Hollywood company drops actress for comments
NEW YORK — “Scream” star Melissa Barrera has been dropped by a Hollywood production company after making comments on the Israel-hamas war that some deemed antisemitic.
Spyglass Media Group, the production company behind the upcoming “Scream VII,” acknowledged Barrera’s exit from the horror franchise.
“The Mexican-born actress, who starred in “In the Heights” and the two recent “Scream” installments, had posted statements on her Instagram stories calling the war “genocide and ethnic cleansing.” “Gaza,” she wrote, “is currently being treated like a concentration camp.”
“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,” Spyglass said in a statement.
Representatives for Barrera didn’t return messages Wednesday.
Previously, a spokesman for the United Talent Agency said Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon is no longer represented by the agency. Sarandon’s exit from UTA followed comments she’s made about Israel, most recently in an appearance Nov. 17 at a pro-palestinian rally in New York.
“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, so often subjected to violence,” Sarandon said, according the New York Post.
The Israel-hamas war has caused rifts throughout Hollywood.
Earlier, when many groups were issuing statements condemning Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel, the Writers Guild of America ultimately didn’t after failing to come to agreement.
Maha Dakhil, a prominent agent with Creative Arts Agency, last month resigned her board seat after sharing a social media post accusing Israel of genocide. Dakhil apologized.