Melissa Barrera opens up about being fired from her role in the Scream franchise.
In an interview with The Independent, Melissa Barrera revealed that Spyglass, the studio behind the horror franchise, removed her from the Scream series a year ago following her social media posts about Palestine, which were deemed antisemitic by the company.
Discussing how being fired affected her career, Barrera shared, “It was quiet for about 10 months,” she said. “I’m still getting offers here and there for small things—I won’t lie and say there was nothing—but [the message was], ‘Oh, she probably doesn’t have work, she’s probably just… available.’”
Barrera portrayed Sam Carpenter, the daughter of Billy Loomis, in 2022’s Scream and 2023’s Scream 6, with the latter setting a franchise record by grossing $108 million domestically. She was slated to reprise her role as Sam in Scream 7 until she was abruptly fired.
According to The Independent, Barrera acknowledges her fan base’s continued support. For example, at fan conventions, she says Scream fans frequently bring up her dismissal during autograph sessions or ask how she’s doing.
“They’ll say, ‘I’m so sorry about what happened! It’s so unfair,’” Barrera added. “And I think this is something that will never really go away because this franchise will never end. So, while I still have a lot of love for those films, the bitter memory of that moment makes it a little strange.”
Although job offers slowed to a near halt after her Scream firing, Barrera is making her way back. She is currently working on a new spy thriller series for Peacock alongside Simu Liu.
