Actress Melissa Barrera claims Paramount was dishonest about profits from Scream 7 following her dismissal for criticizing Israel during the Gaza conflict.
In 2023, Barrera described Gaza as a “concentration camp,” accusing Israel of “genocide and ethnic cleansing” during its conflict with Hamas in response to the tragic terrorist attack on October 7.
She expressed, “Gaza is now being treated like a concentration camp. You’ve driven everyone into a corner—there’s nowhere to go, no electricity, no water… It’s as if we haven’t learned anything from history. Like in the past, people are just watching it all unfold. This is genocide, it’s ethnic cleansing.”
The production company, Spyglass, condemned Barrera’s comments at the time.
A representative stated: “Spyglass has a clear stance: we have zero tolerance for anti-Semitism or hate in any form, including comments that cross the line into hate speech, like genocide or ethnic cleansing.”
After her comments, Barrera was let go from the series, despite her role in the first two films. She was replaced by Neve Campbell as the new lead as Scream 7 moved into production, relying heavily on nostalgia with the return of Matthew Lillard and refocusing the story on Campbell’s character, Sidney Prescott. Despite facing criticism, this strategy turned out to be effective, with the film earning an impressive $200 million at the box office in February.
During a detailed interview with Variety, Barrera hinted that Paramount may have misrepresented the film’s financial performance.
She stated, “The seventh installment was the worst, I know that. And I suspect they lied about the numbers. I don’t believe they earned that much.”
Barrera also voiced her disappointment about her co-stars participating in Scream after her departure.
“Did it seem like a scab to you? Did it feel like they were crossing a picket line?” she was asked by Variety.
“Oh, 100 percent. I think they all are. They have to live with that decision. The only way they could’ve made that movie after everything was to heavily rely on nostalgia,” she responded.
In that same interview, Barrera mentioned she is curating a list of “pro-Palestinian” artists for future collaborations.
“I reached out to those who publicly supported me: Susan Sarandon, Tatiana Maslany, Hannah Einbinder, Poppy Liu,” she shared. “Of course, working with Javier Bardem would be a dream. He doesn’t owe me anything, but I’m optimistic about this list. Building a network of like-minded individuals is important to me. This feels like my chapter two.”
Actress Melissa Barrera Accuses Paramount of Lying About ‘Scream 7’ Earnings After Her Dismissal Over Anti-Israel Comments
Actress Melissa Barrera claims Paramount was dishonest about profits from Scream 7 following her dismissal for criticizing Israel during the Gaza conflict.
In 2023, Barrera described Gaza as a “concentration camp,” accusing Israel of “genocide and ethnic cleansing” during its conflict with Hamas in response to the tragic terrorist attack on October 7.
She expressed, “Gaza is now being treated like a concentration camp. You’ve driven everyone into a corner—there’s nowhere to go, no electricity, no water… It’s as if we haven’t learned anything from history. Like in the past, people are just watching it all unfold. This is genocide, it’s ethnic cleansing.”
The production company, Spyglass, condemned Barrera’s comments at the time.
A representative stated: “Spyglass has a clear stance: we have zero tolerance for anti-Semitism or hate in any form, including comments that cross the line into hate speech, like genocide or ethnic cleansing.”
After her comments, Barrera was let go from the series, despite her role in the first two films. She was replaced by Neve Campbell as the new lead as Scream 7 moved into production, relying heavily on nostalgia with the return of Matthew Lillard and refocusing the story on Campbell’s character, Sidney Prescott. Despite facing criticism, this strategy turned out to be effective, with the film earning an impressive $200 million at the box office in February.
During a detailed interview with Variety, Barrera hinted that Paramount may have misrepresented the film’s financial performance.
She stated, “The seventh installment was the worst, I know that. And I suspect they lied about the numbers. I don’t believe they earned that much.”
Barrera also voiced her disappointment about her co-stars participating in Scream after her departure.
“Did it seem like a scab to you? Did it feel like they were crossing a picket line?” she was asked by Variety.
“Oh, 100 percent. I think they all are. They have to live with that decision. The only way they could’ve made that movie after everything was to heavily rely on nostalgia,” she responded.
In that same interview, Barrera mentioned she is curating a list of “pro-Palestinian” artists for future collaborations.
“I reached out to those who publicly supported me: Susan Sarandon, Tatiana Maslany, Hannah Einbinder, Poppy Liu,” she shared. “Of course, working with Javier Bardem would be a dream. He doesn’t owe me anything, but I’m optimistic about this list. Building a network of like-minded individuals is important to me. This feels like my chapter two.”
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