Benny Zielke (he/they) is making history in the “Scary Movie” franchise, appearing as the first trans actor to be featured in the 26-year-old horror-comedy series. Born just months before the original spoof was released in 2000, Zielke joins what OG star and writer Marlon Wayans is calling a “rebooquel.”
Much like the recent “Scream” revival, the new movie reunites Marlon with legacy cast members including Shawn and Keenan Ivory Wayans, Anna Farris, Regina Hall, and Sheri Oteri. The film also introduces a new generation of could-be victims, with Zielke part of that Gen Alpha representation; he plays Jess, the trans son of returning star Lochlyn Munro, now the town sheriff.
While recent horror films like “Weapons,” “Sinners,” “Longlegs,” “Smile,” and “The Substance” are all targets of the new movie, the trailer also makes it clear that issues like racism and pronouns are also fair game. Wayans, who is dad to a trans son, told EW earlier this year that they plan to “make fun of everybody because we’re equal opportunity offenders.”
So, what does all that mean for the franchise’s first trans, non-binary, queer star? Zielke spoke So.Gay about how he got involved in the franchise, whether he had any concerns about the series’ unique brand of comedy, and what it’s really like to be a trans actor in Hollywood.
SO.GAY: Congratulations on your role in the new Scary Movie, your first feature film. First off, what’s your favorite scary movie?
Benny Zielke: Oh, that’s really, really tough. Okay, this is the problem. I don’t like scary movies normally. The jump scares get me every time, and then I get angry that the jump scares get me. But, I generally have not been a huge horror movie fan. I’ve been getting into them more now, like, last year, “Sinners” and “Weapons,” probably my two favorite movies of the year. So, I’m getting into it more now, and obviously, studied up for this movie.
SO.GAY: What was your connection to the franchise like before becoming part of it? You were born months before the original was released, so you must have a different relationship with it than someone like me, who was a teenager when it came out.
Benny Zielke: “Scary Movie 5” was the first one I saw, because that was the one that came out when I was a teenager, and then I saw it, and then my cool older cousins were like, “No, no, no, you need to go back and watch the original and ‘Scary Movie 2,’” and I watched that with them, and I was dying, really cracking up. So it was just crazy to have the opportunity, getting the first audition and being like, ‘Could this really actually happen? Could I actually be a part of this thing that I grew up watching?’ was insane.
SO.GAY: How did you get involved in this movie? Do you know whether they were specifically looking for a trans/non-binary performer for the part?
Benny Zielke: Yeah, they were. They were specifically looking for a trans-masc actor for this character. That definitely helped, because normally I’m going up against a bunch of cis men for a cis role, and I feel like I’m a couple steps behind, but this time I got to be like, “No wait, it’s my time!”
SO.GAY: What was the audition process like? How many rounds was it?
Benny Zielke: I sent in my first tape, which was pretty much, almost word-for-word, the scenes we ended up doing, and then I didn’t hear anything for over a month, and I was like, “That’s it, it’s okay.” You get used to just sending it out into the ether and not hearing back. But I had such a strong feeling about this one. From the moment I got the audition, I was like, “This part’s mine!”
So I held out hope, and then I did, eventually, all through Zoom, meet the directors, producers, Marlon was there, and that was so nerve-wracking to audition for them. And then they had us come back and do it again. And by that last round, I was like, “Okay, this really feels right,” and it was!
SO.GAY: Do you have connections with other young, trans actors in Hollywood, and do you know whether any of them also went out for the role?
Benny Zielke: Yeah, honestly, I didn’t know many people going out for this role, but as I’ve, like, made more friends in the trans community, I have come across a couple people that are, like, “I auditioned for that!”
But it’s a small…it’s a huge community, and also it’s such a small one. I’m not from LA, but I’ve been shocked how small of a town it sometimes feels. Everybody knows everybody.
SO.GAY: What are you allowed to tell us about your part in this film? You appear in the trailer, looking a bit like Dylan Minnette’s character, the son of the Sheriff, from the fifth Scream movie.
Benny Zielke: I mean, you have a good eye, I am playing the sheriff’s son, and the sheriff is Lochlyn Munro, who was Greg in the original “Scary Movie,” coming back. I can’t say too much about my part, but I can say that, I got a lot of scenes working with Lochlyn, and he was just fantastic to work with.
It was my first major feature like this, and he was such a great example to learn from of how to be professional, and funny, and kind, and just, like, all around movie star.
He was great about the advice, and really just helping. Honestly, they all were, Marlon, Anna, Regina, Shawn, everybody, I feel like they really saw that, for a lot of us, this is our first big project, or our first one in a while, and they really just set us up for success, I feel like.
SO.GAY: Can you talk a little bit about what the vibe is like on a Scary Movie set? Is there an opportunity for collaboration at all?
Benny Zielke: Totally, totally collaborative. I didn’t really know what I was coming into. I really learned my lines, and I was reparing it as I would my normal dramatic stuff, and then I come on set, and they’re like, “Alright, we’re doing this instead!” And they’re throwing in an ad-lib, or improvising on every take.
So my first day, I did feel like I was a little in over my head, but you catch on so quickly, because it is so collaborative, it’s so fun, and other people are throwing you ideas, like, “Hey, try this,” “Hey, try this.” It just feels almost like the improv I would do in college, but just on a huge scale.
