Neve Campbell confirmed today that, after expressing dismay at the pay disparity between her Scream salary and what a man might be offered in the same position, when Spyglass Media Group came to her for Scream 7, it was with a “strong” offer.
“I just really felt the need to stand up and say that I don’t believe I would’ve been treated that way had I been a man carrying a franchise for 25 years,” she said in the lead up to the sixth film, in which she did not participate.
This week, Campbell told People, “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.”
That said, she appreciates the change of heart.
“I’m really grateful that the studio heard me when I talked about pay discrepancy and when I talked about [Scream VI negotiations] not feeling respectful.”
The new Scream project has been in the news in recent months after star Melissa Barrera was let go because of comments she made on social media about the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Jenna Ortega later left the project due to scheduling reasons, and Landon soon followed.
Campbell, the original Scream lead, did not appear in last year’s sixth movie of the franchise because of a pay dispute. Her most recent appearance in the series was 2022’s Scream, which served as a franchise reboot. She had signaled as recently as January that she wouldn’t rule out returning to the role for the right price.
“When they first approached me [for Scream 7], I thought, ‘I don’t know what respectful looks like to them. We might be in very different places.’ But they started out in a strong place, so that was lovely.”
She says the offer felt affirming after her stand.
“It feels nice to have put that out into the world and to have been listened to and to have made a difference in that way. I hope other people get that opportunity too.”