Skeet Ulrich won’t get to complete his “three-film arc” in the Scream franchise as Billy Loomis because of Melissa Barrera’s firing.
Skeet Ulrich won’t get to complete his “three-film arc” in the Scream franchise because of Melissa Barrera’s firing.
The 56-year-old actor starred in the original 1996 slasher as Billy Loomis – one of the Ghostface killers – and returned in the hallucinations of his on-screen daughter Sam Carpenter for the fifth and sixth installments, but after the actress was dropped by Spyglass Media following her controversial comments about the war in Gaza, he has admitted he’s unlikely to ever return to the horror series.
He told Us Weekly magazine: “Without Melissa Barrera and Sam Loomis, there’s no Billy Loomis. 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.”
Skeet has only seen the original Scream three times, but thinks it has stood the test of time.
He said: “Matthew Lillard and I did a live commentary while watching [the original Scream], and I think that’s only the third time I’ve seen it.”
He noted it had been a “long time” prior to his rewatch with his co-star.
He added: “It held up. We were laughing at ourselves.”
Matthew played another Ghostface, Stu Macher, and reprised the role in Scream 7 as a deepfake, and while Skeet believes his pal’s character could still be alive, he doesn’t fancy Billy’s chances of resurrection.
He said: “I do [support Matthew’s still-alive theory]. One-hundred percent.
“I don’t think a gunshot wound to the head [is survivable].
“[Matthew] wanted to rejoin the franchise for a while, and so when it finally happened, I was so excited for him. I called him right away.”
However, Matthew recently admitted he feels “embarrassed” about signing on for Scream 7 amid the controversy with Melissa.
He said: “It’s really f****** bulls*** and really hard and she’s on the right side of history.
“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.
“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.”
Reflecting on the Scream franchise, Skeet previously admitted he had a particular fondness for the original movie due to the “camaraderie” that developed between him and his castmates.
He told The New York Post newspaper: “I love the series. I particularly love what we did in ’96.
“The camaraderie of making that movie that nobody had any idea what it would be or not be. I’ve done films like Scream and As Good as It Gets and things that seem to really be quite pervasive and you really kind of learn that you have to love the process of doing it and forget results because it’s not in your control.”
Skeet Ulrich says Melissa Barrera firing ended his planned Scream trilogy arc
