During her audition with Wyss, she improvised a clawing motion with her fingers and a screeching sound. This natural approach to the character ultimately caught Craven's attention leading to her obtaining the part. Craven stated that he wanted someone very "non-Hollywood" and someone who embodied the "all-American, girl-next-door" for the role and believed that Langenkamp had these qualities. Craven informed her that she got the part that winter, although shooting didn't begin until June 1984. She beat out more than 200 actresses auditioning for the part. She won the Best Actress Award at the Avoriaz Film Festival for her role as Nancy.