What did Mexican actress Melissa Barrera say about her ‘Scream 7’ firing?

Mexican actress Melissa Barrera has broken her silence after being fired from her lead role in Scream 7. The 33-year-old played Sam Carpenter in Scream (2022) and Scream 6 (2023), and had been due to make a third appearance in the franchise. However, she was dropped after taking to social media to post her support for Palestine in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

Spyglass Media Group statement on Barrera firing

Production company Spyglass Media Group issued the following statement to Variety confirming Barrera’s dismissal: “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.”

The actress had posted about the conflict between Israel and Hamas, as well as the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, on Instagram on a number of occasions. Barrera shared a post accusing Israel of “genocide and ethnic cleansing,” another from Jewish Currents magazine about the Israeli arms industry, as well as an Instagram story about censorship and the lack of access to information.

What did Barrera say about her Scream 7 dismissal?

On Wednesday, the Monterrey native indirectly responded to Spyglass’ decision to fire her by posting a powerful Instagram story in which she doubled down on her beliefs and insisted it was her responsibility to not to remain silent.

“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.”