Who Is Mason Gooding? 5 Things to Know About the ‘Scream’ Actor

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With Scream 7 almost here, fans can look forward to Mason Gooding reprising his role as Chad Meeks-Martin. In March 2024, the actor told Variety, “It’s all about keeping up with what feels like is the best movie for the fans. ‘Scream’ doesn’t exist without the people who enjoy it as much as they do. … If people want it, they will certainly try their best to see it happen.”

To learn more about the star, keep reading as Hollywood Life has rounded up five facts about Mason.

Mason Is the Son of an Oscar Winning Actor

His dad is Cuba Gooding Jr., who won a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award in 1997 for Jerry Maguire. Cuba’s had a long and prosperous movie and TV career ever since, most recently starring as O.J. Simpson in 2016’s American Crime Story: The People Vs. O.J. Simpson. Mason’s mom is Sara Kapfer, Cuba’s former wife of 22 years. They divorced in 2017.

Mason Was Born and Raised in Southern California

With his dad a busy Hollywood star, Mason was raised in Los Angeles. He attended the private Windward High School in Mar Vista, CA, then matriculated to NYU’s Tisch School for the Arts. He eventually left college to pursue acting full time.

Mason Has Been Scoring Plenty of Choice Roles Over the Last Few Years in Film and TV

He had a three-show appearance in Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson‘s HBO series Ballers in 2018. He played Nick in director Olivia Wilde‘s highly acclaimed 2019 film Booksmart. He also starred in the Hulu 2020 season one comedy series Everything’s Gonna Be Okay and plays Andrew on Hulu’s Love, Victor.

Mason Supports LGBTQ Causes

While his character in Love, Victor is straight, Mason announced when the show dropped in June 2020 that he would be donating to causes close to the program’s heart. In an Instagram post he wrote, “Every time I go to post about the show, i’ll donate to and showcase some of the incredible charities/causes/movements that support the LGBT+ and black communities whose efforts have allowed me and people like me to even have the capability of possessing a platform today through their tireless fight for justice and equality in a social and political landscape. That being said, y’all are loved, y’all are seen, and i hope first and foremost you understand that your thoughts and ideas matter immensely, so please keep sharing them with the world.”

Mason Was Going to Study Dramatic Writing & Psychology at NYU

Mason had enrolled at New York University’s elite Tisch School of the Arts to study dramatic writing and psychology, but he dropped out in his junior year to pursue acting full time.