Actor Matthew Lillard has said he feels “embarrassed” about returning to the ‘Scream’ franchise for ‘Scream 7’ following Melissa Barrera’s firing from the slasher series, saying the actor was “on the right side of history” when she expressed support for Palestinians in 2023, according to The Hollywood Reporter. During a recent Q and A, in a video posted on TikTok, Lillard said Barrera, who was dropped from the seventh installment in November 2023, was fired for speaking out and said he felt he should have spoken up at the time. 

“It’s just human, it’s like who we are… I don’t know what else to do,” Lillard said. “For me… I have queer kids; if I’m not standing up for queer kids or kids in the trans community, what the fuck am I doing?,” as per the outlet. The ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ star continued, “Listen, I don’t think it’s easy all the time. Melissa Barrera, who’s a beautiful actor, was fired for what she said. … That’s really fucking bullshit and really hard, and she’s on the right side of history. And when they start coming after your job, sometimes things are worth it,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.