Melissa Barrera Fired From SCREAM 7
News came out yesterday that Melissa Barrera has been fired from the SCREAM 7 franchise due to some instagram posts that she recently made.
It often feels like we’re living in an alternate world where everything is upside down, this is an example of that. In the end, Melissa Barrera will be on the right side of history and it feels infuriating to see an industry that I love so much be so frustrating with where they stand on this issue. I’ll admit that I struggle with being articulate with all of this and I’m still learning the history of how we got here but one thing is true: a genocide is happening and Palestinians deserve for us to stand up for them.
When all else fails, I figured I would do what I do best; so here are some things you can watch so you can continue to support Melissa Barrera.
Vida (STARZ/Hulu) is a story about two sisters who after their mother’s death have to reunite to figure out a way for their mother’s bar to thrive. It’s a story about grief, about finding yourself and about the family you have to learn to understand. It’s a short three seasons but in that time we saw proper and diverse representation of the Latinx community.
In The Heights (HBOMax) is probably where most people know Melissa Barrera from. It’s the Lin-Manuel Miranda musical about the community that lives in Washington Heights. It’s full of exciting songs, exhilarating dance numbers and a romance story at the root of it that center the entire thing in love.
Earlier this year Paul Mescal and Melissa Barrera starred in the latest version of the opera, Carmen (Apple TV+/ Amazon Prime). With a score from Nicholas Brittel (Moonlight, If Beale Street Could Talk) and choreography from Benjamin Millepied, Paul and Melissa help tell the story of how a Mexican woman escapes the treacherous world she comes from and makes the dangerous journey to America.
All the World is Sleeping (STARZ/ Hulu) is my favorite project that Melissa has been a part of. It’s a story about a single mother who is slowly falling deeper into her depression while attempting to care for her young daughter. It’s a story about addiction unlike any we’ve seen before, it comes from a place of empathy, respect and full of love. Melissa gives her absolutely best performance in this film and deserves to be watched by everyone.
I’ve said it before on the podcast and I will repeat here, Melissa Barrera is one of the greatest actresses of our generation. Not only is her talent exemplary but she chooses her projects very methodically and continues to find roles that highlight her Mexican roots. Do you know how rare Melissa Barrera’s career is? The fact that she came from Telenovelas and found success in Hollywood is cause for celebration, which is exactly what we should continue to do. We shouldn’t allow her to get blacklisted from an industry that already excludes Latinas from so much of the narrative.
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