Matthew Lillard has defended his former Scream co-star Neve Campbell over a pay dispute.
The 52-year-old actor starred alongside Neve in the original Scream slasher film back in 1996, and while his character was killed off in the first movie, the 48-year-old actress reprised her role as Sidney Prescott for the fifth film in the horror franchise earlier this year.
A sixth movie is currently in the works, but Neve announced she would be stepping away from the Scream flicks after a dispute over pay.
“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,” she said in a statement.
“I 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,” Neve added.
She continued: “To all my Scream fans, I love you. You’ve always been so incredibly supportive to me. I’m forever grateful to you and to what this franchise has given me over the past 25 years.”
During an interview with the Midnite Movie Club, Matthew defended Neve’s decision, and said the situation was “infuriating”.
“Did Tom Cruise take less money for [the Top Gun sequel]? F**k no dude. So why is a woman supposed to take less? Why wouldn't you pay her more as the series goes on?” he fumed.
“Was Scream 5 a hit or not a hit? It was a smash hit. Did they make a s**t ton of money? Yes,” Matthew continued.
“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,” he added.
Jamie Kennedy, who played Randy in the Scream movies, also sided with Neve, and said it was an example of “how twisted the system is”.
“Sidney Prescott is the centre of Scream. Neve Campbell is the face of Scream. Ghostface chasing her throughout the whole franchise. How can you make Scream without Sidney Prescott?” he fired.
“It's crazy that the people behind the scenes are not paying the money to literally the face of the franchise,” he said.
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