Mexican Actress Melissa Barrera Fired from ‘Scream VII’ for Pro-Palestine Posts
Mexican actress Melissa Barrera, known for her roles in the fifth and sixth installments of the ‘Scream’ franchise, has been terminated from ‘Scream VII’ due to her Instagram posts regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict. The 33-year-old actress had joined the iconic slasher series in 2022 alongside Jenna Ortega. Sources confirmed on Tuesday (21 November) that Spyglass Media dropped Barrera from the upcoming sequel over her Israel-Hamas war posts, which were perceived as anti-Semitic. This unexpected departure marks a significant change in the cast dynamics for the upcoming installment, following Barrera’s involvement in the successful revival of the ‘Scream’ franchise.
According to reports from Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, Barrera will no longer appear in the seventh film of the horror franchise. Spyglass Media made it clear that they have zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion, or hate speech.
One of Barrera’s Instagram stories quoted in the report and circulating on social media stated, “I have been actively looking for videos and information about the Palestinian side for the last 2 weeks or so, following accounts, etc. Why? Because Western media only shows the other side. Why they do that, I will let you deduce for yourself.”
Barrera played the character Sam Carpenter in both ‘Scream 2022’ and ‘Scream VI’ this year. Her character was introduced as the daughter of Scream villain Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich) and was expected to follow in the footsteps of Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott as the new franchise lead. Barrera’s character, Sam, is the older sister of Tera, played by Jenna Ortega.
The ‘Scream VI’ cast included Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Courteney Cox, and Hayden Panettiere from ‘Scream IV’. Neve Campbell and David Arquette appeared in the fifth Scream but Campbell did not return for the sixth due to a contractual issue.
The termination of Melissa Barrera from ‘Scream VII’ highlights the growing impact of social media posts and their potential consequences in the entertainment industry.
