Fans of the Scream franchise were heartbroken when series star and final girl Neve Campbell announced she would not be returning for Scream 6. Despite the 2022 Scream grossing $140 million (and the franchise grossing $744 million globally), Paramount and Spyglass Media refused to pay Campbell, the face of the franchise, what she’s worth. Campbell issued a statement saying, “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. 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.”

Now, Campbell’s co-stars are speaking out support of her. Matthew Lillard, who played Stu Macher in the 1996 Scream, defended Campbell during a Twitter Spaces conversation with Midnite Movie Club, saying, “Did Tom Cruise take less money for [the Top Gun sequel]? Fuck no dude. So why is a woman supposed to take less? Why wouldn’t you pay her more as the series goes on?” Lillard said. “Was Scream 5 a hit or not a hit? It was a smash hit. Did they make a shit 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,” adding that the situation is “infuriating.”