Neve Campbell revealed which Scream twist left her less than impressed.
During an appearance at Monster-Mania Con earlier this month, Campbell, 50, opened up about how the fifth film in the franchise missed the mark. “I was so sad about Dewey’s death,” she shared at a panel in YouTube footage uploaded by a fan on Friday, November 17. “I thought it was tragic and I don’t usually like to criticize the writing in these projects.”
Campbell recalled feeling upset because Dewey — played by David Arquette — was a main character who’d appeared in the franchise since its debut in 1996.
“I was really disappointed in their choice to get rid of David,” she continued. “Dewey’s such a wonderful character, and I think we were all in love with him and I think we all felt pretty sad about that. Which of course is the reason they do it, because it has more impact, but now I miss him. I want to see more of him.”
After not participating in Scream VI, Campbell waited nearly nine months to watch the newest release. “I haven’t watched it until two weeks ago,” she said of the newest film, which hit theaters in March. “I actually thought they did a really good job. I think the cast are really powerful, wonderful actors. I don’t wish these movies ill will. I wanted the movie to be good.”
Campbell made it clear that her departure didn’t affect her love for the franchise.
“It’s not like I’m sitting at my house going, ‘I hope it sucks, I hope it doesn’t do well.’ I care about all the people involved,” she explained. “There’s someone at the top who only thinks about money, and that’s their prerogative, but for the rest of them? Everybody else? I care about these movies being good, and I care about that for you guys too, because I know you guys love these films. I thought they did a great job.”
Campbell rose to stardom after starring as Sidney Prescott in the slasher films from 1996 to 2011 alongside Courteney Cox and Arquette, 52. Campbell reprised her role as Sidney Prescott in 2022’s Scream but subsequently didn’t return for more after rejecting the studio’s salary offer.
“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,” Campbell told Us Weekly in a statement in June 2022. “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. I’m forever grateful to you and to what this franchise has given me over the past 25 years.”
In the fifth Scream, Dewey’s shocking death hinted that none of the original characters were safe from Ghostface. Fans were reminded of that fact again in the sixth film when Cox’s character, Gale Weathers, very narrowly escaped a brutal attack in her home.
Sidney’s absence, meanwhile, was addressed when Gale said she chose to go into hiding to protect her family. Gale added that Sidney “deserves a happy ending.”
Despite her exit from Scream, Campbell isn’t ruling out a return in the future — if she gets compensated properly.
“I’m not just done with the chapter,” she told Entertainment Tonight in August 2022. “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. They did such a great job on the last one and I wish them luck.”
She added: “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.”
