Yahoo Movies Melissa Barrera breaks silence following Scream 7 exit
Melissa Barrera has spoken out after news broke that she will not be appearing in Scream 7.
The Hollywood Reporter claimed earlier this week that Barrera was dismissed from the sequel due to comments she made about the Israel-Palestine conflict on social media, which she addressed via a lengthy post on her Instagram Story.
“First and foremost I condemn antisemitism and Islamophobia. I condemn hate and prejudice of any kind against any group of people. 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 began.
"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 continued: “I pray day and night for no more deaths, for no more violence, and for peaceful co-existence. 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."
She then ended her post: "Silence is not an option for me.”
Barrera's statement came after The Hollywood Reporter reported that she'd compared the situation in Gaza to concentration camps and likened it to "genocide and ethnic cleansing" by the Israeli government. However, she also expressed sympathy and support for the Jewish community.
Digital Spy reached out to Barrera's representatives for comment on the situation. Producers Spyglass Media Group have declined to comment.
Barrera has starred in the past two Scream films as Sam Carpenter, a survivor of the Woodsboro murder spree and daughter of infamous killer Billy Loomis.
She previously told Digital Spy that there was "so much potential" for where Sam could go in future movies because of her connections to the franchise's legacy.
"There's so much potential here of where she could go with her mental health — she's just unpredictable. I find that that darkness in her makes her that much more interesting to play and to watch," Barrera said.
"She's the hero, but she's also kind of the villain. It's this contradiction in her that I find fascinating and, if we get to do another one, I would love to see.
"The writers have done a really good job with her up until this point, so I trust them just to know where to take her [in a way] that will be unexpected and cool for the fans."
The seventh Scream film was greenlit in August, with Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day, Freaky) taking over from previous directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett.
Scream creator Kevin Williamson recently expressed hope that Neve Campbell will return as Sidney Prescott after she left the last film following a pay dispute.
Campbell has thus far cast doubt on possibly returning to Scream because she found the pay dispute to be "disrespectful" given her importance to the franchise.
"I really do believe that the offer would have been different had I been male. I can't prove that, but it's the feeling I have — the way I was treated was not great. It feels disrespectful, so at what point does self-respect come into play? It always needs to be there,” she said at the Toronto Film Festival.
Scream VI is streaming on Paramount+, and the seventh film is in the works.
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