Melissa Barrera has been removed from her lead role in the upcoming horror film “Scream VII” following a series of social media posts related to the Israel-Hamas conflict. Rumors suggest that Jenna Ortega may also seek to terminate her contract with the “Scream” franchise due to this development.
The L.A. Times confirmed Barrera’s dismissal, attributing it to her sharing pro-Palestinian statements on social media that some deemed anti-Semitic. Spyglass Media Group, the production company behind the “Scream” movies, initially declined to comment but later confirmed Barrera’s dismissal, citing comments they considered antisemitic.
One of Barrera’s Instagram stories referenced Gaza as being treated like a concentration camp, stating, “Cornering everyone together, with no where to go, no electricity, no water… This is GENOCIDE & ETHNIC CLEANSING.”
Barrera’s representatives did not respond to requests for comment. In the past 20 hours, she has posted videos expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people and called for a cease-fire.
Filmmaker Christopher Landon, set to helm the latest “Scream” installment, shared his thoughts on Barrera’s dismissal in a now-deleted tweet, expressing that the decision was not his to make.
Barrera also shared a video supporting Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian American in Congress, who faced censure for her rhetoric about the war. Tlaib clarified that her criticism was aimed at Israel’s government and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
One of Barrera’s shared posts highlighted the importance of inclusion, contrasting with a recent report from the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative revealing stagnant Latino representation in Hollywood over the last 16 years. The report indicated that only 4.4% of actors in lead or co-lead roles were Latino, with less than 1% being Afro Latino. The depicted Latino characters often fell into stereotypical categories, such as immigrants, low-income individuals, violent criminals, and those with temperamental traits.
