Scream fans were left in shock earlier this year when Neve Campbell revealed she would not be returning for Scream 6.
At the time, it was reported that a salary dispute paved the way for her exit.
Now, Campbell has elaborated on the decision in an interview with People.
“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,” she told the outlet.
“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,” the star wondered.
“And 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.”
Campbell headlined the first four Scream movies, before returning for a smaller than expected role during Scream 5 earlier this year.
The movie was a resounding success story, giving the franchise a new lease on life.
It managed $140 million at the box office during COVID-19, a number much higher than its predecessor.
“Sadly I won’t be making the next Scream film. As a woman I have had to work extremely hard in my career to establish my value, especially when it comes to Scream,” Campbell said in June.
“I felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise.”
“It’s been a very difficult decision to move on. To all my Scream fans, I love you.”
“You’ve always been so incredibly supportive to me. I’m forever grateful to you and to what this franchise has given me over the past 25 years.”
The only legacy cast members set to appear in the sixth installment are Courteney Cox and Hayden Panettiere.
Melissa Barrera, Mason Gooding, Jenna Ortega, and Jasmin Savoy Brown are locked in to reprise their roles from the fifth entry.
Scream 6 is set to open March 31, 2023 and will follow the four survivors as thet leave Woodsboro behind.
As for Campbell, she stars on Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer and has landed a major recurring role on Peacock’s Twisted Metal adaptation.
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Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.
