The actress spoke to ET about leaving after a salary dispute: 'Being on set and feeling taken for granted seemed impossible to endure.'
Even though Neve Campbell won't be returning for Scream 6 after receiving an offer that "did not equate to the value" she felt she brought to the franchise, the actress didn't close the door completely for a possible return down the line -- if the situation (and salary) was right.
"I’m not just done with the chapter," Campbell told ET's Lauren Zima while promoting the latest American Red Cross Scream-inspired PSA, which asks the public for help in donating blood. "I care about these movies. If they were to come to me with an amount that felt in keeping with... the value that I bring them, I would certainly consider it. I care about these new directors [Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett]. They did such a great job on the last one and I wish them luck."
"This young cast, it saddens me that my departure might have some effect. But at the same time, I needed to stand up for myself, so I hope that they still had a good time and good experience on the film," she continued. "I wish them well. It was just unfortunate, it's not how it should have gone and my feeling truly is: had I been a man in this franchise -- 25 years, five movies, the offer would have been very different."
In June, Campbell revealed she would not be reprising her role of Sidney Prescott, a character she originated in the original Scream movies and returned to play in Scream 5, which was released at the start of this year. “Sadly, I won’t be making the next Scream film. 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,” the 48-year-old said in a statement at the time. “It’s been a very difficult decision to move on.”
Campbell further elaborated on the tough choice she had to make in stepping away from the slasher franchise.
"I love these movies, I love being a part of them. I’m so grateful for them. It's 25 years of my life... [a] character that I care deeply about and I know fans care deeply about," she said to ET, crediting returning stars Courteney Cox, Melissa Barrera and original cast members Jamie Kennedy and David Arquette for being "incredibly supportive and understanding." "People come to me and say, 'Sidney inspired me. Sidney saved my life. I was having trouble in school' or 'I was having trouble at home and it helped me overcome.' You just don't realize the effect that a character can have on people and Sidney has had a huge impact on people. So it was hard for me to make that decision not to do [Scream 6] because I knew it wasn't just about me."
"But at the same time, as a woman, I think it's really important that we try to be on par financially with men and I fought for a long time to have that be a part of my life and to get to that place and I really just didn't feel that what was offered to me really equated to what I bring to these films -- the value that I bring to these films and that Sidney brings to these films," Campbell added. "The idea of being on set and feeling taken for granted or taken advantage of just seemed impossible for me to endure, to be honest."
Campbell already has several projects in the works, including season 2 of Netflix's The Lincoln Lawyer, Peacock's Twisted Metal with Anthony Mackie and another yet-to-be-announced series. She's also teaming up with American Red Cross to encourage people to donate blood through the organization's new horror-inspired PSA that is a wink and a nod to Scream.
"They came to me with the idea," Campbell shared, adding that the drive is to inspire younger people to come out and donate blood. "I think the idea of having me get on board and have it be this concept around horror movies, it was fun and it also is aiming at the audience we need."
"When they approached me, I had no idea how challenging it is to get people to donate blood. Only 3 percent of Americans donate and the statistics are one in seven people who enter a hospital today will need a blood donation... It was really important that people get on board and commit to the idea of helping and potentially saving lives," she said, adding that she "loved" the concept when they first came to her with the idea. "If being a part of these movies inspired something that made people think we can get blood donations -- the concept of 50 percent of Americans are happy to watch blood get filled in a horror movie but 3 percent donate -- it's a big difference."
Find out more about the American Red Cross Blood Drive at http://www.redcrossblood.org.
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