Melissa Barrera faces screaming: 'Grateful for everything'

Melissa Barrera weighed in on her controversial exit from the “Scream” franchise while attending the Sundance Film Festival for the premiere of her latest horror film, “Your Monster.”

“Honestly, I think I'm finally becoming the person I'm meant to be in life, and the last few months have been a huge awakening for that,” Barrera said. He told the Associated Press When asked about her exit, she “screamed.” “I'm so grateful for everything that happened.”

Barrera played Sam Carpenter, the daughter of Billy Loomis (played by Skeet Ulrich in the original), in 2022's “Scream” and 2023's “Scream 6,” the latter of which set a box office record with $108 million at the box office the local. . She was supposed to continue playing the character in the upcoming “Scream 7” movie, but she was fired last November after showing her support for Palestine on social media.

Spyglass, the company behind the hit horror film series, said in a statement: diverse At the time: “We have zero tolerance for anti-Semitism or incitement to hatred in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortions, or anything that blatantly crosses the line into hate speech.”

Birara's exit from the franchise was followed by the departure of her co-star Jenna Ortega from the sequel, and “Scream 7” director Christopher Landon also dropped out of the film.

“I think this is the right time to announce that I officially exited Scream 7 weeks ago,” Landon wrote in a social media post while announcing his exit. “This will disappoint some and delight others. It was a dream job, and then it turned into a nightmare. And my heart is broken for everyone involved. Everyone. But it's time to move on.”

He continued, “I have nothing to add to the conversation other than to hope that Wes's legacy will flourish and rise above the noise of a divided world. What he and Kevin have created is amazing, and I am honored to have even the briefest moment basking in their glow.”

Although she's no longer a member of the “Scream” franchise, Pereira is keeping her horror resume at Sundance with the world premiere of “Your Monster.” The film combines elements of horror and romantic comedy in telling the story of a young actress with cancer (Pereira) who discovers a terrifying and enchanting monster living in her closet. The film is directed by Caroline Linde.