Matthew Lillard confessed he was “embarrassed” to appear in “Scream 7” because he was on the “wrong side of history” after Melissa Barrera was infamously fired.
“I went back to do ‘Scream,’ and I got called out,” Lillard, 56, told the audience at a Q&A for a “Scream” 30th anniversary screening on Tuesday, per footage circulating on TikTok.
“And I’m like, ‘Oh, f–k. That’s brutal,’” he continued, recalling Barrera’s 2023 firing from the slasher flick for her social media commentary on the conflict between Hamas and Israel at the time.
“I feel bad about that. I feel ashamed about that,” Lillard went on. “Because in that moment I was so excited to go back, I didn’t really think about Melissa and that journey. I didn’t say no.”
He continued, “I’m embarrassed, that’s the truth… I blew that. I’m on the wrong side of history for that. I still like being in the movie [but] it may not have been the best idea.”
Barrera publicly expressed support for Palestine and called out Israeli actions in a string of social media uploads at the time, with the movie’s studio, Spyglass Entertainment, calling the comments “hate speech” and characterizing them as antisemitic.
Calling Barrera, 36, a “beautiful actor,” Lillard asserted, “It’s really f–king bulls–t, and really hard and she’s on the right side of history.”
“When they start coming after your job, sometimes things are worth it,” the “Scooby-Doo” actor added.
He also called out the film industry for turning away from the actress following the controversy.
“When that happened to Melissa, the whole world didn’t pipe up,” the “Five Nights at Freddie’s” star said.
“But she was a year early on what the f–k’s going on. But the whole world should have popped up and said, ‘She’s right.’ And they didn’t. And that’s brutal.”
A rep for Barrera did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment on Wednesday.
Barrera did indeed call out Lillard — who starred in the original “Scream” back in 1996 — and other franchise veterans for their participation in the slasher sequel, including Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette and Scott Foley.
When asked by Variety earlier this year if it was “scabby” that the longtime actors returned to the movie following her ouster, she replied, “Oh, 100 percent. I think they all are.” She added, “And they have to live with that.”
Barrera explained in the May interview that the “only way they were able to make that movie after what happened was to nostalgia-bait as much as possible” by bringing in so many franchise stars.
And though Jenna Ortega quit the movie days later, Barrera seemingly didn’t feel it was in support of her.
Nonetheless, the actress told the trade outlet that she “had faith” her peers would defend her at the time.
“I was like, ‘Someone is going to reach out to me and help me. It’s just a matter of time,” she said, recalling enduring “10 torturous months of uncertainty, and no work, and suffering” after the ouster.
Barrera — who previously starred in 2022 revival “Scream” and 2023’s “Scream VI” — said despite the incident, she felt “good” about the outcome.
“I did what I set out to do,” she told Collider in 2024. “It was always meant to be two movies for me, ’cause that was my contract, and so everything is perfect.”
In addition, she noted to Variety, “Scream” fans have rallied in support of her Broadway role in “Titanique,” where she signs franchise memorabilia at the stage door.
“People who love me from those movies are coming to see the show, and they can’t ever take that away from me.”
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