Jenna Ortega Says Her 'Scream VII' Exit Was Not About 'Pay Or Scheduling'

American actress Jenna Ortega has finally revealed why she left the "Scream" franchise.

Ortega starred as Tara Carpenter in 2022's "Scream" and 2023's "Scream VI" and was expected to feature in the franchise's seventh installment.

However, reports revealed she would not return for the movie amid her co-star Melissa Barrera's firing.

In an interview with The Cut published on Monday, Ortega opened up about her "Scream" exit.

Initial reports said the actress left the franchise because of scheduling conflicts, but she clarified the reason for her exit during the interview.

Ortega said her exit "had nothing to do with pay or scheduling." She explained, "The Melissa [Barrera] stuff was happening, and it was all kind of falling apart."

The "Wednesday" actress stressed that she didn't feel comfortable continuing the film without the people she loved.

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."

Jenna Ortega's reference to "the Melissa stuff" proves that she exited the "Scream" franchise as an act of support for her costar, Melissa Barrera.

Recall that Barrera shared a post on social media amid the Israel-Hamas war. She claimed that "Gaza is currently being treated like a concentration camp. Cornering everyone together, with nowhere to go, no electricity, no water."

The actress added, "THIS IS GENOCIDE & ETHNIC CLEANSING."

"Scream" producer Spyglass Media Group released a statement soon after Barrera's post. They said:

"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."

Barrera was subsequently fired from the franchise and released a statement on social media.

After her firing, Barrera took to her Instagram Story and insisted that she won't stay silent on issues she cares about.

"First and foremost, I condemn Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. I condemn hate and prejudice of any kind against any group," she began.

The actress continued, "As a Latina, a proud Mexicana, I feel the responsibility of having a platform that allows me the privilege of being heard, and therefore I have tried to use it to raise awareness about issues I care about and to lend my voice to those in need."

Barrera stressed that everyone "deserves equal human rights, dignity and, of course, freedom," irrespective of their "religion, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or socio-economic status."

She added, "I believe a group of people are NOT their leadership, and that no governing body should be above criticism."

Barrera concluded by expressing her resolve to always "speak out for those that need it most and continue to advocate for peace and safety, for human rights and freedom."

Reports that Ortega won't return for "Scream VII" made headlines shortly after Barrera was fired from the franchise.

In addition to exiting the franchise, Ortega did more to support her co-star.

In a chat with Screen Rant, Barrera shared details of Ortega's support after she was fired. She said, "We talked a lot when it went down. She was checking in on me and was super sweet. We haven't spoken in a while, but she's busy. She's crazy busy. And she's also not a great texter backer."

Barrera added, "So, every time that I text her, I know, eventually, she'll get back to me. And she's just not glued to her phone like some of us are. I am glued to my phone. Which, bless her, good for her."

She continued, "But yeah, with her, it's one of those things where no matter if you don't talk for months, when we do call each other, or when we do connect or see each other somewhere, it's like no time has passed."

The 34-year-old concluded, "We go right back to where we left off, so I am always cheering her on and I'm rooting for her, and I will protect her forever with my life."

After exiting "Scream VII," Ortega starred in "Wednesday's" second season and "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice," which was successful at the box office.

In "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice," she played the daughter of Winona Ryder's iconic character Lydia Deetz.

However, despite the film's success, Ortega isn't keen on featuring in another revival and has expressed her desire to be cast in original stories.

She told The Cut, "I've happened to join a lot of franchises, which is so great to be a part of legacy. But for me, I'm really trying to prioritize new directors and original stories."

Ortega concluded, "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."