Mexican actress Melissa Barrera is making a comeback in the entertainment industry after being fired from the American horror movie Scream 7 three years ago for supporting the pro-Palestinian movement, according to a new interview published by Variety magazine.
After Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023, Barrera began posting messages in support of Palestinians in Gaza.
She took to Instagram, calling for peace and criticising the Israeli government for killing innocent Palestinian civilians, and compared Gaza to a concentration camp. Barrera also posted fundraising links to Palestinian human rights organisations and shared articles by Holocaust scholars accusing Israel of committing genocide.
Hollywood bigwigs took offense to Barrera's pro-Palestinian messages, labeling them as antisemitic, and she was fired from her lead role in Scream 7 and let go from her talent agency, WME.
The production company behind the Scream films, Spyglass Media Group, issued a statement to Variety Magazine shortly after Barrera’s firing.
"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," it said.
Speaking out costs
Barrera told Variety that she is still struggling to this day to try and comprehend what happened to her.
"I mean the people that accused me of being antisemitic, and the people that run Spyglass. And they’re wrong. Just factually wrong," she said.
"For me, I was like, 'Wait. I’m trying to call out something that is severely, severely wrong and evil, and I get punished for it. I get everything taken from me. What is the lesson I’m supposed to learn?'" Barrera continued. "I was even questioning God: 'What are You trying to teach me? Because I don’t understand why the ones that are trying to do the right thing are getting punished, and the people that are like la-la-la-la-la continue to rise. I don’t understand this game. What is this?!' It was a rude awakening."
Barrera's response to Spyglass' claims of "antisemitism" and "incitement of hate" was the same immediately after being fired in 2023 for those allegations.
"I believe a group of people are not their leadership and that no governing body should be above criticism," she said at the time. "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."
But Hollywood went silent on Barrera.
Broadway comeback
Following her firing, Melissa Barrera said acting opportunities disappeared for nearly a year and support from Hollywood was limited, leaving her questioning whether speaking out for Palestine had cost her career.
Barrera told Variety she felt she became an easy target as a rising actress and woman of colour who was “not big enough to be untouchable” in the industry.
Despite the fallout, Barrera rebuilt her career through Broadway, starring in Titanique while also launching her own production company.
She said theatre gave her a stronger sense of artistic freedom and community, adding that she remains proud of her work in the Scream franchise despite criticising the latest instalment as relying heavily on “nostalgia-bait.”
