Matthew Lillard has admitted that he feels “ashamed” about returning to the Scream series after Melissa Barrera was fired from Scream 7.
The actor spoke about the situation during a Q&A at a 30th anniversary screening of the first Scream movie.
While talking about how public figures deal with difficult issues, Lillard brought up Barrera’s firing and his own return as Stu Macher.
Lillard said he was very excited when he got the chance to return to the famous horror series.
However, that excitement made him fail to think enough about what Barrera had been through.
The actor said he could have turned down the role. Looking back now, he said he felt embarrassed and believed he made the wrong choice.
Barrera was fired from Scream 7 in 2023 after sharing posts about Palestinians and the Israel Hamas war.
Spyglass, the company making the movie, said it had zero tolerance for antisemitism or hate.
Lillard also spoke about the lack of support Barrera received after losing her role.
He said he believed she had taken a risk by speaking about something she felt was important.
Lillard said he still enjoyed making Scream 7.
His comments, moreover, show that returning to the movie also left him with difficult feelings about what happened to Barrera.
2026-09-17 20:34:00
