Jenna Ortega Says ‘Scream 7’ Exit ‘Had Nothing to Do With Pay or Scheduling’ Despite Reports: ‘It Was Falling Apart’ After Melissa Barrera Got Fired

Jenna Ortega revealed in an interview with The Cut that her exit from the “Scream” franchise was not due to a scheduling conflict as originally reported. Ortega, who played Tara Carpenter in 2022’s “Scream” and 2023’s “Scream VI,” exited the seventh movie in November 2023. She said at the time it was due to her “shooting schedule.”

“It had nothing to do with pay or scheduling,” Ortega revealed. “The Melissa stuff was happening, and it was all kind of falling apart. If ‘Scream VII’ wasn’t going to be with that team of directors and those people I fell in love with, then it didn’t seem like the right move for me in my career at the time.”

The “Melissa stuff” refers to Ortega’s “Scream” co-star Melissa Barrera, who was fired from “Scream 7” due to social media posts she put up about Israel and Palestine. News of Ortega’s exit followed one day after Barrera’s firing, which naturally led to speculation that Ortega was leaving the franchise out of support for Barrera. Ortega’s interview with The Cut now confirms that to the be case.

Barrera was fired from “Scream 7” due to her social media posts supporting Palestine and criticizing Israel for “genocide and ethnic cleansing.” Franchise producer Spyglass Media Group said in a statement to Variety at the time: “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.”

After Barrera’s firing, “Scream 7” director Christopher Landon posted and deleted a statement on X that read: “Everything sucks. Stop yelling. This was not my decision to make.” About a month later, Landon exited the film and wrote on social media: “It was a dream job that turned into a nightmare. And my heart did break for everyone involved. Everyone. But it’s time to move on.”

“Scream” moved on with Kevin Williamson, the franchise’s original screenwriter, stepping in to direct the seventh installment, which will feature the return of franchise icon Neve Campbell. Ortega moved on with both the second season of her Netflix smash hit “Wednesday” and the box office success of last year’s “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.”

“I’ve happened to join a lot of franchises, which is so great to be a part of legacy,” Ortega told The Cut. “But for me, I’m really trying to prioritize new directors and original stories. I know on the outside, maybe people are looking at my choices like, ‘Man, what the hell is this girl doing?’ I never thought I would do a movie [like A24’s ‘Death of Unicorn’]. But an original script is exciting. If I can help get it made, I love to do that.”