Original ‘Scream’ Cast Reacts to Neve Campbell’s ‘Scream 6’ Exit: She’s the ‘Center’ of the Franchise

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Original 'Scream' Cast Reacts to Neve Campbell's 'Scream 6' Exit: She's the 'Center' of the Franchise

Scream fans were delighted when Paramount announced a sixth entry in the franchise, but the news came with a caveat: Neve Campbell wouldn't be coming back. In June 2022, the Party of Five alum, who played Sidney Prescott in all five previous Scream movies, revealed that she exited the project over a salary dispute. “Sadly, I won’t be making the next Scream film,” she told Us Weekly in a statement. “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 Canada native noted that it was a “very difficult decision to move on” from the beloved horror franchise. "To all my Scream fans, I love you," she continued. "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 first Scream film debuted in 1996 and also starred Drew Barrymore, Courteney Cox, David Arquette and Skeet Ulrich. After three sequels and a decade-long break, the franchise returned to the big screen in January 2022 with a fifth slasher simply titled Scream. It marked the first installment in the series that wasn't directed by the late Wes Craven, but several of the original cast members — including Cox, Arquette and Campbell — returned for the flick. [jwplayer IegsBBwe-zhNYySv2] Arquette, for his part, was happy to reunite with everyone for the movie — including his ex-wife, Cox, whom he met on the set of the original Scream. “It’s great when you know people really well and you get to act opposite them,” he told Us in January 2022 of working with the Friends alum. “There’s just little stuff about them in general as people, so it makes it really comfortable. And, you know, they say, like, 80 percent of communication is nonverbal. So, the more you know someone, obviously you’re gonna have advantages.” The fifth Scream — spoiler alert — featured the death of Arquette's character, Dewey Riley, but it left the door open for Campbell and Cox to return. After the Skyscraper actress announced she wouldn't come back, one of her newer costars weighed in to express support for her decision. “I absolutely respect her for that," Jasmine Savoy Brown, who made her Scream debut in the 2022 film, told Variety that June. "I think that it’s hard to be a woman in this industry and in any industry at all. If any person, but especially any woman, feels that she deserves more — whether that’s a financial situation with work, out of a relationship, out of fill in the blank — if she can walk away, I support that.” Keep scrolling for more reactions to Campbell's exit from the sixth Scream movie. [podcast_block]

Credit: Shutterstock (2)

Original 'Scream' Cast Reacts to Neve Campbell's 'Scream 6' Exit: She's the 'Center' of the Franchise

Scream fans were delighted when Paramount announced a sixth entry in the franchise, but the news came with a caveat: Neve Campbell wouldn't be coming back. In June 2022, the Party of Five alum, who played Sidney Prescott in all five previous Scream movies, revealed that she exited the project over a salary dispute. “Sadly, I won’t be making the next Scream film,” she told Us Weekly in a statement. “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 Canada native noted that it was a “very difficult decision to move on” from the beloved horror franchise. "To all my Scream fans, I love you," she continued. "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 first Scream film debuted in 1996 and also starred Drew Barrymore, Courteney Cox, David Arquette and Skeet Ulrich. After three sequels and a decade-long break, the franchise returned to the big screen in January 2022 with a fifth slasher simply titled Scream. It marked the first installment in the series that wasn't directed by the late Wes Craven, but several of the original cast members — including Cox, Arquette and Campbell — returned for the flick. [jwplayer IegsBBwe-zhNYySv2] Arquette, for his part, was happy to reunite with everyone for the movie — including his ex-wife, Cox, whom he met on the set of the original Scream. “It’s great when you know people really well and you get to act opposite them,” he told Us in January 2022 of working with the Friends alum. “There’s just little stuff about them in general as people, so it makes it really comfortable. And, you know, they say, like, 80 percent of communication is nonverbal. So, the more you know someone, obviously you’re gonna have advantages.” The fifth Scream — spoiler alert — featured the death of Arquette's character, Dewey Riley, but it left the door open for Campbell and Cox to return. After the Skyscraper actress announced she wouldn't come back, one of her newer costars weighed in to express support for her decision. “I absolutely respect her for that," Jasmine Savoy Brown, who made her Scream debut in the 2022 film, told Variety that June. "I think that it’s hard to be a woman in this industry and in any industry at all. If any person, but especially any woman, feels that she deserves more — whether that’s a financial situation with work, out of a relationship, out of fill in the blank — if she can walk away, I support that.” Keep scrolling for more reactions to Campbell's exit from the sixth Scream movie. [podcast_block]

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Jenna Ortega

“It was really unfortunate,” Ortega told Elle in March 2023 of Campbell's absence. "Especially because Neve is the coolest, sweetest, most talented lady. The franchise wouldn’t be what it is without her.”

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Courteney Cox

During a February 2023 interview with Variety, the Cougar Town alum addressed Campbell's decision not to appear in the sixth film. “I missed working with her, but I’m going to support whatever she feels is right," Cox said.

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Melissa Barrera

During an interview with Us in July 2022, Barrera opened up about how the cast has been adjusting to Campbell's absence.

"It's hard thinking that we're making a movie without her," the actress, who plays Samantha Carpenter in the revival, explained. "We can't get too hung up on that. Because we gotta make another movie. Of course Sidney is present, her essence is present in the movie. You can't just ignore that."

At the time, Barrera noted that everyone was "heartbroken" by the news, adding, "But we totally understand and respect her decision and hopefully if we get to make another one, we can have her back."

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David Arquette

“I’d love for her to be a part of it. A Scream movie without Sidney is kind of unfortunate, but I understand her decision,” the Never Been Kissed star told ComicBook in June 2022. “It’s all a business in a way, they have to balance all these elements to fit a budget and produce a film. I get it, she’s still alive! She [can] absolutely be in future ones, but I think it’s up to fans to call for that in the future.”

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Jamie Kennedy

"Hollywood, this is a clear example of how twisted the system is," the Son of the Mask star said in a video shared via his YouTube channel in June 2022. "Sidney Prescott is the center of Scream. Neve Campbell is the face of Scream. Ghostface chasing her throughout the whole franchise ... Neve is the final girl. It's crazy that the people behind the scenes are not paying the money to literally the face of the franchise. It's people who weren't involved from the get-go. This is everything that's wrong with the business."

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Matthew Lillard

"Did Tom Cruise take less money for [Top Gun: Maverick]? F–k no, dude," the She's All That actor said during a June 2022 Twitter Spaces chat. "So, why is a woman supposed to take less? Why wouldn't you pay her more as the series goes on? Was Scream 5 a hit or not a hit? It was a smash hit. Did they make a s–t ton of money? Yes. Should Neve Campbell be paid for the work she's done in five movies of a franchise? Yes, because she's a female lead of one of the most successful horror franchises."

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Emma Roberts

"Someone just sent me that [news] last night, and I was like, 'This can't be real news. Like, this has to be fake!'" the Scream Queens alum said during an interview with Jake's Takes in June 2022. "I mean, she's queen. That's all I have to say."

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Jasmin Savoy Brown

“I absolutely respect her for that. I think that it’s hard to be a woman in this industry and in any industry at all,” the Yellowjackets star told Variety in June 2022. “If any person, but especially any woman, feels that she deserves more — whether that’s a financial situation with work, out of a relationship, out of fill in the blank — if she can walk away, I support that.”