Faris ' break-out role came in 2000 when she starred in the horror-comedy parody film '' Scary Movie '' , portraying Cindy Campbell , a play on the character of Sidney Prescott ( Neve Campbell ) in the slasher thriller '' Scream '' . It marked her first starring credit , as she had only appeared in small and supporting parts in theater plays and low-budgeted features until then . Faris saw the experience of working on the movie as a " great boot camp " for her , as she told UK 's '' The Guardian '' in 2009 , explaining that she " had n't done much before that . With those movies , you have to be so exact with your props and the physical comedy and everything , so it was a great training ground " . '' Scary Movie '' was a major commercial success , ranking atop the box office charts with a US$ 42 million opening weekend gross . It went on to earn US$ 278 million worldwide . For her performance , she received nominations for the Breakthrough Female Performance and Best Kiss Awards at the 2001 MTV Movie Awards . Faris subsequently reprised her role in '' Scary Movie 2 '' , released on July 4 , 2001
2001 MTV Movie Awards
2001 MTV Movie Awards
Anna Faris