Matthew Lillard has opened up about his decision to return to Scream 7 this year following Melissa Barrera’s controversial dismissal in 2023. During a recent 30th anniversary screening of the original Scream, Lillard responded to a fan’s question about the challenges actors face when speaking out on political issues.
Lillard said Barrera was “on the right side of history” and acknowledged he did not fully consider the implications of joining the sequel after her exit.
The actor, who reprised his role as Stu Macher in Scream 7, said he was excited to return to the franchise but later realised many fans viewed his participation differently. “I feel bad about that. I feel shame about that,” he said. He added that he “didn’t say no” when offered the role.
The comments from Lillard come amid Macklemore’s firing from Ed Sheeran’s concert openings after using the “Free Palestine” slogan during his performance.
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What did Melissa Barrera say and why was she fired?
The controversy dates back to November 2023, when Spyglass Media Group removed Barrera from Scream 7 after she shared social media posts about the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.
In her Instagram post, Barrera criticized Israel’s military activity in Gaza, describing it as “genocide” and “ethnic cleansing” against Palestinians.
She has further added multiple Instagram stories that read, “I too come from a colonized country,” with a Mexican flag logo. “Palestine WILL be free” the post continued.
Spyglass announced at the time that it had “zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech.”
Director of Scream 7, Christopher Landon, had also responded to the firing at the time and later departed the project. In an X post, he wrote, “This is my statement: Everything sucks. Stop yelling. This was not my decision to make.”
Barrera’s departure led to major changes behind the scenes. Jenna Ortega, who starred alongside Barrera in the rebooted films, also exited the project. Ortega later said the film was “falling apart” after Barrera left.
During the film’s February premiere, pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside Paramount Studios, calling for a boycott in support of Barrera. Similar campaigns had also followed the release of the film’s first trailer in late 2025.
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“I went back to do Scream, and I got called out.”
Lillard said, “I went back to do Scream, and I got called out. And I was like, ‘…that’s brutal.’ I feel bad about that, I feel shame about that.”
Lillard further talked about his embarrassment and added, “In that moment, I was so excited to got back, I didn’t really think about Melissa and the journey, and I didn’t say ‘no.’ I’m embarrassed, and that’s the truth.”
During the Q&A, Lillard explained to the questioner, “For me, I have queer kids, if I’m not standing up for queer kids or kids in the trans community, what the fuck am I doing?”
He continued and spoke about Barrera’s firing. “But if I’m not standing up about the silencing of Melissa Barrera—listen, I don’t think it’s easy all the time. Melissa Barrera, who’s a beautiful actor, was fired for what she said. It’s really fucking bullshit and really hard, and she’s on the right side of history,” he said.
He said he believes actors should support vulnerable communities even when doing so carries professional risks. “When they start coming after your job, sometimes things are worth it.”
He continued, “What happened to Melissa, the whole world didn’t pipe up. She was like a year early on what the fuck’s going on, but the whole world should have piped up and said, ‘she’s right,’ and they didn’t. And that’s brutal.”