Melissa Barrera takes the high road on Scream

Barrera expressed gratitude for her time with the franchise before being fired last fall

By Emma Keates | January 19, 2024 | 3:12pm

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Melissa Barrera takes the high road on Scream

Melissa Barrera Photo: Dia Dipasupil

Melissa Barrera isn’t screaming at Scream—well, at least publicly. “I’m just so grateful on what I got to infuse in the franchise, and that’s something I’ll be proud of forever,” the Keep Breathing actress told Deadline during the Sundance festival’s opening night on Thursday.

Despite starring in two extremely successful films for the franchise, Barrera was fired Thanksgiving weekend after posting that the Israel-Hamas war was “GENOCIDE & ETHNIC CLEANSING” on social media. “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,” producing studio Spyglass said in a statement at the time. In a subsequent statement, Barrera responded: “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.”

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In the ensuing weeks, the franchise also lost its other major star, Jenna Ortega, as well as director Christopher Landon, who had signed on to direct Ghostface’s seventh outing. While Ortega had reportedly left the production months prior due to a salary dispute (reminiscent of original star Neve Campbell’s exit in 2022), Landon seems to have departed as a result of this whole blow up. “It was a dream job that turned into a nightmare,” he wrote in a post on Twitter/X at the time. “And my heart did break for everyone involved.”

Despite it all, Barrera seems to have successfully weathered the storm. In continuation of her scream queen legacy, the actress debuted a new horror film, Your Monster from first-time director Caroline Lindy, at Sundance last night and has another, Abigail, coming this spring. She’s also still close with her Scream cast-mates, referring to them as “family for life” on the red carpet.

“If we’re ever in the vicinity of each other, we always find each other and that’s what happened at that event,” she explained, referring to a sweet reunion photo she posted on Instagram earlier this week. “When we find each other, we just want to spend the night with each other, and nothing is ever going to change that.”