Neve Campbell saddened fans when she revealed she would not be returning to “Scream 6” in June.
The Canadian starlet and “Party of Five” alum played the queen of “final girls” Sidney Prescott in the first five installments of the horror series, which kicked off in 1996.
But with “Scream 6” set to premiere next year, Campbell, 48, is adamant that her decision to leave the film was “truly” about “negotiation,” while also alluding to inherent sexism in the ordeal.
“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 told People Monday.
“As a woman in this business, I think it’s really important for us to be valued and to fight to be valued,” she added.
“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,” Campbell continued, then zeroing in on worries about feeling “undervalued” if she’d decided to stick around.
The “Party of Five” actress revealed she would not be reprising her role as “final girl” Sidney Prescott in “Scream 6” earlier this year.Getty Images“In my soul, I just couldn’t do that,” she said. “I couldn’t walk on set feeling that — feeling undervalued and feeling the unfairness, or lack of fairness, around that.”
The latest “Scream” film premiered in January and marked the last appearance for Campbell and fellow co-star David Arquette, 50.
Wes Craven directed the first four films in the series and died in 2015. Combined, the five slasher flicks have grossed more than $744 million.
Campbell and David Arquette arrive at the premiere of “Scream 4” in 2011.WireImageTwo months ago, the “Wild Things” star confirmed that she will be exiting the franchise, saying in a statement: “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,’ ” Campbell said, pointing out how she “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,” Campbell noted. “I’m forever grateful to you and to what this franchise has given me over the past 25 years.”
