Scream’s Matthew Lillard, Jamie Kennedy Support Neve Campbell’s Decision Not to Return for 6th Film
Neve Campbell is receiving love from the ghosts of Scream films’ past.
Matthew Lillard, who starred alongside Campbell, 48, in Wes Craven’s original 1996 teen slasher, expressed his support for the actress Tuesday during a Twitter Spaces chat with Midnite Movie Club. It was after the star this week announced her decision not to sign up for another movie due to “the offer.”
“Did Tom Cruise take less money for [Top Gun: Maverick]? F— no, dude. So, why is a woman supposed to take less? Why wouldn’t you pay her more as the series goes on?” he said. “Was Scream 5 a hit or not a hit? It was a smash hit. Did they make a s— ton of money? Yes.
“Should Neve Campbell be paid for the work she’s done in five movies of a franchise? Yes, because she’s a female lead of one of the most successful horror franchises,” Lillard, 52, added.
Jamie Kennedy also came out in Campbell’s corner the same day on his YouTube channel, after starring with her in the first two movies. “Hollywood, this is a clear example of how twisted the system is,” he said.
Sidney Prescott is the center of Scream. Neve Campbell is the face of Scream. Ghostface chasing her throughout the whole franchise … Neve is the final girl,” Kennedy, 52, said, adding: “It’s crazy that the people behind the scenes are not paying the money to literally the face of the franchise. It’s people who weren’t involved from the get-go. This is everything that’s wrong with the business.”
David Arquette, who made his final appearance as Dewey Riley in this year’s fifth film, previously showed his support for Campbell during an interview with ComicBook.com. “I’d love for her to be a part of it,” he said.
“A Scream movie without Sidney is kind of unfortunate, but I understand her decision. It’s all a business in a way, they have to balance all these elements to fit a budget and produce a film,” Arquette, 50, added. “I get it, she’s still alive! She [can] absolutely be in future ones, but I think it’s up to fans to call for that in the future. […] That is sudden, it’s a business, though. I respect her decision, for sure.”
Campbell explained her “very difficult decision” to not return for the next installment on Monday after starring in the first five films.
“As a woman I have had to work extremely hard in my career to establish my value, especially when it comes to Scream,” she said in a statement. “I felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise.”
The actress last returned for the fifth installment, which premiered earlier this year. From Ready or Not directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, it was the first film in the franchise to not have Craven attached, after he died of a brain tumor at age 76 in Aug. 2015.
Fellow legacy star Courteney Cox has since confirmed her return to the franchise, giving an update to the Just for Variety podcast in December after getting the script.
“I got the script yesterday,” she said at the time. “I haven’t read it yet, I just got it… I’m excited to read it, and I know they’re going to start filming… I think, in June, in Canada.”
