In 1997, Pinkett Smith had a cameo role in "Scream 2" as a college student who is brutally murdered in front of hundreds of cinemagoers. The film made more than $100 million at the North American box office. In 1998, she played a news reporter in the thriller "Return to Paradise", with Joaquin Phoenix and Vince Vaughn, and took on the title role of an extroverted woman, alongside Tommy Davidson, in the comedy "Woo". While giving positive reviews to her performance in "Woo", Derek Armstrong of "AllMovie" stated that the script was "formulaic" and "not much of a vehicle for its impish starlet". She next starred in Spike Lee's film "Bamboozled" (2000), as a personal assistant to the main character portrayed by Damon Wayans. Although the film met with mediocre reviews, it won the Freedom of Expression Award by the National Board of Review.