Summary
- Spyglass production company fires Melissa Barrera from Scream 7 due to her social media posts on the Israel-Hamas war, citing hate speech.
- Barrera’s dismissal is not an isolated incident, as other celebrities like Susan Sarandon faced consequences for their pro-Palestinian comments.
- Maha Dakhil, a former agent at CAA, also resigned after making controversial comments about Israel on social media.
Spyglass, the production company behind Scream 7, issues a statement regarding the recent dismissal of Melissa Barrera. The talented Mexican actor first cut her teeth in the acting industry, starring in telenovelas like 2015’s Tanto Amor and eventually securing a role in Jon M. Chu’s critically acclaimed musical drama In the Heights. She got her big break in 2022 when she starred in the fifth installment of the Scream series, playing Sam Carpenter, the older sister to Jenna Ortega’s Tara. Barrera was set to reprise her role in the forthcoming Scream 7, but she was recently fired due to her social media posts regarding the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
After news broke that Barrera had been dropped from the forthcoming Scream sequel, Spyglass initially declined to comment on the report, while Barrera herself did not respond to any request for more information. Now, according to Variety, a spokesperson for the production company has come out to issue a statement, pushing back on the narrative that Barrera was fired because she was supporting the Palestinian cause. According to the statement, Barrera’s posts were seen to have crossed the line into hate speech, hence the decision to drop her. Read the full comments below:
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.
Since she joined the Scream film series in 2022, Barrera quickly became one of the core cast members of the franchise’s new batch of movies. However, regardless of how important her character has become to the horror franchise, her recent comments have caused Spyglass to take the decision to drop the fast-rising actor. Barrera isn’t, however, the only one who has recently been dropped due to her stance regarding the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
Scream star Neve Campbell declined to return for Scream VI over contract negotiations.
Earlier in the month, it was reported that the United Talent Agency had dropped Academy Award winner Susan Sarandon as a client after comments she made regarding the conflict at a pro-Palestinian rally in New York. “There are a lot of people that are afraid, that are afraid of being Jewish at this time, and are getting a taste of what it feels like to be a Muslim in this country,” Sarandon said at the rally.
Barrera and Sarandon are not the only two who have suffered consequences for their comments or stance regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict. Maha Dakhil, a prominent agent who worked at the Creative Artists Agency, recently resigned after she was criticized for also making controversial comments on social media regarding Israel. Barrera’s departure from Scream 7 will surely come as a shock and disappointing news to many who have taken a liking to her character, and it will be interesting to see how the decision to drop her affects the Scream franchise.
Source: Variety
