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Scream franchise star Neve Campbell says that a man never would have received the offer she did for Scream 6. Campbell first played iconic final girl Sidney Prescott back in 1996 with the release of the original Scream. The film quickly became a hit due to its clever subversion of the horror genre and its scary villain, Ghostface. Campbell’s character would go on to appear in all four of the film’s sequels, including this year’s Scream (2022).
Not long after the success of this year’s Scream, it was announced that a sixth Scream film would be moving forward. Little is known about the plot of the new film, but it has been confirmed that the installment will leave Woodsboro and take place instead in New York City. The film will feature the return of characters from previous entries in the franchise, including Courteney Cox, Melissa Barrera, Hayden Panettiere, Jenna Ortega, and Mason Gooding, as well as a host of new actors. It was announced, however, that Campbell is not returning for Scream 6 due to disagreements regarding her salary.
Now, in a new interview with People, Campbell elaborates on the pay dispute and claims that a man in her position never would’ve received the same offer she was presented with for Scream 6. Campbell explains that, after starring in five installments of the successful blockbuster franchise, she ultimately couldn’t bear the thought of returning for the new film and feeling “undervalued.” Check out the actor’s full comment about her decision not to return for Scream 6 below:
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. 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. 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.
Although the specific amount of money Campbell was offered for Scream 6 remains confidential, what the actor describes isn’t necessarily unusual when it comes to women in Hollywood. Campbell’s Scream (2022) co-star Jasmin Savoy Brown previously explained that she respects the actor’s decision, because “it’s hard to be a woman in this industry.” For decades, female actors have been paid less than male actors for similar parts, and while the issue is no longer as pronounced as it once was, Campbell’s comment suggests it’s still not uncommon. After all, as she describes, the Scream franchise has since become one of the most successful horror franchises still running today, and she has played a large part in that.
It remains to be seen how Scream 6 will explain Campbell’s absence, but, in many ways, the new film will mark the end of an era for the franchise. Although Cox’s Gale Weathers is returning, both Campbell’s Prescott and David Arquette’s Dewey Riley will be absent. With a number of other returning characters and a host of fresh faces, however, hopefully Scream 6 can still be a worthy successor to this year’s Scream.
Source: People