What role did Melissa Barrera play in the 'Scream' franchise? Actress responds to being dropped over raising voice for Gaza

Scream franchise star Melissa Barrera has been fired from the movie's seventh film after she raised her voice in support of civilians in Gaza on Tuesday, November 21, 2023. The Mexican actress recently opined on the ongoing Israel-Palestinian conflict on social media, which reportedly resulted in her being sacked.

The 33-year-old In The Heights star has frequently posted about the conflict since last month, calling for de-escalation and a ceasefire. The IG story that allegedly led to her being sacked read as follows:

"Gaza is currently being treated like a concentration camp. Cornering everyone together, with nowhere to go, no electricity no water... people are silently watching it happen. THIS IS GENOCIDE & ETHNIC CLEANSING."

Melissa Barrera plays the role of Sam Carpenter alongside Jenna Ortega's Tara Carpenter, the daughters of Billy Loomis, one of the killers in the original movies. She starred in two films in the sequel series and was praised for her performance. However, she has now reportedly been dropped from Scream VII.

After Spyglass ousted Barrera from the cast of the film, the actress responded by sharing a story on her Instagram that read:

“At the end of the day, I'd rather be excluded for who I include, than be included for who I exclude.”

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Scream actor Melissa Barrera has previously spoken up about the Israel-Palestine conflict

Berrera has been vocal about the need for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip ever since the Israel-Palestine conflict began on October 7.

The following are screenshots of some of the 33-year-old actress' recent stories. shared on X by user @OoXLR8oO.

A comment showing Barrera's stories (Image via X/ @OoXLR8oO)

A comment showing Barrera's stories (Image via X/ @OoXLR8oO)

A comment showing Barrera's stories (Image via X/ @OoXLR8oO)

In one of her stories, Melissa Barrera wrote, "I too come from a colonized country" with a Mexican flag icon. "Palestine WILL be free." She concluded her message with, "They tried to bury us, they didn’t know we were seeds."

Spyglass Media Group, the production company behind the Scream franchise, however, perceived Barrera's IG comments as antisemitic. A spokesperson for the company issued a statement 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."

However, the move to fire the actress garnered backlash online, with several netizens calling to boycott Scream VII and any movies produced by Spyglass including their recent release, Thanksgiving.

Filmmaker Christopher Landon, who is set to direct the seventh installment initially reacted to the backlash, stating, "Everything s*cks. Stop yelling. This was not my decision to make." However, his X post was deleted soon after.

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Melissa Barrera is not the only star to face Hollywood's ire. Earlier today, actress Susan Sarandon was dropped as a client by UTA (United Talent Agency) after she spoke at a pro-Palestine rally this weekend.

Stars like Amy Schumer and Noah Schnapp have also shared several controversial opinions about the war, earning them severe criticism on social media. In a now-deleted Instagram post, Schumer shared a comic panel showing American pro-Palestine supports holding placards that read, "Gazans r*pe Jewish girls only in self-defense." Schnapp meanwhile promoted "Zionism is S*xy," in his recent video.

Melissa Barrera has not released a statement on the development at the time of writing this article.