Jenna Ortega did not leave ‘Scream 7’ because of pay

At one point, Scream 7 looked very different. It included Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera) and her sister Tara (Jenna Ortega) were meant to be part of the franchise still. Then Spyglass fired Barrera and it all started to fall apart.

At the time of Barrera’s firing, the production company released a statement, saying: “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.” They were referring to Barrera being vocal in her support of Palestine.

Shortly after Barrera’s firing, her co-star, Jenna Ortega, left the follow-up film. The two joined the franchise together back for Scream V and then returned for Scream VI. The end of the film set up a future for both the Carpenter sisters prior to the change in pace. While many assumed Ortega left the film because of Barrera’s firing, it was never confirmed.

That is until now. Ortega did an interview with The Cut for her film Death of a Unicorn when she spoke about why she exited Scream 7. “It had nothing to do with pay or scheduling,” Ortega told the outlet. “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.”

Originally, it was pushed that Ortega left the project because of her busy schedule. She’s been in shows like Wednesday on Netflix and has recently starred in Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice as well as a sleuth of other movies. But Ortega set the record straight.

Currently, Scream 7 is moving forward with new directors (Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin also left the film) and some returning cast. But Ortega is not doing it without Barrera and her Scream team.

(featured image: Valerie Terranova/WireImage)

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Rachel Leishman

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Rachel Leishman (She/Her) is an Assistant Editor at the Mary Sue. She's been a writer professionally since 2016 but was always obsessed with movies and television and writing about them growing up. A lover of Spider-Man and Wanda Maximoff's biggest defender, she has interests in all things nerdy and a cat named Benjamin Wyatt the cat. If you want to talk classic rock music or all things Harrison Ford, she's your girl but her interests span far and wide. Yes, she knows she looks like Florence Pugh. She has multiple podcasts, normally has opinions on any bit of pop culture, and can tell you can actors entire filmography off the top of her head. Her current obsession is Glen Powell's dog, Brisket. Her work at the Mary Sue often includes Star Wars, Marvel, DC, movie reviews, and interviews.

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