For most Scream fans, the beloved horror franchise wouldn’t be the same without its heroine Sidney Prescott, an iconic role played by Neve Campbell. But unfortunately for all of us, Campbell won’t be returning for the sixth installment of the series due to failed negotiations with Paramount over her salary. The controversy brought up discussions of sexism and pay disparity within the industry, and the ways in which women’s contributions are continually underplayed and undervalued.
Campbell discussed her stance with People Magazine, saying “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 continued, “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.”
While the actual salary amounts weren’t disclosed to the public, one has to wonder what the hold up is on Paramount’s part. Given the massive success of the franchise, why wouldn’t they shell out the necessary money for Campbell to feel valued? She elaborated, “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.”
But Campbell has plenty of work to look forward to. She starred in the Netflix series The Lincoln Lawyer, and will join Anthony Mackie in Peacock’s Twisted Metal. She also stars in a new PSA for the American Red Cross about donating blood:
Campbell has also received support from her Scream co-stars. Matthew Lillard, who played Stu Macher in 1996’s Scream 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.” Jamie Kennedy and David Arquette also expressed support for Campbell.
Would you see a Scream movie without Neve Campbell?
(via People, featured image: Paramount)
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