SO.GAY: Were you able to bring anything personal to the character?
Benny Zielke: Totally. Just by the nature of, like, playing a trans role, I’m bringing that part of myself to it. It honestly was really fun to get to bring my comedy and my sense of humor to it, because I typically play, very dramatic, sad, like, traumatized roles.
So getting to bring my own sense of humor into it, and, like, make it my own. I was trying so hard to break Marlon Wayans just once, just once in the shoot, and I finally got him to break character on a take, and that made me feel like, “Okay, I did it, I’m in.” Because he was breaking me all the time. Still surreal that I got to have that master class in comedy from them.
SO.GAY: Did you have any concerns at all about how the new movie would approach the queer community? Producer Bo Zenga recently admitted a lot of the gay humor from the first movie probably wouldn’t work today, while Marlon Wayans has insisted the movies never came from an intention to humiliate anyone and they’re “equal opportunity
offenders.”
Benny Zielke: Honestly, I was very concerned going in, just because—even on sets that aren’t comedies—I have felt sometimes like trans people are the butt of the joke or queer people in general are the butt of the joke. So I was a little worried coming in, but I, immediately, everyone was so intentional, so thoughtful, just really making sure they weren’t punching down, and that was huge.
Marlon has a very personal connection to the queer and trans communities, and he was so fantastic about making sure that everything was great. I never, honestly, felt like I, as a trans person, was the butt of the joke at all, so, loved that!
SO.GAY: As you mentioned, Marlon also has a trans child, as has been a very vocal ally and supporter. Were you able to have any conversations with him about that or the trans experience?
Benny Zielke: Yeah, I mean, I won’t say that we got super into it, but on my first day on set, when I was just feeling so in over my head, we were sitting on these picnic benches, and he came and just, like, sat down next to me and just kind of laid out his feelings, his experience, and kind of how that has informed the art that he’s making.
It really made me feel so safe and so seen right off the bat in a way that I would not expect. This huge celebrity who’s been famous his whole life to come and take time to make me feel so seen, so that really meant a lot.
SO.GAY: There’s been a lot of discourse about the one “They/Them” joke in the trailer. Do you have thoughts about it, as a non-binary person who does identify with they/them pronouns?
Benny Zielke: Totally. I mean, honestly, I read it in the script and I wasn’t surprised. I feel like I make those same jokes with my friends and stuff. I think truly, the spirit behind it isn’t mean, isn’t meant to be, like I said, punching down or cruel.
I think it is just meant to help us not take ourselves so seriously, because I think things are really serious for the queer community at large right now. So I think it’s good to be able to just kind of make light of it, as long as it’s not at anyone’s expense.
SO.GAY: Outside of “Scary Movie,” what has your journey navigating Hollywood as a trans, non-binary, queer creative been thus far? I know you have a production company of your own. What kind of stories are you looking to tell in the future?
Benny Zielke: It’s been very interesting. I moved to LA about 3 years ago, so right before the strikes hit, and I feel like the momentum of the industry really kind of shifted. It hasn’t completely come all the way back, I’ve had a very unique entering into the industry.
I think also I’m coming into it at a time where, kind of for the first time, there is an interest in telling, like, trans, non-binary, queer stories, and that is a lot of what I write and direct and self-produce, so it’s been a slow start, really just building up my connections, my community.
Obviously, this movie, I honestly, truthfully, never thought I’d be in a movie this big. So getting to provide trans representation at this big of a scale is kind of the whole reason I went into this. I’m still so grateful, and kind of in disbelief that it’s happening, and that we get to share it with everybody
SO.GAY: It’s history! You’re the first trans actor in the “Scary Movie” franchise.
Benny Zielke: Yeah, that’s crazy. I’m so grateful. I’m pinching myself. I feel very lucky, very blessed.
SO.GAY: Going forward, what are the types of projects that you do want to do? You said you’ve typically done serious things yourself in the past, and with this, you got to show a new side. Is there a type of film or project that you really want to tackle?
Benny Zielke: Yes. I write a lot of my own work, and I definitely am stepping into producing that, and hopefully kind of using this momentum to get some funding and more trans stories. And then, honestly, this made me love doing comedy. I had such a blast on set and really just made me hungry for more of it. Obviously, I’m gonna keep doing my indie dramas, but I also really do want to play more in the comedy world.
SO.GAY: Have you been hearing from people on social media, now that you are in this movie, and it is so important for representation? I’m just curious if you’ve been getting some of that feedback already, even before the movie’s come out.
Benny Zielke: I haven’t been getting a lot of positive feedback on the internet, because I think there is the side that is not happy that there’s a trans person in this movie. But I do, especially, the people that I do know, they have talked about how much it means to them, how excited they are.
I’ve had old friends, like, from high school reaching out who ar now openly queer themselves, and just talking about how much it means to get to see somebody succeed in this field that I feel like is pretty tough.
SO.GAY: This movie comes out in June, which, of course, is also Pride Month. How will you be celebrating Pride in 2026?
Benny Zielke: Since moving here, I’ve kind of started traditions with my queer friend group of going to the Hollywood Pride Parade, going out. I haven’t actually been to the full WeHo, Pride events, so I might try to do that this year. I think this is gonna be a really exciting month, and I just kind of want to just celebrate with all my people.
“Scary Movie” is in theaters now.
