Melissa Barrera has no ill feelings after being axed from the 'Scream' franchise over her pro-Palestinian social media posts.
The 33-year-old Mexican actress played Sam Carpenter - the illegitimate daughter of original Ghostface killer Billy Loomis and survivor of the Woodsboro murders - in the fifth and sixth instalments in the slasher franchise, but she was dropped from 'Scream VII' by production company Spyglass who deemed her posts on Instagram calling for an end to Israel's bombing of Gaza and reference to Israel as a "colonised country" to be antisemitic.
Melissa insists she will forever grateful to be part of the 'Scream' films - which late director Wes Craven started back in 1996 - and is now ready to move on.
She told Deadline: "I’m just so grateful on what I got to infuse in the franchise, and that’s something I’ll be proud of forever."
Speaking about the friendships she made with her castmates in the two movies - who include Jenna Ortega, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Liana Liberato, Tony Revolori, Jack Quaid and Courteney Cox - she added: "We’re family for life. If we’re ever in the vicinity of each other, we always find each other."
Following her axing from the next 'Scream' film in November 2023, Spyglass released a statement confirming their position, which read: "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."
Days later, Melissa insisted she would not stop posting about the Israel-Hamas War, posting online: "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.”
Pre-production on 'Scream VII' has been met with numerous challenges including the departure of Ortega, who played Tara Carpenter, Sam's half-sister and survivor of the Woodsboro killings, in the two previous films.
The 21-year-old actress departed director Christopher Landon's instalment due to a scheduling conflict with shooting on the second season of Netflix series 'Wednesday' – in which she plays the title role of Wednesday Addams, based on 'The Addams Family' character.
