Jordan Karlesson
Who is Sidney Prescott? No, we’re not talking about the Scream character who is on the other end of the call when a creep (or more than one creeps) growls her name over the name. We’re talking, of course, about the actress behind the famous horror-movie protagonist.
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We’re talking about Neve Campbell.
A Shout-Out to Scream
Neve Campbell has heaps of accolades to her name. She was arguably the best scream queen to come out of the ‘90s, thanks to, well … Scream. She landed on People magazine’s list of 50 Most Beautiful People in 1998 and 2000, when she was 25 and 27, respectively.
Add to that an MTV Movie Award and three more nominations for the same honor, a Teen Choice Award nod for her iconic role on TV’s Party of Five, and countless philanthropic efforts, and the Canadian actor’s fame and success are indisputable.
Neve Campbell recently made headlines when she bowed out of the Scream franchise that fueled much of her fame. Even though she starred in the latest installment, released earlier this year, she threw in the towel because the pay wasn’t good enough.
“As a woman I have had to work extremely hard in my career to establish my value, especially when it comes to Scream,” Campbell said. “I felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise.”
Campbell’s Other Work
From all indications, it appears like Neve Campbell is turning her focus back to the small screen. While she took a break from TV after playing a main role on House of Cards from 2016 to 2017, she recently returned to the TV version of The Lincoln Lawyer.
Neve Campbell was the second-highest-billed actor on the first season of David E. Kelley’s show, which premiered on Netflix in May. She’ll return as a recurring character in the show’s second season, set to stream next year.
The actor is also poised to have a recurring role on Peacock’sTwisted Metal, an upcoming action-comedy starring Anthony Mackie. In addition to playing Detective Nicole “Nic” Searcy as part of the main cast of TV’s Avalon, and Neve Campbell is still on a tear.
Neve Campbell’s Life Off-Screen
What is far less known about Neve Campbell, now 49, is her personal life. In fact, her Wikipedia page doesn’t even list the date of the birth (but we dug it up: October 3, 1973). She was married to actor Jeff Colt from 1995 to 1998; then to another actor, John Light, from 2007 to 2011.
Neve Campbell’s current partner is JJ Feild, with whom she became romantically involved around the time of her second divorce.
Campbell and Feild had their first son, Caspian, in August 2012.
In a humorous moment she shared with People, Caspian learned at age 7 and a half that his mother is a famous actress.
“He came home from school and said to me, ‘Mommy, are you Neve Campbell?’” she shared with the magazine.
Campbell noted that her son hadn’t seen her other work, so clearly, she at some point drew a line between her personal and professional lives.
Campbell Grows Her Family
After giving birth to Caspian, Neve Campbell dropped hints that he might be getting a sibling soon. She kept her word when she and Feild adopted a second son, Raynor, in January 2018.
Call it breaking a streak or keeping up with the times, Neve Campbell gushed about her second son in a June 2018 post on Instagram.
“Sheer joy!!!!” she wrote, as ET Online noted at the time. “So it’s been a secret up until now as JJ and I wanted to wait until it was official but we adopted a beautiful baby boy 5 months ago. His name is Raynor and we are madly in love with him,” Campbell began. “Our 6-year-old son Caspian is over the moon and asks every morning ‘Can I hold my baby? Can I feed my baby? Can I play with my baby.'”
She added that adopting Raynor was “the most incredible thing” she and Feild had experienced together.
“We’re so grateful for this beautiful light coming into our lives and we think of and are grateful to his birth family every day for such an incredible gift,” she wrote. “This picture was taken moments after our adoption became official yesterday and I’ve been dying to share our news with you all!”
Campbell’s Adoption Revelation
Earlier this year, Neve Campbell appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show to discuss her decision to adopt. The actor said she told Raynor “from the beginning” that she and Feild had adopted him.
“I read a lot about it. I think back in the day we used to think ‘Keep it from them and throw it at them when they’re 21 so their entire reality falls apart,’ which makes so much sense,” Campbell told Clarkson. “Really the guidance that I had was even before they understand the language, talk about their birth mother, talk about their story. Tell them who they are.”
Losing a Dear Friend
In addition to her career, family, and philanthropic efforts, Neve Campbell sometimes shares about other aspects of her life.
In a heart-wrenching post from early September 2021, she posted a tribute to Wire actor Michael K. Williams immediately after his death from a drug overdose at age 54.
Next to a photo of the two of them smiling, Campbell wrote:
“You called me sister. You were my brother. Your heart was made of pure gold. Your presence was pure joy. There will be many tears shed because there were so many of us who loved you. You touched us and guided us and carried a flame of hope for so many people. I remember being in South Africa with you and it was like God had arrived. OMAR! OMAR! the kids screamed. In just that corner of the world your presence and humanity had inspired and touched people already and that was 15 years ago. Imagine how many of us are crying now. You were generous with your friends, your family, your church, your community. You were actively promoting and supporting causes to bring people up in the world. Beyond your beautiful talent, you Michael were walking humanity. R.I.P my dear friend.”
Keeping Life in Perspective
In another Instagram post from August of this year, Neve Campbell reminded us of her lighter side. And her huge heart too.
Along with a Scream series clip, she and the American Red Cross included a joint statement with a silly flair.
“Wasting blood in a predictable horror movie kind of way? Lame. So lame. If these characters wanted to lose blood so badly, they should have donated it! Because while Americans love watching blood get spilled in horror movies, only 3% actually donate it to help save lives.
“If you were in a scary movie, what friends would star alongside you?” the post continued. “Tag your crew in the comments and you’ll be entered to win a bat signed by @nevecampbell, the 👑 queen 👑 of slasher films, which she used in our latest horror movie-themed blood donation video. Leave your comment before August 29 and find the full list of Official rules, including alternative methods of entry without liking or commenting, by tapping the link in the @americanredcross‘s bio. #BloodDonors #Partner #Giveaway”
Wish my mom could hàve told me I was adopted. Although I wasn’t.