Scream star cut from film over pro-Palestine comments

Actor Melissa Barrera has been ousted from her leading role in the upcoming Scream VII for sharing content that crossed “the line into hate speech.”

Credit: Getty Images for The Latin Recording Academy Copyright: 2022 The Latin Recording Academy

Actor Melissa Barrera has been ousted from her leading role in the upcoming film “Scream VII” for sharing pro-Palestine content that, according to Spyglass Media Group, the production company behind the movie, crossed “the line into hate speech.”

In a statement to Variety, Spyglass Media Group underscored their “zero tolerance” policy against “antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form,” including references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion, or anything perceived as hate speech.

Still from Scream VI. Picture: Paramount Pictures

According to sources cited in the initial Variety report, Barrera was “quietly dropped” from the film due to her social media posts, where she described Israel as a “colonized” land and invoked an antisemitic trope suggesting Jewish control of the media.

In one post, she remarked, “Western media only shows the [Israeli] side. Why do they do that, I will let you deduce for yourself.” Despite the reports, Barrera has not provided any comment in response.

Barrera has shared numerous quotes, articles, tweets, and news pieces on her Instagram stories, highlighting the ongoing devastation in Gaza.

In a statement in her own words, she wrote, “I love my Jewish friends. I stand with you in these horrible times. I empathize with your fear and pain. No one deserves to be persecuted or attacked.” And, “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. I stand with all those caught in the crossfire.”

Barrera has not commented on her firing from the film but shared a quote to her Instagram story that reads, “At the end of the day, I’d rather be excluded for who I include than be included for who I exclude.”

Christopher Landon, the director of Scream VII, expressed dissatisfaction with her firing in a now-deleted post on X, stating, “Everything sucks. Stop yelling. This was not my decision to make.”

On Wednesday, Academy Award-winning actor Susan Sarandon was dropped by her Hollywood talent agency UTA, following her participation in a pro-Palestine event in New York on November 17.

Sarandon had attended and spoken at several rallies advocating for Palestine. In a speech that attracted derision, Sarandon remarked, “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, so often subjected to violence.”