Scream 6: Neve Campbell says she’d be paid fairly if she was a man

Neve Campbell, who declined to return for Scream 6, has said she would’ve been offered more money if she was a man.

Ghostface may be the poster killer of the Scream franchise, but Campbell’s Sidney Prescott has always been the heart of the movies, from the original 1996 shocker to this year’s revival.

While she reprised the role for the fifth film, the actress won’t be returning for Scream 6. Many fans found this surprising, given she’s the through-line for the whole series – but it got worse when it was revealed why: the studio didn’t offer enough money.

Campbell has since spoken about feeling “undervalued” given the value she brings to Scream, and her belief she would’ve been paid far more if she was a man.

Scream 6: Neve Campbell says she would’ve been offered more money if she was a man

In a new interview with People, Campbell clarified that she didn’t want to move on from Scream because of anything to do with the creative direction of the franchise, now under the stewardship of Ready or Not’s Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett.

Explaining her decision was “truly” related to money, she said: “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.”

Neve Campbell says she’d consider Scream 6 if she received a fair offer

Campbell isn’t shutting the door on Scream. In a separate interview with Entertainment Tonight, she confirmed: “I’m not done with the chapter. Like I said, I care about these movies.

“If they were to come to me with an offer that felt in keeping with the value that I bring, then I would certainly consider it. I wish them well, it was just unfortunate. It’s not how it should’ve gone.”

She also reiterated her feeling that if she’d been a man, the offer would have been “far different.”

Scream 6 is currently due for release on March 31, 2023.