“It’s Really Sad To Me”: Melissa Barrera’s Scream 7 Firing Gets Candid Response From OG Franchise Actor

Skeet Ulrich has shared his thoughts on Melissa Barrera’s controversial firing from the upcoming slasher sequel Scream 7. In late 2023, Barrera, who played Ghostface survivor Sam Carpenter in the previous two installments of the franchise’s new ongoing trilogy, was controversially fired after sharing pro-Palestine posts on social media. This sparked a tremendous reaction online, with many fans taking to social media to denounce the firing and over 1300 actors and industry professionals signing an open letter condemning the decision. However, at the time of writing, there is no sign that her firing will be reversed.

MovieWeb recently had the opportunity to sit down for an interview with Ulrich, who played one of the original Ghostface killers, Billy Loomis. During their conversation, the topic turned to the upcoming Scream 7 and Melissa Barrera’s firing. The star said that “it’s a sad state of affairs“ and that the entire cast are “beautiful, caring, loving, empathetic people.” Though he doesn’t know what’s next for the franchise, he added that “I would imagine I’m probably out of it.” Read his full quote below:

I don’t know. I don’t really see a way that happens, but it’s a strange town. Who knows? I haven’t heard either way to be honest. I think it’s a sad state of affairs. [Melissa Barrera] was really just out for humanitarian reasons and suffers from it. It’s really sad to me . Everybody involved in that are such beautiful, caring, loving, empathetic people, and the labels are not fitting. So, it’s sad. I don’t know what’s coming down the line for Scream in general. I would imagine I’m probably out of it. But that’s okay. There’s more to do.

Skeet Ulrich’s Scream 7 Return Wouldn’t Make Sense Without Melissa Barrera

The Stars’ Scream Characters Are Inextricably Linked

Although the Scream 7 cast is slowly being assembled with Neve Campbell officially returning as Sidney Prescott after sitting out the previous installment and Courteney Cox in talks to reprise her longtime role as Gale Weathers, Ulrich’s doubt about his future in the franchise makes sense. Billy Loomis was killed in the original 1996 movie and was only able to return as a de-aged ghost in the previous two installments. This apparition only appeared to his daughter, Sam, when she was either channeling or attempting to tamp down her murderous rage.

Although future Scream movies might find a way for the apparition of Billy to appear in some other way, hallucinations might be out of the question. The franchise has already set a precedent of characters hallucinating about their dead parents with Sam’s Billy visions and Sidney’s nightmares about her late mother Maureen, but otherwise they are not a hallmark of the series. Additionally, Sam is Billy’s only child in the current cast of the franchise, as her sister Tara (Jenna Ortega) has a different father.

Given how linked Ulrich and Barrera’s characters are, his reappearance in Scream 7 is unlikely to happen unless her role is reinstated. It remains to be seen how the sequel’s casting progresses as the movie continues further into the development process. However, with Ortega’s absence officially announced as well, it seems that the Carpenter sisters and Billy will at least be sitting out this entry, even if they do end up returning as legacy characters in some later sequel.