Veteran comic actor Joel McHale took a big swing this year, with a film role that showcased some incredible versatility. He played a doting dad, undercover lover, authority figure and action star all in one. He didn’t get any laughs, and that was the point.

Maybe one thing is funny about this showcase from McHale: it happened in “Scream 7.” Yes, it was the sixth sequel in Wes Craven’s iconic horror franchise (which just crossed $200 million in global box office) that unwittingly gave us this dynamic performance. It was a bit part that most actors couldn’t make a meal of, and it proves that the former host of “The Soup” has quietly been building momentum as a screen presence. Hear me out.

McHale stars as Mark Evans, sheriff of the sleepy town in which we find “Scream” queen Sydney Prescott (Neve Campbell) and her family trying to survive yet another attack from the ghost face killer of her past. Mark is Sydney’s husband and father to her kids, including teenage Tatum (co-lead Isabel May). Admittedly, his first moments on screen conjure disbelief. “Is that Joel McHale?” one wonders of the man whose primary screen uniform is from his long-running Fox sitcom “Animal Control.” It would initially appear that “Scream 7” director Kevin Williamson’s casting of McHale signifies a “direction” for the character – another hapless funny guy who leads the innocent into danger, or perhaps could be ghost face himself (all due respect to the OG inept cop of “Scream,” David Arquette).

But the resulting performance is quite the opposite. McHale’s first challenge is establishing a viable marriage with Campbell’s Sydney, and the actors find a low-key sexual chemistry as a middle-aged pair stealing intimate moments between school drop off and knife attacks. Next, McHale navigates a heated argument between Sydney and their eldest daughter – on the surface about the borrowing of an iconic leather jacket (from “Scream 2”), but broadly about how Sydney’s secrecy over her past has poisoned trust with Tatum. McHale nails the role of mediator and doesn’t sacrifice any dignity in the process.

Finally, and perhaps most the most left-field choice in the “Scream” canon, McHale’s Mark Evans is excessively competent. He’s got good instincts as a cop (like, “Hey babe, don’t run into that house where the killer is hiding” kind of instincts). He’s an active listener and doesn’t rush to judgment. He makes peace and doesn’t want to kill his wife or child. He can throw a punch and survive a few slashes to the gut. He fills out his cop uniform (important!). In sum, as one notable industry horror fan told me after last month’s “Scream 7” premiere on the Paramount lot, “he actually believes the women around him” when they, I don’t know, sense imminent death.

This is not a common trope for “Scream.” The men of this world tend to fall into two categories: matinee idols who are secret serial killers or duds, and frustrated virgins (bordering on incels) who miss the plot and catch a knife to the skull. That McHale can represent a voice of reason and still fall prey to the superhuman antics of ghost face is a breath of fresh air. It’s also a swerve from the bitter snark we’re used to seeing from him, and a welcome new perspective from his notable works like “Community” and “Ted.”

While McHale’s “imposter syndrome” forbids him from entirely agreeing with my premise, he does say that this work – coupled with his intense cameos on recent seasons of “The Bear” – have been rewarding.

“I still can’t believe that people want to point a camera at me and hit record. When I got to Hollywood 25 years ago, my hope was to do all of this,” McHale said during a recent Variety chat. “I started on ‘The Soup,’ and thought that if Greg Kinnear could turn the same opportunity into an Oscar nomination for ‘As Good As It Gets,’ then I at least have a People’s Choice Award nomination in me.”

He credits his chemistry with Campbell as a the reason for his “Scream 7” success.“Every scene with her is fireworks. It felt similar to working with Jeremy Allen White, being there with somebody who can hit the ball back harder and faster,” McHale said. The part of Mark was offered to him weeks before production began, and McHale approached his own teenage son to see if it was the right fit.

He remembers his son saying,“ What are you, an idiot? You might be relevant again if you take that job.” Audiences at home can discover if young McHale was correct, as “Scream 7” is now available for rental on various platforms.