Melissa Barrera says she had a "big awakening" after being fired from the 'Scream' franchise. Spyglass Media fired the actress from the rebooted franchise after she posted to social media about the Israel-Gaza conflict, which they deemed were antisemitic posts. Speaking to the Associated Press at the Sundance Film Festival, the 'Your Monster' star said that after the ordeal, she's had time to reflect on how her support of Palestinians and calls for a ceasefire in the region has helped her realize more about herself.
Category
✨
PeopleTranscript
00:00 Melissa Barrera says she's had a big awakening after being fired from the Scream franchise.
00:04 Spyglass Media fired the actress from the Scream reboot after she posted to social media about the
00:11 Israel-Gaza conflict, posts which they deemed were anti-Semitic. Speaking to the Associated Press at
00:16 the Sundance Film Festival, the "You're Monster" star said that after the ordeal, she's had time
00:21 to reflect on how her support of Palestinians and calls for a ceasefire in the region has helped her
00:26 realize more about herself. "Honestly, I think I finally am becoming who I'm supposed to be in life,
00:31 and the last few months have been a big awakening of that." Barrera published multiple social media
00:36 posts around the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war, which described elements of Israel's response to
00:41 Hamas and Gaza as genocide and ethnic cleansing. In November, it was announced that Barrera had
00:46 been let go from the franchise. Spyglass said in a statement that it had "zero tolerance for
00:51 anti-Semitism or the insight of hate, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing,
00:57 Holocaust distortion, and hate speech." In her own statement, the "In the Heights" actress said that
01:02 she not only condemned anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, but prejudice against any group.
01:07 "Every person on this earth, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation,
01:14 or socioeconomic status, deserves equal human rights, dignity, and of course, freedom."
01:20 The future of how Scream 7 will unfold remains unclear, as co-star Jenna Ortega and director
01:25 Christopher Landon have both departed the franchise as well. For more on this story,
01:29 head to THR.com. And for the latest entertainment news and updates,
01:34 keep watching The Hollywood Reporter News.
01:39 [BLANK_AUDIO]