Scream Actress Breaks Silence After Being Fired From Franchise For Speaking Out Against Israeli Genocide
Yesterday, actress Melissa Barrera was fired from the upcoming Scream 7 after Spyglass, the film’s production company, bizarrely took issue with Barrera’s Instagram posts in which she condemned Israel for their relentless slaughter of Palestinian civilians in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. Today, Barrera broke about 24 hours of silence with a response to the firing, again on her Instagram:
First and foremost I condemn Anti-Semitism 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.
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. 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.
Silence is not an option for me.
In other Scream news, another lead actress from the rebooted slasher franchise, Jenna Ortega, announced today that she too would not be returning for the sequel. Her departure is allegedly due to a scheduling conflict with another production she’s filming, but that feels like nonsense. The sequel is nowhere close to being filmed (there isn’t even a script yet!), and schedules would’ve been moved around to accommodate Ortega given her high profile and “final girl” status in the series.
For what it’s worth, Scream officially died after the extremely mediocre fifth installment, and part six never should’ve been made without Neve Campbell. Any real fan who tries to justify the series without Campbell is totally delusional. I feel like a fool myself for even giving the fifth part a chance, given the absence of Wes Craven.
Barrera’s Instagram post from today:
