‘It had nothing to do with pay or scheduling’ : Jenna Ortega on ‘Scream 7’ exit

WASHINGTON: Actress Jenna Ortega shared 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,” reported Variety.

“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 sacked from “Scream 7” after making social media statements against Israel and Palestine. The news of Ortega’s departure came one day after Barrera’s termination, prompting conjecture that Ortega was leaving the club to support Barrera.

Barrera was dismissed from “Scream 7” for her social media tweets supporting Palestine and criticising Israel for “genocide and ethnic cleansing,” reported Variety.

Franchise producer Spyglass Media Group said in a statement, “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,” as per te outlet.

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,” reported Variety.

‘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. (ANI)