Susan Sarandon isn’t the only Hollywood star facing blowback for their opinions.
As the Thelma and Louise star is dropped from her talent agency, Scream star Melissa Barrera, who has played the lead role in the horror franchise for the past two movies, has reportedly been fired from the upcoming sequel over posts she made about Israel’s war with Hamas.
The actress, 33, starred in Scream (2022) and Scream VI (2023) as Sam Carpenter – but won’t be returning for the next instalment titled Scream 7, with Jenna Ortega also thought to be departing, over scheduling issues.
Follow our live blog for latest updates on the Israel-Hamas war
Sources told Deadline that the actress has been dropped from the project over posts she shared to her Instagram stories involving the ongoing conflict.
A spokesperson for Spyglass has also said that the studio interpreted Melissa’s comments to be antisemitic, stating to Variety: ‘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.’
Scream 7’s director Christopher Landon is also reported to have tweeted and deleted: ‘Everything sucks. Stop yelling. This was not my decision to make.’
The war between Israel and Hamas continues to rage in Gaza after Israel responded to the October 7 attacks.
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One such post, shared to Melissa’s Instagram originally from another user, said ‘if you’re wondering how the world watched when genocides and ethnic cleansings happened… this is how.’
In a post to her page last month, she said she came from a colonized country, posting a Mexican flag, and said ‘Palestine will be free.’
In another post written by herself, she wrote ‘Just like all Palestinians are NOT Hamas, All Jewish people are NOT the Israeli Govt. Do not blame, or hate on, a whole group of people because of what some are doing.’
The actress, who has also starred in blockbuster musical In The Heights and Netflix’s Keep Breathing, also said: ‘Gaza is currently being treated like a concentration camp. Cornering everyone together, with no where to go, no electricity no water … People have learnt nothing from our histories. And just like our histories, people are still silently watching it all happen. THIS IS GENOCIDE & ETHNIC CLEANSING.’
No casting has officially been announced, however, the outlet reports Melissa had been set to reprise her role in the franchise.
Scream 7 was confirmed earlier this year, with Landon to direct.
There was a switch up on set as Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett – who served as filmmakers for the two most recent movies – were replaced by Christopher.
He was behind Freaky and Happy Death Day and also wrote Disturbia and a string of Paranormal Activity films.
Melissa rose to prominence with her lead role in the reboot of Scream, becoming the new face of the franchise with Neve Campbell – who played protagonist Sidney Prescott – taking a backseat in 2022’s Scream before bowing out completely for Scream 7.
Fans of the legendary horror franchise were devastated by the news, with one writing on X: ‘By wrongfully firing Melissa Barrera from Scream 7, Spyglass has no idea they’ve angered 2 of the loudest, most powerful groups: horror gays & Mexicans.’
Another said: ‘So upset about this Melissa Barrera crap. Y’all don’t understand how hard it is for Mexican actors from the telenovela scene to break out like she did. The way the fandom dragged her to hell after Scream V and how she came back bigger + better for VI and won them over, now this?’
Referring to Neve’s exit from the series due to a salary dispute: ‘It’s truly unforgivable the way Paramount Pictures/Spyglass Media treated these leading ladies. Neve Campbell and Melissa Barrera both deserved so much better. The SCREAM rights need to go to another studio at this point, Paramount/Spyglass have destroyed this franchise.’
One also said: ‘If @ParamountPics doesn’t agree with Melissa Barrera’s opinions, that is absolutely fine. But she SHOULDN’T lose her JOB because of it. Her acting roles SHOULDN’T be compromised because of indifferences in opinion. She won’t be silenced, no matter what you take away from her.’
A short while later, Melissa is reported to have posted a follow-up message of a quote, which read: ‘At the end of the day, I’d rather be excluded for who I include, than be included for who I exclude.’ However, it has since been removed.
The reports come amid ongoing devastation in Gaza where thousands have been killed and injured, with work now being undertaken to release hostages.
On Tuesday, the BBC issued a statement condemning ‘abuse’ after University Challenge was accused of airing an antisemitic trope.
The series had aired an episode re-recorded in March, before the war, and saw a team use an octopus as a mascot, while a woman in a hijab wore an outfit which some claimed bore the Palestinian flag colours.
Metro.co.uk has contacted reps for Melissa and Paramount for comment.
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