Matthew Lillard says he regrets agreeing to return for Scream 7 without thinking more carefully about Melissa Barrera’s firing from the franchise.
During a September 15 Q&A celebrating the original Scream‘s 30th anniversary, Lillard was asked about the difficulty of speaking publicly on contentious issues. The conversation eventually turned to Barrera, and Lillard criticized how her departure was handled before examining his own decision to join the seventh movie.
“I feel ashamed,” Lillard told the audience, according to Entertainment Weekly. “I blew that.” He said his excitement about returning as Stu Macher prevented him from fully considering what Barrera had experienced.
Barrera played Sam Carpenter in 2022’s Scream and 2023’s Scream VI before Spyglass Media Group removed her from the planned sequel following social media posts about Israel and Gaza. Variety reported at the time that Spyglass viewed some of the posts as antisemitic and said it had zero tolerance for antisemitism or incitement of hate. Barrera subsequently condemned antisemitism and Islamophobia while defending her decision to speak publicly about Palestinian human rights.
Lillard Said He ‘Blew It’ When He Agreed to Return
@cocteautriplets He took accountability and had an uncomfortable conversation #edsheeran #matthewlillard #scream #scarymovie ♬ original sound – 🦋
Lillard made the comments during the final stop of a three-night Texas tour built around anniversary screenings of Wes Craven’s original Scream. While discussing the risks public figures can face when speaking about divisive subjects, he brought up Barrera’s firing himself.
He said he believed Hollywood should have supported Barrera more strongly and acknowledged that his own return came without fully confronting what had happened. Lillard had spent years answering questions about whether Stu might still be alive, and the opportunity to finally reprise the role carried considerable personal excitement.
Lillard did not disavow the finished film or his experience making it. He said he enjoyed being part of Scream 7 while acknowledging that accepting the role “may not have been the best idea” given the circumstances surrounding Barrera’s departure.
Barrera and Ortega’s Exits Reshaped ‘Scream 7’
Barrera had become one of the franchise’s central characters as Sam Carpenter, the daughter of original Ghostface killer Billy Loomis. Her firing in November 2023 forced a major rethink of a sequel that had been expected to continue the story established in the previous two movies.
Jenna Ortega, who played Sam’s younger sister Tara, also left the project. Although early reports attributed her departure to scheduling, Ortega later told Entertainment Weekly that it was not about pay or scheduling. She said the project had changed after Barrera’s firing and the departure of filmmakers Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, and continuing no longer felt like the right move for her.
Christopher Landon, who had been hired to direct the seventh movie, departed in December 2023. The production was eventually rebuilt around Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott, with original Scream screenwriter Kevin Williamson directing.
The revised movie also brought back several performers from earlier installments. Courteney Cox returned as Gale Weathers, David Arquette appeared again as Dewey Riley, and Lillard reprised Stu three decades after the character appeared to die when Sidney dropped a television onto his head in the original film.
‘Scream 7’ Became the Franchise’s Highest-Grossing Movie
Lillard’s return resolved one of the franchise’s longest-running fan theories. Viewers had speculated for years that Stu survived the ending of the first movie, while Lillard had repeatedly entertained questions about whether the character could eventually come back.
Scream 7 opened on February 27 with Campbell leading the story as Sidney. Lillard joined a large ensemble that included Cox, Arquette, Isabel May, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Anna Camp, Mckenna Grace, Joel McHale and several other new and returning cast members.
According to Paramount, the movie passed $200 million worldwide during its theatrical run, making it the highest-grossing installment in the franchise’s 30-year history. It also delivered the series’ biggest worldwide opening.
Lillard’s comments about his decision to return came more than six months after the movie’s February release and after years of public enthusiasm about finally playing Stu again.