Actress receives support after being fired
Actress Melissa Barrera has garnered widespread support after her removal from the upcoming Scream sequel due to her pro-Palestinian social media posts. Barrera had expressed sympathy toward Palestine in an open letter urging world leaders to call for a cease-fire in Gaza. Her stance drew backing from various quarters, including notable public figures and industry peers.
Mick Wallace, an Irish Member of the European Parliament, was among the first to support Barrera. He posted, “Actress Melissa Barrera is fired from the next Scream film sequel for daring to speak for the persecuted #Palestinians.” Film critic Zoe Rose Bryant also voiced her support on social media, writing, “Melissa Barrera will not be silenced and neither will we,” alongside a Palestinian flag emoji. Additionally, Grace Van Dien, a star from the U.S. television series Stranger Things, showed her support with a post suggesting a boycott of Spyglass films, although she later deleted this post.
Barrera's initial involvement was sharing an open letter last month, signed by other Hollywood stars including Joaquin Phoenix and Cate Blanchett, which called for a halt to the Israeli offensive against Gaza. Her Instagram post read, “We come together as artists and advocates, but most importantly as human beings witnessing the devastating loss of lives and unfolding horrors in Palestine and Israel.” She further implored Congress, the President of the United States, and other world leaders to act for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire.
However, Barrera's stance led to her being removed from the Scream sequel, a decision taken due to her posts that included calling Israel a “colonized” land and claiming that Israel controls the media. These comments were deemed "antisemitic" by some, including Spyglass, the production company. In a statement, Spyglass clarified, "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."
In a related development, Hollywood talent agency United Talent Agency (UTA) dropped award-winning actress Susan Sarandon after her remarks at a pro-Palestinian rally in New York City. Sarandon, known for her activism, faced backlash for her comments at a November 17 rally, where she said, “There are a lot of people afraid of being Jewish at this time, and are getting a taste of what it feels like to be a Muslim in this country.” The responses to Barrera and Sarandon's situations underscore the complex and often contentious relationship between celebrity activism and political discourse in Hollywood.
