Melissa Barrera has addressed being fired from Scream 7 after she shared pro-Palestine content to her social media accounts last year.
Barrera, 33, was dropped by production company Spyglass in late 2022 over what they said ‘crossed the line into hate speech’, and shortly after she was given the axe, co-star Jenna Ortega and director Christopher Landon left the project as well.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Barrera responded to ‘Holocaust distortion’ accusations made by Spyglass and also talked about her friendship with Ortega, who departed Scream 7 on account of scheduling conflicts.
‘When Spyglass fired you from Scream VII, they accused you of a number of things, including “Holocaust distortion.” I couldn’t find any evidence of this and actually found the opposite. That’s a crazy thing to accuse someone of without evidence. They tried to kill your career,’ Rolling Stone told Barrera.
Barrera described being floored by it all: ‘Yeah. I appreciate you. I’m not the first person that’s happened to, but it was shocking. 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.
Melissa Barrera has addressed being fired from Scream 7 after she shared pro-Palestine content to her social media accounts
‘It shouldn’t be up for debate. So, I’m very at peace. The people who know me in my family know the truth about me and where I stand, and I think most people in the world also do.’
Barrera also reflected on her friendship with Ortega, describing her as a ‘good egg’ who has her back.
Ortega departed Scream 7 shortly after Barrera’s firing, citing scheduling conflict with her series Wednesday as her reason for leaving.
‘I know reports at the time claimed that she was already exiting, but that didn’t seem like the whole story. It seemed like there was some sisterhood-solidarity going on,’ Rolling Stone said of Jenna.
‘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,’ Barrera said of her former co-star.
She addressed being fired over supporting a ceasefire as well: ‘It’s for the well-being of both sides of that wall, you know? An end to the violence. That’s it. An end to the violence for everyone’s peace and security. Just… humanity.’
Barrera said the controversy helped shed light on who her true friends were.
‘One hundred percent. It’s great. It’s like a filter. It’s very important, in this industry, to know who you can count on and who you can’t, and who you wanna work with and who you don’t,’ she said.
Barrera starred in the last two films in the horror franchise as Sam Carpenter and had been about to shoot the next before being dropped by Spyglass.
Barrera also described her friendship with Jenna Ortega, describing her as a ‘good egg’ who has her back
In November, the star posted a series of comments on her Instagram account amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, including one in which she said Gaza was being ‘treated like a concentration camp,’ according to The Hollywood Reporter.
In the same post she asked if ‘people have learnt nothing from our histories’ and said: ‘This is genocide. This is ethnic cleansing.’
The actress, who played Sam Carpenter in the franchise, labeled Israel as a ‘colonized’ land and posted content containing an antisemitic trope in regards to Jewish people controlling the media.
One post read: ‘Western media only shows the [Israeli] side. Why do they do that, I will let you deduce for yourself.’
A Spyglass spokesperson issued a statement to Variety explaining why Barerra was let go from the motion picture for her remarks.
Barrera pictured at the Sundance Film Festival last week
‘Spyglass’ stance is unequivocally clear: We have zero tolerance for antisemitism 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 spokesperson said.
Barrera subsequently released a statement after her firing, posting: ‘First and foremost I condemn Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. I condemn hate and prejudice of any kind against any group of people.’
The Mexico-born actress said that she felt obligated to use her platform about the topics she feels strongly about.
‘As a Latina, a proud Mexicana, I feel the responsibility of having a platform that allows me the privilege of being heard, and therefore I have tried to use it to raise awareness about issues I care about and to lend my voice to those in need,’ she said.
Barrera starred in the last two films in the horror franchise as Sam Carpenter and had been about to shoot the next before being dropped by Spyglass
Barrera continued: ‘Every person on this earth- regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or socio-economic status- deserves equal human rights, dignity and, of course, freedom.
‘I believe a group of people are NOT their leadership, and that no governing body should be above criticism.’
Barrera said that she prayed ‘day and night for no more deaths, for no more violence, and for peaceful co-existence’ six weeks into the international conflict.
‘I will continue to speak out for those that need it most and continue to advocate for peace and safety, for human rights and freedom,’ Barrera said.
She wrapped up her statement in making clear she would continue to speak out on issues she’s passionate about, saying, ‘Silence is not an option for me.
