Neve Campbell is sharing further details about the salary dispute that led to her decision to leave the Scream franchise. The Saturn Award-winning actress is expanding on what happened behind the scenes that convince her to cut ties with the hit horror series in a new interview with People.
Campbell has played final girl Sidney Prescott in all five films in the Scream franchise since its original feature, which was directed by Wes Craven and released in 1996. She shocked fans when she announced in June that she won’t be returning for the upcoming fifth sequel after disputes over her salary. At the time, she released a statement to explain her departure.
“As a woman, I have had to work extremely hard in my career to establish my value, especially when it comes to Scream. I felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise,” the actress shared.
“I did not feel that what I was being offered equated to the value that I bring to this franchise, and have brought to this franchise, for 25 years,” Campbell, who’s now 48, reiterated to People while she was speaking to the magazine about a new campaign video for the American Red Cross.
Citing the reasons for her exit from the Scream franchise as negotiations-related, the actress added: “And as a woman in this business, I think it’s really important for us to be valued and to fight to be valued. I honestly don’t believe that if I were a man and had done five installments of a huge blockbuster franchise over 25 years, that the number that I was offered would be the number that would be offered to a man.
“In my soul, I just couldn’t do that. I couldn’t walk on set feeling undervalued and feeling the unfairness, or lack of fairness, around that,” added Campbell, who currently stars on the popular Netflix legal drama show The Lincoln Lawyer. She’ll next appear in Peacock’s live-action video game adaptation, Twisted Metal.
However, the actress suggested that she may ultimately change her mind about starring in Scream 6 during a separate interview with Entertainment Tonight. “I care about these movies. If they were to come to me with an amount that felt in keeping with … the value that I bring them, I would certainly consider it,” she revealed.
“I care about these new directors. They did such a great job on the last one and I wish them luck,” Campbell added.
Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media have been planning a sixth installment in the Scream series after the successful fifth entry debuted in theaters this past January to critical acclaim and box office success.
James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick, who co-wrote the screenplay for the franchise’s fourth sequel, returned to the series to pen the fifth follow-up. Radio Silence’s Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, who helmed the franchise’s most recent movie, which is also titled Scream, are also returning to the series to direct the sixth installment. The franchise’s upcoming sequel is scheduled to be released in theaters on March 31, 2023.
Campbell’s fellow original cast member, David Arquette, made his final appearance in the series’ last entry; his character, Dewey Riley, was killed by the franchise’s iconic Ghostface killer. However, Courteney Cox confirmed she will reprise her role as fellow legacy character Gale Weathers in the upcoming film.
Besides Cox, Scream 6 is also slated to star Jenna Ortega, Melissa Barrera, Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding, the four survivors of the fourth follow-up. Scream 4 star Hayden Panettiere will also be returning to the series as her beloved character, Kirby. Dermot Mulroney has also joined the franchise as a police officer.