Neve Campbell 'Excited to Get Back in' Her “Scream ”Role, 'Grateful' Studio Listened to Her Pay Concerns (Exclusive)

After walking away from the franchise following a lowball offer for 'Scream VI,' the actress tells PEOPLE things changed: 'The studio heard me'

Neve Campbell is ready to return to her Scream family.

"I've lived with Sidney for 30 years, and I'm really, really grateful to get to go back to it," the star tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue of rejoining the horror franchise for its upcoming seventh film.

Campbell’s departure from Scream VI made headlines when the star revealed contractual talks had broken down around her salary for the film.

The actress said at the time she felt the offer presented did not equate to the value she brought to the franchise, telling PEOPLE in 2022: "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."

When she was approached for Scream 7, Campbell says the tone of the negotiations was completely different. 

Related: Neve Campbell Says as Long as She 'Feels Good,' Being 50 Doesn't Matter (Exclusive)

“I'm really grateful that the studio heard me when I talked about pay discrepancy and when I talked about [Scream VI negotiations] not feeling respectful,” she says.

“When they first approached me [for Scream 7], I thought, ‘I don't know what respectful looks like to them. We might be in very different places.’ But they started out in a strong place, so that was lovely."

The studio’s starting offer changed how Campbell viewed the opportunity to return to a character she loves, the star adds.

"It feels nice to have put that out into the world and to have been listened to and to have made a difference in that way," she says. "I hope other people get that opportunity too."

Campbell is also thrilled to reunite with screenwriter Kevin Williamson, who will take on directing duties for Scream 7 after penning the first, second and fourth films.

“I'm really excited that Kevin Williamson is going to direct,” says Campbell. "I think he's been wanting to do it for years and he deserves it. This is his baby. He's going to do a phenomenal job."

Related: Neve Campbell Shares Her Thoughts on Scream VI After Turning Down Role: 'I Don't Wish These Movies Ill Will'

At 50, Campbell says she has learned to tune out the critics and stay true to herself. Looking back on her 20s, she'd offer her younger self one piece of advice.

“Just to relax a bit more, go a bit easier on myself,” says Campbell, who found fame on the hit drama Party of Five. “I was on screen all the time, so there was an absolute awareness of how people expected me to look, wanted me to look, what they looked up to. And it felt like a lot of pressure."

"I've come to an age where I just let it go," she says. "It's like, listen, I got to love me. I can't be in control of what other people think of me.”

Her happiest place, she continues, is at home with her partner of over 20 years, JJ Feild and their two children, Caspian, 11, and Raynor, 6. “I think when you have kids everything else falls away, which is wonderful. It's something greater than yourself. It's a real letting go."

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