Matthew Lillard says he feels ‘ashamed’ to return for ‘Scream 7’ after Melissa Barrera firing

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Matthew Lillard has claimed that he’s ashamed to be part of this year’s ‘Scream 7’ after Melissa Barrera was fired from the franchise over her pro-Palestine stance.

The actor, 56, was first seen as Stu Macher in the very first film of the franchise in 1996. Three decades later, his character returned to the screen.

Matthew Lillard says standing up for right causes is not easy

Now on Tuesday, September 15, Lillard shared his feelings over Barrera’s firing during a Q&A session for the original ‘Scream’ 30th anniversary screening, as per Entertainment Weekly.

When the ‘Five Nights at Freddy's’ star was asked about speaking out on political issues while being in the limelight, he replied, “I don’t know how else to do it. For me, I have queer kids. If I’m not standing up for queer kids or kids in the trans community then what the f**k am I doing? If I’m not standing up against ICE, then what the f**k am I doing?”

“I don’t think it’s easy all the time,” he stated.

Matthew Lillard claims Melissa Barrera's 'on the right side of history'

Lillard then went on to talk about Barrera, whose statements against Israeli actions were deemed “hate speech” by ‘Scream’ production company Spyglass Entertainment.

The franchise company also shared that it had “zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to ge**cide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech.”

But Lillard condemned the decision, saying, “Melissa Barrera, who’s a beautiful actor, was fired for what she said after the whole Palestinian — what started happening in Israel.”

“She’s on the right side of history. When they start coming after your job, sometimes things are worth it,” he added.

Matthew Lillard feels 'ashamed' for not standing in support of Melissa Barrera

Continuing further, the director shared, “When that happened to Melissa, the whole world didn’t pipe up. 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.”

Lillard also criticized himself for not standing in support of the Mexican actress, 36.

“I went back to do Scream, and I got called out. And I’m like, ‘Oh, f**k. That’s brutal.’ I feel bad about that. I feel ashamed about that. 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 mentioned.

“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,” Lillard accepted.