Matthew Lillard has opened up about his decision to return to Scream 7 this year following the controversial firing of Melissa Barrera in 2023. During a recent 30th anniversary screening of the original Scream, Lillard answered a fan’s question about the challenges actors face when speaking out on political issues.
Lillard said that Barrera was “on the right side of history” and admitted that he did not fully consider the implications of his involvement in the sequel after his exit.
The actor, who reprized his role as Stu Machar in Scream 7, said he was excited to return to the franchise but later realized that many fans viewed his involvement differently. “I feel bad about it. I feel ashamed about it,” he said. He said he “said no” when offered the role.
Lillard’s comments come days after Macklemore was fired for using the “Free Palestine” slogan during his performance at an Ed Sheeran concert.
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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 dropped Barrera from Scream 7 after he shared social media posts about the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.
In his Instagram post, Barrera criticized Israel’s military activity in Gaza, calling it “genocide” and “ethnic cleansing” against Palestinians.
She also added several Instagram Stories, including one with a Mexican flag logo, writing, “I also come from a colonized country.” “Palestine will be free,” the post continued.
Spyglass announced at the time that it had “zero tolerance for anti-Semitism or incitement of hatred in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion or anything that clearly crosses the line into hate speech.”
Director of Scream 7, christopher landonhad also responded to the firing at that time and later left the project. In an X post, he wrote, “This is my statement: Everything sucks. Stop yelling. It was not my decision.”
Barrera’s departure led to major changes behind the scenes. Jenna Ortega, who starred with Barrera in the rebooted films, also exited the project. Ortega later said that the film was “falling apart” after Barrera left.
During the film’s February premiere, pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside Paramount Studios and called for a boycott in support of Barrera. Similar campaigns were also run following the release of the film’s first trailer in late 2025.
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“I went back to Scream, and I got called out.”
Lillard said, “I went back to scrimmage, and I got called out. And I said, ‘…This is brutal.’ I feel bad about it, I feel ashamed about it.”
Lillard further talked about his embarrassment and said, “In that moment, I was so excited to be back, I didn’t really think about Melissa and the trip, 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 gay kids, if I’m not standing up for gay kids or kids in the trans community, what am I doing?”
He continued and talked about Barrera’s firing. “But if I’m not standing up about silencing Melissa Barrera — listen, I don’t think it’s easy all the time. Melissa Barrera, who is a beautiful actress, got fired for what she said. It’s really 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 if doing so involves professional risk. “When they start coming after your job, sometimes things are worth it.”
He added, “The whole world ignored what happened to Melissa. She understood what was happening about a year ago, but the whole world should have shouted out, ‘She’s right,’ and they didn’t. And that’s cruel.”