Melissa Barrera attends the Premiere Screening Of “Carmen” on April 20, 2023.Photo:Unique Nicole/FilmMagic
Unique Nicole/FilmMagic
Melissa Barrerawon’t be back for the nextScreamsequel.
The actress, 33, will no longer star in the horror franchise’s upcoming seventh installment after she was removed from the cast due to her social media posts about the Israel-Hamas war, according to reports fromVarietyandThe Hollywood Reporter.
“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,” Spyglass, the studio behindScream VII, said in a statement to PEOPLE.
Reps for Barrera did not respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.
In one written message from her Instagram Story quoted in the report andcirculating social mediaafter the news, Barrera allegedly wrote, “I have been actively looking for videos and information about the Palestinian side for the last 2 weeks or so, following accounts etc. Why? Because Western media only shows the other side. Why they do that, I will let you deduce for yourself.”
Melissa Barrera stars in Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group’s Scream.Brownie Harris/ Paramount/ The Hollywood Archive
Brownie Harris/ Paramount/ The Hollywood Archive
Barrera starred as Sam Carpenter in both 2022’sScreamand this year’sScream VI.Her character was introduced asScreamvillain Billy Loomis’ (Skeet Ulrich) daughter. The character was set to follow in the footsteps of Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott as the new franchise lead.
Along with Barrera and Ortega, theScream VIcast included Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, legacyScreammemberCourteney CoxandScream IV’sHayden Panettiere. (Neve Campbell and David Arquette were also in the fifthScream, thoughCampbell didn’t return for the sixthdue to a contractual dispute.)
Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding in “Scream VI.".Philippe Bossé/PARAMOUNT PICTURES
source: people.com
