Neve Campbell Reveals Sadness Over Missing “Scream 6”, Defends Pay-Based Exit: 'My Decision Was Right'
Neve Campbell Reveals Sadness Over Missing “Scream 6”, Defends Pay-Based Exit: 'My Decision Was Right'
Benjamin VanHooseTue, February 24, 2026 at 10:05 PM UTC
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Neve Campbell on Feb. 3, 2026
Kevork Djansezian/Getty
Neve Campbell admitted she was "sad" not to be in 2023's Scream VI but she stands by her decision to turn down her offer
"When I knew they were having their first day of shooting and I wasn't there, I was like, 'That sucks,' " she recalled
The actress returns as Sidney Prescott in Scream 7, in theaters this Friday, Feb. 27
Neve Campbell, who returns to the Scream franchise for the series' seventh installment, stands by her decision to walk away from the sixth movie.
Dating back to 1996, Campbell has played Sidney Prescott in every chapter of the horror franchise except that 2023 sequel. She broke the news of her "very difficult decision" to not sign on for No. 6 in June 2022, telling fans, "I felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise."
During a Tuesday, Feb. 24, interview on CBS Mornings, co-host Gayle King asked Campbell about her choice and whether she thought she'd ever be invited to return to Scream.
"When I said goodbye to it, I thought that was it. I knew that there was a good chance that would be it," said Campbell, 52, who is also the star of Netflix's hit series The Lincoln Lawyer.
King, 71, asked, "And you were okay with that?" Campbell responded, "Well, I had to be. I mean, I was sad. When I knew they were having their first day of shooting and I wasn't there, I was like, 'That sucks.' But at the same time I knew that my decision was right."
Neve Campbell in "Scream 7"
Jessica Miglio
Also in the interview, King said, "So many people are shocked to see you back for Scream 7 'cause they think after you do something like that, you'd think they're done and done with you."
"When I made that decision," the actress recalled, "I just didn't think I could live with myself walking on set. I just didn't feel right. I just knew that my value to this franchise was bigger than what had been offered. For me, I needed to make that choice."
After turning down Scream VI, Campbell said she would still be open to one day reprising her role.
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"It would really depend on what they came to me with next. It would have to be different. It would have to be a different attitude, and I'm not sure that's going to happen," she told PEOPLE in August 2022. "... If they came to me with a number that felt right, that felt respectful, that felt in keeping with my value that I brought to the franchise, I'd be willing to consider."
After Scream VI was released, Campbell said at a fan convention that she was still rooting for the franchise despite her exit. "I don’t wish these movies ill will,” she said at the time. “I wanted the movie to be good. It’s not like I’m sitting in my house going, 'I hope it sucks, I hope it doesn’t do well.' "
She revealed in March 2024 that she was returning for Scream 7. "I’m very happy and proud to say I’ve been asked, in the most respectful way, to bring Sidney back to the screen and I couldn’t be more thrilled," she said in her announcement at the time.
Her casting news came four months after the reboots' lead actress Melissa Barrera was fired from the project in November 2023. Her costar and onscreen sister dropped out of the seventh film later that month.
Directed by Kevin Williamson, Scream 7 sees the return of Courteney Cox, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, David Arquette and Matthew Lillard. The cast also features Isabel May, Anna Camp, Michelle Randolph, Jimmy Tatro, Mckenna Grace, Asa Germann, Celeste O'Connor, Mark Consuelos and Joel McHale.
Teases a synopsis: "When a new Ghostface killer emerges in the quiet town where Sidney Prescott has built a new life, her darkest fears are realized as her daughter becomes the next target. Determined to protect her family, Sidney must face the horrors of her past to put an end to the bloodshed once and for all."
Scream 7 is in theaters Feb. 27.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
