Actress Melissa Barrera Fired from Scream 7 Over Antisemitic Social Media Posts
Barrera, who played Sam Carpenter in the previous two Scream movies, has been a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause, regularly sharing posts about the Israel-Gaza conflict on her social media channels. However, some of her posts, including one that accused Israel of "genocide and ethnic cleansing," were deemed antisemitic by Spyglass, the production company behind the Scream franchise.
In a statement released to Variety, Spyglass said it had a "zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form." The statement went on to say that the company had "unanimously decided" to remove Barrera from the Scream 7 project.
Barrera has not yet commented on her firing, but she did reshare a quote from another account on her Instagram story before her departure was announced. The quote read: "At the end of the day, I'd rather be excluded for who I include, than be included for who I exclude." This post has been interpreted by some of her followers as a reference to her being sacked from the film.
The firing of Barrera follows a string of high-profile Hollywood figures who have been criticized for their pro-Palestinian stances. In recent weeks, actress Susan Sarandon has been dropped by Hollywood talent agency UTA after she spoke at a pro-Palestinian rally, and a senior figure at another Hollywood agency, Maha Dakhil of CAA, has been relieved of her duties as co-chief of the motion pictures department after she made Instagram posts about the conflict.
The Israel-Gaza conflict has been a source of tension in Hollywood for many years, with celebrities often divided on the issue. Some stars, such as Barbra Streisand and Mark Ruffalo, have been outspoken critics of Israel's policies, while others, such as Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman, have defended Israel's right to defend itself.
The firing of Barrera is likely to further inflame the debate over the Israel-Gaza conflict in Hollywood. It is also likely to have a significant impact on the production of Scream 7, as the film is now without a lead actress.