Neve Campbell on Exiting ‘Scream’ Franchise Over Pay: “I Couldn’t Walk on Set Feeling Undervalued”

Jackie Strause
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Neve Campbell is speaking further about her exit from the Scream franchise.

The actress, who has starred in all five films in the blockbuster slasher series, announced in June that she would not be returning for the forthcoming sixth sequel after disputes over her salary.

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“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,” she said at the time in a statement, which was obtained by The Hollywood Reporter.

Now, in a new interview with People, the star who is known by Scream fans as iconic survivor Sidney Prescott is expounding on what happened behind the scenes that led to what she has called the difficult decision to cut ties with the hit horror franchise.

“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 is 48, reiterated, speaking to the magazine for a new campaign video for the American Red Cross. Citing the reasons as negotiations-related, she 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.”

That, she says, is why she couldn’t return for the next film.

“In my soul, I just couldn’t do that. I couldn’t walk on set feeling that — feeling undervalued and feeling the unfairness, or lack of fairness, around that,” said Campbell, who currently stars on the popular Netflix series The Lincoln Lawyer and will next appear in Peacock’s live-action video game adaptation Twisted Metal.

In a separate interview with Entertainment Tonight, however, Campbell suggested that she could change her mind.

“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 said, while continuing to promote her work with the American Red Cross. “I care about these new directors. They did such a great job on the last one and I wish them luck.”

In the original 1996 horror film created by Kevin Williamson and Wes Craven, Campbell starred as Sidney Prescott, who, along with an ensemble cast including Courteney Cox and David Arquette, faced off with a killer nicknamed Ghostface.

Paramount and Spyglass have planned a sixth installment after the successful fifth chapter debuted earlier this year. James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick co-wrote the screenplay, with Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett returning as directors. The film hits theaters March 31, 2023.

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