Ortega, 22, played Tara Carpenter in 2022’s Scream and Scream VI. In an interview with The Cut, she revealed that her decision to opt out of Scream VII in November 2023 was more about the issues surrounding her co-star Melissa Barrera than her shooting schedule.

Ortega’s exit from Scream 7 was about her co-star Melissa Barrera

“It had nothing to do with pay or scheduling,” Ortega said. “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.”

Barrera was fired from Scream VII after sharing posts about the Israel-Hamas war and her support of the Palestinian people. She then clarified in an Instagram post that her backing of Palestine was not antisemitic and that she also supported Jewish people. However, the movie’s producer took action against Barrera, according to Blavity’s Shadow and Act and 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,” the company stated.

‘It was a dream job that turned into a nightmare’

Scream VII director Christopher Landon took to social media to confirm that Barrera’s firing was not his decision.

“Everything sucks. Stop yelling. This was not my decision to make,” Landon wrote in a now-deleted post shared on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Landon exited the project a month later and shared his experience working on the film in a social media post.

“It was a dream job that turned into a nightmare,” he said, according to Variety. “And my heart did break for everyone involved. Everyone. But it’s time to move on.”

After first entering the ‘Scream’ franchise, Ortega has had multiple hit roles

Since then, Ortega has starred in two major projects: Netflix’s Wednesday, which she returned to for its second season, and the 2024 box-office hit Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. During the interview, she shared her passion for telling “original stories” and being part of out-of-the-box projects.

“I’ve happened to join a lot of franchises, which is so great to be a part of a 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 with unicorns,” she said, referencing her latest film, Death of a Unicorn. “But an original script is exciting. If I can help get it made, I love to do that.”