Matthew Lillard (56) now regrets returning to the Scream franchise. At a screening last Tuesday marking the original’s 30th anniversary, the American actor spoke about the firing of his colleague Melissa Barrera (36) and his own role in it. “I am ashamed of it,” he said, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Lillard is part of the original cast of the horror series. In 1996 he played the killer Stu Macher in Wes Craven’s first Scream; for Scream 7 he returned to the role. The film opened in theaters this February and, with $214 million, became the most successful entry in the franchise.
During the screening, a fan asked how difficult it is for actors to take a political stance. “I don’t know how I’m supposed to do it any other way,” Lillard replied. “I have queer kids. If I don’t advocate for queer kids or for kids in the trans community, what am I doing here?” The same goes for ICE, the immigrant enforcement agency, which he attacked with a “Fuck ICE” at a Scream screening last year.
Instagram posts cost Barrera her role
Not easy, he conceded, pointing to Barrera. The actress had criticized Israel on Instagram after the war broke out in Gaza in 2023, accusing the country of “genocide and ethnic cleansing.” She also shared posts describing the Gaza Strip as a “concentration camp,” and she criticized Western media for showing only the Israeli side. In particular, the phrasing about the media was viewed as a nod to antisemitic conspiracy theories claiming that “the Jews” control the media.
The production company Spyglass subsequently fired her from the franchise, even though she had starred as a lead in two installments and was already slated to appear in Scream 7. They stated they had “zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement to hate in any form.” Barrera replied that she rejects both antisemitism and Islamophobia, and that criticizing the State of Israel is not to be understood as blanket criticism of its people.
Lillard voiced no understanding for the firing now: “Melissa Barrera, a wonderful actress, was fired for what she said,” Lillard said. This is “real bullshit,” because she stands “on the right side of history. When this happened to Melissa, the whole world didn’t rise up. But she was a year ahead of everyone. The whole world should have stood up and said, ‘She’s right.’ It’s brutal.”
“I messed this up”
He is hard on himself about it. “I am ashamed. Because I was so excited to come back, I didn’t really think about Melissa and her path. It’s embarrassing, that’s the truth. I messed this up. I’m on the wrong side of history.”
For the film, the firing did not come without consequences. Ahead of the Los Angeles premiere of Scream 7, demonstrators gathered in solidarity with Palestine to call for a boycott of the horror movie.
@cocteautriplets He took accountability and had an uncomfortable conversation #edsheeran #matthewlillard #scream #scarymovie
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A similar case now around Macklemore
A similar debate has recently swirled around musician Macklemore. The rapper had shouted “Freedom for Palestine” as a supporting act for Ed Sheeran and was subsequently dropped from the remaining tour dates. Protests against this decision followed, with all the other opening acts—Aaron Rowe, Finneas, Beoga, and Lukas Graham—pulling out in solidarity.
Direct link | Lillard in “Scream”
