The Scream film franchise was split apart when it was announced that Melissa Barrera was fired from playing her character Sam Carpenter from future installments. She previously played the role in 2022’s Scream and 2023’s Scream VI, and after being fired for comments made on social media, fans didn’t know how to react. Now Melissa Barrera is opening up about her life following the Scream firing.
Fortunately, Barrera who also stars in the quirky horror comedy Abigail, has revealed that things have been improving. However, it was unclear at the time what path her career and life would take next. As she revealed while speaking with The Independent:
“It was quiet for, like, 10 months,” Barrera began. “I was still getting offers for small things here and there – I’m not going to lie and say there was nothing – but [the message] was, like, ‘Oh, she probably doesn’t have work, she’ll say yes to anything.’”
As far as Scream goes, however, she doesn’t try to look at the films in a negative light. In fact, she’s quite grateful for her time working on Scream and Scream VI, and added the following:
“They gave me a lot in my career,” Barrera said. “I made really good friends. I have such loyal fans from those movies that are now watching the rest of the stuff that I do.”
And, while Barrera chooses to look at things positively, that doesn’t mean there aren’t reminders of the negatives. In fact, she revealed that fans tend to remind her plenty of the event as noted by The Independent:
“But she admits that there are drawbacks. At fan conventions, for instance, parades of ‘Scream’ devotees are prone to sympathetically allude to the controversy between autograph signings, or asking how she’s doing.”
Barrera added her own recollection of fans’ comments and how they’re likely never going to end:
“Or they’re like, ‘What they did to you is so messed up, I’m so sorry that happened!’” Barrera added. “And it’s something, I think, that’s never going to end. Because the franchise is never going to end. So while I still have so much love for [those movies], the reminders of that very sour moment make it a little bit weird.”
On a positive note, however, Barrera does say things are different now than when she was first fired. In fact, her job offers are starting to improve.
“It felt like I had been invisible, and then all of a sudden, there was a switch that made me visible again,” she added. “I feel better. I was stuck in the sand dunes for a while, and now I feel like my feet are moving, I have an oxygen tank, and I’m, like… going up.”
Hopefully we’ll get to see more of Melissa Barrera in the future, then, even if it won’t be in a new Scream film. In fact, she’s currently working with Simu Liu on a new Peacock series. As for Scream 7, while it’s being made without her, she doesn’t have any hard feelings for fans that hope to see the film that will star Neve Campbell in place of her.
Here’s the message Barrera has to offer on that front:
“I think there have always been Scream factions,” she said with a laugh. “There are always going to be people that love you and people that hate you, and people that are open to a story continuing, and people that think that continuing it is ruining it. If they want to go watch the next one? Cool. If they don’t? Also cool.”
“You just gotta act according to how you preach,” she continued. “And that depends on what you value, what your morals are, and whether you can separate that from art or not. There are people who can’t listen to R Kelly anymore, or Michael Jackson, or can’t watch Woody Allen films anymore. And then there are people who don’t care.”
As such, we’ll have to see how Scream 7 turns out and what projects Melissa Barrera might take on in the future. At the very least, it looks like things are starting to move forward. Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates as we have them.