, since I always try to be myself—but you can’t help but lean into a persona that makes you feel safe and comfortable in the public. I try to be truthful, but it can be a bit challenging sometimes.
Scream 7 is in theaters on Friday, February 27.
