Melissa Barrera hasn’t held back in making her feelings very clear over her ‘scabby’ former co-stars from the Scream franchise.
The 35-year-old actress, who played Sam Carpenter in the slasher films Scream and Scream VI, was fired from Scream 7 amid allegations of making antisemitic remarks.
The pro-Palestinian star had posted regularly about the Israel-Gaza conflict, including resharing one post that accused Israel of ‘genocide and ethnic cleansing’ in the wake of the government’s killing of Palestinian civilians after the October 7 Hamas terror attacks.
Production company Spyglass then dropped her from the movie, saying its stance was ‘unequivocally clear’ and insisting they had ‘zero tolerance for antisemitism’ and ‘false references to genocide’.
Barrera was replaced by Neve Campbell, an original star of the franchise who had opted out of Scream VI due to a pay dispute.
In a new interview, however, Barrera – who was also dropped by talent agency WME at the time – agreed with Variety journalist Marlow Stern that Scream 7 ‘sucked’ and theorised that its box office numbers were over-inflated.
‘I know. And I think they lied about the numbers. I don’t think it made that much money,’ she added, while sharing that her association with the franchise – and fans sharing their love for it with her – hadn’t been ‘soured’ by her sacking.
The publication’s independently verified box office gross still put Scream 7 at a $207million (£152.3m) worldwide haul, and an eighth film is now in development.
She also agreed with Stern that actors brought back by Spyglass – who she did not name – to do the last film were ‘scabby’ and ‘crossing the picket line’.
‘Oh, one hundred percent. I think they all are. And they have to live with that. The only way they were able to make that movie after what happened was to nostalgia-bait as much as possible,’ she responded.
The sequel, which featured Friends icon Courteney Cox as its co-lead, as well as David Arquette, Anna Camp, Matthew Lillard, Mckenna Grace and Isabel May, was released in February but was heavily panned.
Barrera also claimed that lots of people in the industry still ‘have a personal grudge’ against her for what she has said, despite other Hollywood stars speaking out against Israel’s actions such as Javier Bardem and Mark Ruffalo.
She also defended herself against Spyglass’s accusations of antisemitism.
‘Those people still deny that what’s going on is a genocide. So, we’re never going to see eye to eye on that.
‘I mean the people that accused me of being antisemitic, and the people that run Spyglass. And they’re wrong. Just factually wrong.’
Follow Metro on WhatsApp to be the first to get all the latest news
Metro’s on Whatsapp! Join our community for breaking news and juicy stories.
In November 2023, Barrera spoke out on Instagram to criticise the Israeli government’s assault on Gaza in the wake of the October 7 Hamas terror attacks, which killed approximately 1,200 attendees at a music festival.
She re-shared posts to her Instagram, including one from another user saying, ‘if you’re wondering how the world watched when genocides and ethnic cleansings happened… this is how’.
In another post to her page she said she came from a colonised country, posting a Mexican flag, and said ‘Palestine will be free’.
The actress, who has also starred in blockbuster musical In The Heights and Netflix’s Keep Breathing, also wrote: ‘Gaza is currently being treated like a concentration camp. Cornering everyone together, with nowhere to go, no electricity no water… People have learnt nothing from our histories. And just like our histories, people are still silently watching it happen. THIS IS GENOCIDE & ETHNIC CLEANSING.’
In another post written by herself, she also shared: ‘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.’
A Spyglass spokesperson told Variety at the time: ‘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.’
In the wake of her firing, 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.’
Barrera, who is currently on Broadway starring in the musical Titaníque, has said she is now focused on ‘building a slate, producing, and finding good companies to partner with’ and has ‘lists of all the people I want to work with’.
Asked who appears on her lists, the actress said she had ‘kept track of the people who vocally came out and said something to defend me at the time’.
‘Susan Sarandon. Tatiana Maslany. Hannah Einbinder. Poppy Liu. Obviously, Javier Bardem would be a dream to work with. He doesn’t need me to give him any opportunities,’ she replied.
‘But yes, I have lists. I do believe in building a network of people who are like-minded. And for me, this is chapter two.’
Metro has contacted reps for Neve Campbell, Spyglass and Paramount for comment.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.