Matthew Lillard surprised fans during Cinespia’s “Scream” Halloween party screening on Friday night, and while talking to the crowd, he shared an emboldened message to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“Fuck ICE,” Lillard said. “In this time, in this city, we need to lead with love. Do not forget that shit in this moment. Not to be political, but to be political as shit.”
He also encouraged fans to vote for Prop 50, which allows California to redraw its congressional districts to combat redistricting in Texas.
Popular on Variety
Related Stories
“Yes to 50. You have to vote. If you don’t vote, we are going down. So it’s on us. And if you don’t like that, I’m so not sorry,” he added.
Lillard stars in “Scream” as Stu Macher, who makes up the two-man killing team in Wes Craven’s 1996 horror masterpiece along with Skeet Ulrich’s Billy Loomis. Lillard is set to return for “Scream 7” alongside fellow original cast members Neve Campbell, David Arquette and Courteney Cox.
Ever since Donald Trump took office, ICE has remained top of mind for many in the U.S., and Hollywood is no exception. In early October, Jeff Bridges appeared as his iconic “Big Lebowski” character, The Dude, on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” to proclaim, “Let’s get ICE off our streets and into our beverages, man.”
Late-night satires like “South Park” and “Saturday Night Live” have also taken plenty of jabs at ICE. For example, the cold open on the Oct. 8 episode of “SNL” featured host Amy Poehler and Tina Fey as United States Attorney General Pam Bondi and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, respectively. During the sketch, Fey’s noem gave some context on how they hire people for ICE: “How did I find them? By running ads like this: Do you need a job now? Yeah. Are you a big, tough guy? Yeah. Tough enough for the army or police? No. Do you take supplements that you bought at a gas station? Daily. Do you like to use zip ties because people in your life don’t trust you with keys? You know it. Suck on some of these, big boy. Welcome to ICE.”