Melissa Barrera, who played Sam Carpenter in the last two “Scream” sequels, said her firing from the franchise has been an awakening for her.
During a red carpet interview with The Associated Press, the actress opened up about how life has been since being dropped from the film’s cast.
“Honestly, I feel like I finally am becoming who I am supposed to be in life. The last three months have been awakening of that,” Barrera said, who was attending the premiere of “Your Monster.” “I’m just so grateful for everything that’s happened.”
On Nov. 21, 2023, TheWrap learned Barrera would no longer be part of the franchise, a development that came as a result of social media posts the actress made discussing the war in Israel-Hamas conflict.
“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. I know that a lot of jewish people are not ok with what the government of Israel is doing, which is, the same thing,” Barrera wrote in a post at the time. In another, now-deleted post, Barrera said she felt Gaza was being “treated like a concentration camp.”
Almost all of Melissa Barrera’s IG Stories about Palestine: A thread. pic.twitter.com/DjrbJWt6RQ
— Laura Franco &HM stand w/ Melissa Barrera (@OoXLR8oO) October 22, 2023
The decision to remove Barrera wasn’t because of her support for Palestine, but rather due to stakeholders feeling that some of her comments were teetering on the line of antisemitism, despite her condemning it, TheWrap was told.
In a previous statement provided to TheWrap, a spokesperson for Spyglass Media said, “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.”
After her firing, the actress released a message, saying she will continue to be an advocate for human rights.
“First and foremost I condemn Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. I condemn hate and prejudice of any kind against any group of people,” Barrera said in her Instagram Stories at the time, condemning both antisemitism, Islamophobia and any type of prejudice against any group of people. “As a Latina, a proud Mexicana, I feel the responsibility of having a platform that allows me the privilege of being heard, and therefore I have tried to use it to raise awareness about issues I care about and to lend my voice to those in need.”
She continued: “I believe a group of people are NOT their leadership, and that no governing body should be above criticism. I pray day and night for no more deaths, for no more violence, and for peaceful co-existence. 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.”
