‘Be Aware Of Your Value’

Despite having an illustrious acting career that spans over 30 years, Neve Campbell is still arguably most recognizable for her fan-favorite performance in the past five Scream films playing Sidney Prescott, the central heroine who has stood up against wrongdoing more times than she would surely prefer, yet has walked away each time on her own terms, ready to move on with her life. These days, Neve Campbell and Sidney Prescott seem to be on similar paths.

After choosing to step away from the upcoming Scream film after her requested salary was not met by the studio, the longtime actress is opening up like never before about the unfortunate matter.

“It was a hard decision,” Campbell, 48, reveals to me. “Obviously, I love the franchise. I love the movies. I loved these new directors and the cast, so it was a difficult decision to make but I felt for myself that it was the right one.”

If you think that without her presence in the next Scream film means that Campbell will be slowing down in her Hollywood career, think again. She just finished filming the action-comedy Twisted Metal with Anthony Mackie, calling the new Peacock series a completely different vibe from her previous projects. Also, her Netflix series The Lincoln Lawyer premiered on Netflix this past May, reaching the number one spot, where she plays deputy district attorney Maggie McPherson on the hit legal drama.

Created for television by David E. Kelley, who is responsible for bringing popular drama series like Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers to the screen, The Lincoln Lawyer has already been picked up for a second season by the video streaming giant. Next, Campbell is joining Kelley once again for the ABC drama Avalon, where she will star as Detective Nicole Searcy on the new mystery-crime series. So, what exactly is it about this Avalon project that made Campbell interested in taking it on?

“Well, I like the team, first of all, from Lincoln Lawyer. It was a really easy, positive experience, so that’s always a good start. I like this character – I think she’s strong and she’s funny and she’s determined and she’s a fish-out-of-water. She’s a cop from Los Angeles, who has ended up being sent to Catalina Island. I love that idea of going from one world into another and what that does to a person. So, I like the idea of that for her and the show.”

Earlier this month, Campbell spoke with Entertainment Tonight about her decision to not accept the salary offered to her to return for Scream 6, saying then, “My feeling truly is had I been a man in this franchise – 25 years, 5 movies, the offer would’ve been very different.” I brought up this quote from Campbell during our new conversation, then asked her what she feels that we in Hollywood need to do to not have moments like this happen again for her and for other leading actresses in both film franchises and standalone projects.

“I think we need to stand up and like I have on this project, just say It’s not good enough – and maybe that’ll change in the future. Life is interesting because as soon as I turned that down, this came along – Avalon came along. A very respectful offer and made me feel good. I think sometimes you got to empty your cup to fill it and you have to say no to things that don’t feel right or don’t feel respectful. I think we all just have to continue valuing ourselves, acknowledging what our value is and demanding it.”

For those of you saddened by the fact that you will not be seeing Campbell in at least the next Scream film, I do have some good news! Campbell is currently giving viewers a fun Sidney-like “fix” as she teams up with the American Red Cross in the new “A Bloody Nightmare” video campaign with her playful yet potentially life-saving message.

In the video, Campbell shares a rather startling statistic that “50% of Americans like watching blood get spilled in horror movies. What’s scary is that only 3% donate it.” So why did Campbell decide to join this campaign and help get the word out to encourage blood donation?

“When the Red Cross came to me with those numbers, I was baffled. I really had no idea that so few people donate and I think most people aren’t aware of that. I didn’t realize that like 1-in-7 people go into the hospital will need blood. That’s a large number and we don’t want that to be us, we don’t want that to be a family member, a loved one. It’s the blood that’s on shelves in hospitals that will save lives, not the blood that we’re considering giving at some point, you know? It’s important, I believe, and a great honor, I think, to have the opportunity to be able to save a life. If signing up with the Red Cross and spending an hour of your time donating blood could potentially save a life, that’s a fantastic opportunity.”

Following an early childhood committed to ballet and dance, Campbell’s early acting career included an appearance on the Canadian sketch comedy show The Kids In The Hall and a regular role as Daisy McKenzie on the young adult series Catwalk in 1992. What followed would become Campbell’s first big break, playing Julia Salinger on the 1994 teen drama series Party of Five. Two years later, she would snag the starring role in Wes Craven’s original 1996 teen horror film Scream. Now as Campbell continues moving forward in her Hollywood career, I wondered how Campbell might say that her professional mindset and her approach toward projects today has evolved since her first few years in Hollywood.

“Life is interesting,” continues Campbell. “I’m a mom now, so a lot of my decision-making has to do with being a mom and what would be right for my children to see or at least how much time the project allows me to spend with my children, so that’s number one. I’ve always had in my career that I felt confident to say no and maybe I’m lucky because I was in a position very, very early on where I was able to establish myself and I was able to save enough money that I am able to say no. It has also been really important to me to creatively really love what I’m doing. I find it really challenging to do a good job if I don’t believe the words and I don’t believe the character and I’m not enamored by the actors. I need to feel excited about the people I’m working with and the material that I’m working on.”

In the most recent Scream film released earlier this year, moviegoers learned that Campbell’s character Sidney Prescott is now a mother. So, being a real-life mother to two boys herself, I was curious of the maternal advice Campbell would say to her beloved character, who continues to live on in the Scream cinematic universe.

“Protect them, be true to them, have them always be your priority and create a healthy environment for them.”

With a vast and diverse acting resume already established and even more projects on the horizon, I asked Campbell how she would say that Hollywood has changed from her perspective, for better or worse, over these past three decades.

“You know what’s nice about Hollywood at the moment is there’s a lot more material. I think because of streaming, there’s a lot more out there. There’s a lot more opportunity for people and obviously, we’re seeing that it’s much more inclusive. It needs to continue down that road. That is the most important change.”

As Campbell continues to speak openly about fair pay in the entertainment industry, I wondered what advice she might have for other business professionals, not just in Hollywood but in all types of industries, who might feel under-appreciated and/or under-compensated within their own careers.

“Be aware of your value,” Campbell says. “Don’t under-play yourself, Also, be realistic but stand up for yourself. I think it is time for us to say No, it’s not okay. This doesn’t feel right. Even on the last [Scream] film, I took a number and granted, it was Covid and we didn’t know what the world was going to look like and I didn’t know if I was going to work again, but I did the project for something that did not feel right to me and it didn’t feel good! If we keep under-valuing ourselves or letting people sort of step on us, it’s not going to be good for your self-worth and it’s certainly not going to be good for the way people perceive you. So, I think it’s just really important to respect oneself and to demand respect.”

As I wrapped up my conversation with Campbell, I left the busy actress and mom with one final question: If you could go back to the Neve Campbell who was still studying ballet as a young girl and could give her advice or wisdom or a warning with everything you have experienced in life up to now, what would you, Neve Campbell today, say to that little Neve?

“Your feet are going to hurt if you keep going,” Campbell says with a laugh. “I think very similar to what I just said. Be strong. Be true to yourself. Demand to be respected. Respect yourself, as well. Don’t be so hard on yourself. I think we’re all, when we’re young, pretty darn hard on ourselves. It feels much easier in my forties. I’m much easier on myself and I wish I could’ve had a bit more of that when I was young.”