When I told you about Scream VI, I concluded by telling you that Scream VII was in the pipeline, even if we didn’t know when it would be released due to the strike that hit Hollywood. The project has once again taken a hit with the stupidity of one of its main actresses.
Barrera removed from Scream franchise
Bloody Disgusting tells us: Melissa Barrera was removed from filming. Taking information from Hollywood Reporter, the webzine specializing in horror cinema explains to us that the actress was fired because of her posts on Instagram.
According to a Twitter account that has compiled a lot of Melissa Barrera’s posts, the actress didn’t just make a few messages, but a litany of content on the current situation in the Middle East.
Going so far as to make a parallel for which we were not at all prepared, she said she understood what the Palestinians felt, because she too came from a colonized country, Mexico. Beyond the stupidity of the comparison, we frankly doubt that Melissa Barrera took the trouble to verify all the content she shared in her Instagram stories. There are way too many.
The stars, no more educated than the others
As soon as the news broke, Internet users went wild, with an impressive quantity of anti-Semitic remarks, which we will not transcribe here. They called for a boycott of the film and circulated a petition for her to be reinstated in the cast of the production. For its part, Spyglass, the company that runs the franchise, issued a press release saying that they have no tolerance for anti-Semitism, false references to genocide, etc.
As surprising as it may seem, I understand Spyglass’s reaction and I would go even further: I am fed up with artists or people in the entertainment industry who feel obliged to take a position in the political debate in the very broad sense. Not that they don’t have the right to freedom of expression like any other citizen. But, when an artistic personality expresses himself and takes a position, he brings a lot of people in his wake. Acting in films or singing songs does not make them more enlightened or better informed than average people. We have proof of this with Melissa Barrera because to compare Mexico and Palestine, you have to have skipped a hell of a lot of history classes.
Without even looking at the conflict in the Middle East, it is enough to remember the absolutely delusional comments of certain French cinema stars during the COVID epidemic. Juliette Binoche was delirious at full blast.
Vicious circle
If, on my personal Twitter account, I take a position that turns out to be nonsense, my toxicity index will not be the same as a personality from the entertainment world. They’ll put me in my place and it’ll probably end there. When a popular personality takes a position, he mechanically draws people in en masse. However, in the period we are currently experiencing, we do not need people to add fuel to the fire.
It’s all the more tricky because there are two pitfalls when a personality from the entertainment world takes a stand. First, we will ask him to speak on other subjects. We see this very clearly in France: politicians, generally far-right, use it on TV sets “why [insérer une personnalité] did not take a stand? “. Even the Minister of the Interior is playing this fool’s game.
The other pitfall is that they take the place of politicians by doing this. However, and once again, we see this very clearly in France, we expect politicians to take positions, if possible informed, on given themes. We also take the place of knowledgeable people, field journalists, etc.
For a separation between the world of entertainment and politics
Just as I am for a strict separation between church and state, I am for a strict separation between entertainment and politics. Especially since as an artist, a personality from the entertainment world has a range of tools to express his point of view. A writer will write. An actor can shoot committed films, choose underground productions. A singer can write texts and melodies. Or even more fundamentally, personalities from the entertainment world can financially support causes that are close to their hearts.
There remains the case of comedians, who are on the border to the extent that a certain number of them are paid to come out with jokes every day and they need current events to find inspiration. With more or less relevance in certain cases. The reality is that few people get it right most of the time.
In the case of Melissa Barrera, I find it stupid to ruin a career in the United States that looked promising and I advise her to return to history class. She will have time now.