Scream Star Skeet Ulrich Explains Why Melissa Barrera’s Firing Stops Him from Completing ‘3-Film Arc’

Skeet Ulrich doesn’t see much of a future for Billy Loomis in Scream without Melissa Barrera. And considering how the franchise brought him back, his reasoning makes perfect sense.

via: EW

After starring in the original 1996 classic as Billy Loomis, one of the two Ghostfaces, Ulrich returned for the fifth and sixth installments, with the dead character appearing via hallucination to his daughter, Sam (Barrera). But despite being the franchise’s new lead scream queen, Barrera was dropped by the production company Spyglass Media Group for making pro-Palestine statements on social media and criticizing the actions of Israel in its war with Hamas, and therefore neither Barrera nor Ulrich appeared in this year’s Scream 7.

“Without Melissa Barrera and Sam Loomis, there’s no Billy Loomis,” Ulrich told Us Weekly. “He was in her head. They had their chance at it and didn’t quite get to complete the three-film arc that they talked to me about.”

Ulrich’s comments come after his friend and fellow Ghostface alum Matthew Lillard revealed that he regretted signing on to reprise his role of Stu Macher in Scream 7.

“It’s really f---ing bulls--- and really hard and she’s on the right side of history,” he said of Barrera. “I went back to do Scream, and I got called out. And I’m like, ‘Oh, f---. 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 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.”

At the time of Barrera’s firing, Spyglass said it had “zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form.” The actress responded by condemning antisemitism, while still emphasizing the importance of using her platform “to raise awareness about issues I care about.”

When recently asked if she’d ever be open to returning to Scream, Barrera said not as long as Spyglass holds the rights.

“I love the franchise,” she shared. “I had an amazing time making those movies. But a lot of the hate and the difficulty that I’ve faced in the last years is because the leadership of that company made it a point to label me something that I’m not, and they never apologized, even when I was proven right.”

She added, “Even with an apology, I wouldn’t go back to work with them. So, not that I’m holding my breath. I don’t think they have that ability. But if the franchise were ever to leave those hands and go into more, into hands that I think honor Wes Craven’s legacy more, I think yeah. ”

Despite mostly poor reviews, Scream 7 became the highest-grossing film of the series, and Scream 8 is now officially in development with writers Nora and Lilla Zuckerman.