Melissa Barrera has moved to condemn antisemitism and Islamophobia after posts on her Instagram led to her removal from the production of Scream VII.
The actress spoke on Instagram on Wednesday afternoon after previous posts on social media led to her reportedly being fired from the horror film franchise.
On Tuesday (November 21), sources confirmed to Deadline and Variety that the 33-year-old would not star in Scream sequels because her posts had been seen to be anti-Semitic.
Barrera joined the Scream franchise in 2022 and played lead character Sam Carpenter in the fifth and sixth films alongside Jenna Ortega.
“First and foremost, I condemn antisemitism and Islamophobia. I condemn hate and prejudice of any kind against any group of people,” Barrera wrote on Wednesday.
“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.
“Every person on this earth — regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or socio-economic status — deserves equal human rights, dignity and, of course, freedom. I believe a group of people is NOT their leadership, and that no governing body should be above criticism.”
Why was Melissa Barrera fired from the Scream franchise?
In one social media post, Barrera wrote: “Gaza is currently being treated like a concentration camp.
“Cornering everyone together, with nowhere to go, no electricity no water … People have learnt nothing from our histories. And just like our histories, people are still silently watching it all happen. THIS IS GENOCIDE & ETHNIC CLEANSING.”
She also wrote in an Instagram Story: “Western media only shows the [Israeli] side. Why do they do that, I will let you deduce for yourself.”
Variety’s source suggests that Barrera was fired over this post and said it “floated an anti-Semitic trope that Jews control the media”.
A statement shared by Variety 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.”
In another post, Barrera also made reference to the hate that both Palestinians and Jewish people have been receiving: “As we all wake up to what is (and has been) happening in Gaza and see it for what it is, it is very important to also understand: Just like all Palestinians are NOT Hamas, 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,” the actress added. “I stand with all those caught in the crossfire. I pray for freedom and peace for you and your families.”
Who is Melissa Barrera?
Mexican actress Melissa Barrera attended the American School Foundation of Monterrey, where she showed off her love for singing in the school's musical productions including Grease, Aida, and Footloose.
She was part of a duet named Melissa y Sebastian in 2013 and recorded her first album in this duet. Her first top 10 radio hit was their debut single Mamma Maria.
Barrera married musical artist Francisco Xavier Zazueta in February 2019.
Barrera has said she empathises with her character Liv in Keep Breathing, because of how independent she is and because she, too, has some tricky family dynamics.
She told NBC News: “Even though I’m married, the nature of this job requires you to be alone a lot of the time. I’ve also lived a very independent life, and most of the things I do for myself are for myself and by myself,” she said. “I don’t have a close relationship with my father, so living through that healing journey for Liv was very therapeutic for me.”
Women's empowerment is also a thread woven throughout Barrera’s work.
“I’m grateful to have played such rich and complex women, since flawed women are rarely depicted on screen, especially Latinas, and my whole point has been to subvert categorisation,” Barrera told NBC.
“This has caused me to lose a lot of opportunities and has slowed my career down a little bit because I’ve said no to many things because I actively haven’t wanted to be pigeonholed, and it’s very easy for this industry to do that.”
What films has Melissa Barrera been in?
While in college at New York University, Barrera featured in several telenovelas, including La Mujer de Judas, and La Otra Cara del Alma.
In 2021, she starred as Vanessa, an aspiring fashion designer and love interest of the narrator, Usnavi, in the musical film In the Heights.
In 2022, Barrera played Sam Carpenter on the fifth Scream film, which was directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. She also starred in Netflix survival drama Keep Breathing, and in film musical Carmen.
In 2023, she reprised her role as Sam in Scream VI.
She will play Maya in the upcoming film The Collaboration, alongside Jeremy Pope and Paul Bettany as Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol.
