Jenna Ortega Confirms Real Reason Behind ‘Scream’ Exit: ‘It Had Nothing to Do With Pay or Scheduling’

Jenna Ortega is finally speaking on her departure from the Scream series. In a lengthy profile on The Cut, the Death of a Unicorn star said she didn’t leave the franchise because she was too booked and busy, as originally reported. 

“It had nothing to do with pay or scheduling,” Ortega told the publication. 

Ortega says the firing of Melissa Barrera, who played her sister in the movies, coupled with the Scream VI directors Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin leaving, made the project less appealing.

“The Melissa stuff was happening, and it was all kind of falling apart,” she said. “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.”

In November 2023, Barrera was fired from the series after its producer, Spyglass Media Group, called her pro-Palestinian social media posts antisemitic. The actress has been vocal about her support for Palestine, even sharing a post that said Isreal was committing “genocide and ethnic cleansing.”

Just days after the firing, Variety reported Ortega left the series because of scheduling conflicts with her Netflix show, Wednesday, though production dates were never confirmed. It was also reported she needed to wrap up filming for Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice 2.

Elsewhere in Cut profile, The Weeknd sings Ortega’s praises for her acting skills in his upcoming movie. The two will star in new film connected to his album Hurry Up Tomorrow.  

The singer called her performance in one scene “ugly and honest.”

“Jenna channeled something so raw, she truly scared the fuck out of me,” he said.

Ortega also said that while she loves franchise, she’s excited about starring in more original projects, like Death of a Unicorn.

“I’m really trying to prioritize new directors and original stories,” she said. “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. But an original script is exciting. If I can help get it made, I love to do that.”