Melissa Barrera was recently fired from her role in the upcoming ‘Scream VII’ following her remarks about the Israel-Hamas conflict. Shortly after, her on-screen sister, Jenna Ortega, also left the cast.
While some speculated that Ortega’s departure was in support of Barrera, she cited scheduling issues with Netflix’s ‘Wednesday’ as the reason. Talking about this in a recent chat with Rolling Stone, the Sam Carpenter actress commented:
“That didn’t seem like the whole story. It seemed like there was some sisterhood-solidarity going on.”
Then, she added:
“Listen, Jenna is a good egg. She’s a good person, and we love each other. She would show up for me, and I would show up for her no matter what.”
Why Was Barrera Fired From The Movie?
After the conflict between Israel and Hamas broke out on October 7, 2023, Barrera called for a ceasefire through some posts on social media. Spyglass Media took her comments as anti-Semitic rhetoric and said in a public statement:
“We have zero tolerance for anti-Semitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion, or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech.”
The news of her release was ‘shocking’ for the actress, who played in the franchise since 2022’s ‘Scream V.’ She explained:
“I don’t even know what to say. I think everything that happened was very transparent on both sides, and I know who I am, and I know that what I said always came from a place of love and a place of humanity and a place of human rights and a place of freedom for people, which shouldn’t be controversial. It shouldn’t be up for debate.”
Following these events, ‘Scream 7’ director Christopher Landon also announced his decision to step down.
