Scream star Melissa Barrera is sharing her first public words a day after news broke that she had been fired from the seventh installment of the horror franchise.
“First and foremost I condemn Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. I condemn hate and prejudice of any kind against any group of people,” she wrote in a statement posted to her Instagram Story Wednesday.
Spyglass fired Barrera after a wave of social media posts she shared amid the Israel-Hamas war, which the Scream studio in a statement Tuesday characterized as antisemitic.
“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,” her statement Wednesday continued. “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.”
The firing was one of several events to rock the Scream franchise in recent days. Earlier Wednesday, news broke that star Jenna Ortega had exited the film, though sources said the decision was made months ago and was not related to Barrera’s dismissal.
2022’s Scream introduced new actors to the franchise alongside mainstays such as Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette. It brought in $137.7 million, with the followup, released this March, grossing $168.9 million. A seventh is in the works with Christopher Landon directing.
“I believe a group of people are NOT their leadership, and that no governing body should be above criticism,” Barrera wrote Wednesday — a reference to posts she had written criticizing the Israeli government. “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. Silence is not an option for me.”
The actor has made dozens of posts since the outbreak of the war on Oct. 7.
“Gaza is currently being treated like a concentration camp,” she wrote in one previous post on her Instagram Story. “Cornering everyone together, with no where 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.”
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