Jenna Ortega has finally spoken publicly about the firing of her Scream "sister," Melissa Barrera.
via: Screen Rant
Barrera and Ortega starred in 2022's Scream, as well as the follow-up Scream 6. Barrera and Ortega played sisters Sam and Tara Carpenter, respectively, who are stalked by Ghostface. Neither Carpenter sister will be returning for the upcoming seventh movie, ending their Scream franchise tenure.
Speaking with Vanity Fair, Ortega addresses Barrera's firing from Scream 7. Ortega notes that the film and TV industry is so "touchy-feely" with everyone wanting to "be politically correct." The Wednesday star sees the downside of this as being that industry professionals "lose a lot of [their] humanity and integrity" due to political correctness. Check out the full quote from Ortega below:
The business that we work in is so touchy-feely. Everybody wants to be politically correct, but I feel like, in doing that, we lose a lot of our humanity and integrity, because it lacks honesty. I wish that we had a better sense of conversation. Imagine if everyone could say what they felt and not be judged for it and, if anything, it sparked some sort of debate, not an argument.
Barrera's firing from Scream 7 was announced in late 2023. Her ousting was not for conventional reasons of misbehavior or other potential hitches. Rather, Barrera was removed from the production in reaction to social media posts that were pro-Palestinian. The production company, Spyglass, took this commentary as anti-Semitic, stating they "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 Ortega's comment, she seems to believe that a poor "sense of conversation" is part of what led to Barrera's firing. In this case, the issue of Israel and Palestine is incredibly complicated both in global politics and in the Hollywood sphere. Just this year, for example, The Zone of Interest director Jonathan Glazer came under fire after his Oscars acceptance speech spoke about the importance of preventing ongoing genocide, citing Gaza, which several people took to be antisemitic.
Though a number of people reject Barrera's statements, her Scream cast members have been fairly supportive of her over time. This includes Ortega, who Barrera described as "super sweet" as the actor "checked in" on Barrera after her firing. Original Scream star Skeet Ulrich also voiced support of Barrera, calling the environment that led to her firing a "sad state of affairs." While Barrera's firing was upsetting to many, the actor can at least be assured that multiple co-stars and franchise stars are in support of her.
While Barrera has been removed from the Scream 7 cast, this change is not the only notable shakeup to the casting for the sequel. In March, it was announced that former franchise star Neve Campbell will return to her role as Sidney Prescott for Scream 7. This change will return the horror series to its roots character-wise, as it will also do behind the scenes with the hiring of Kevin Williamson to direct, who wrote the original film's script. Using Sidney Prescott as the lead could also be a good way to distract from the Carpenter sisters' absence.
Campbell's return itself did not come without its fair share of complications. She previously bowed out of Scream 6 due to contract disputes because she felt that she was not being paid enough. The fact that this was what pushed her to leave outraged many who felt that the studio should have compensated Campbell properly for the franchise that she herself led to success. According to Campbell, the salary offer for Scream 7 was far higher, allowing her to feel comfortable returning.
Though Campbell's casting in Scream 7 was exciting in one sense, the announcement also reignited the rage in reaction to Barrera's firing. Many felt that Campbell's casting would not make up for the fact that Barrera was fired from the project. Some viewers were going so far as to say that they would not show up to watch Scream 7, even with the excitement of Campbell's return, because of what Spyglass did to Barrera.
Within all the chaos, Ortega also left Scream 7, and the status of many other returning stars remains up in the air. This will mean that, while taking place in the same franchise, Scream 7 will look entirely different from its two most recent predecessors. As the project continues its development, it will be interesting to see how Scream 7 ends up being received by its audience. While Campbell might compel some to theaters, the ongoing discussion of Barrera's firing is likely to deter some audiences.
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