Jenna Ortega opens up about Scream departure
In November 2023, the future of the Scream franchise began unraveling like a bloody prom dress in the third act. It started when Melissa Barrera, the face of the rebooted series, was fired after social media posts about Palestine were deemed "hate speech" by the studio. Soon after, co-star Jenna Ortega also left Scream VII, with initial reports blaming the usual suspects—scheduling conflicts, contract disputes, the Hollywood shuffle. But now, we know that wasn’t the story.
In a new interview with The Cut, Ortega sets the record straight: “It had nothing to do with pay or scheduling,” she says plainly. The bigger issue? The soul of the reboot had vanished. Directors Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin—who helmed Scream (2022) and Scream VI—were also out. “The Melissa stuff was happening, and it was all kind of falling apart,” Ortega recalls. “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.”
It’s a rare case of Hollywood honesty, and frankly, it tracks. Ortega, now arguably one of the most sought-after young actors in the industry, doesn’t need to stay tied to a franchise that’s publicly imploding. While the studio scrambled to rework Scream VII, bringing Neve Campbell back after previously lowballing her for Scream VI, the optics only got worse. The franchise sidelined Campbell in favor of Barrera’s Sam Carpenter, only to fire Barrera months later. Ortega saw the chaos and bowed out with her credibility intact.
And now? She's choosing chaos of a different kind—the creative kind.
Ortega, already the face of Netflix’s Wednesday and soon to return in Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, says she’s “really trying to prioritize new directors and original stories.” Case in point: Death Of A Unicorn, the latest A24 entry in the "rich people are awful" cinematic universe. “I know on the outside, maybe people are looking at my choices like, Man, what the hell is this girl doing?” Ortega laughs. “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.”
It’s not just refreshing—it’s strategic. Ortega knows that franchise fame can be a trap, and at 21, she’s playing the long game. While some actors burn out repeating the same roles until audiences (and studios) move on, Ortega is quietly pivoting toward a future built on taste and autonomy. She’s not running from horror—she’s just done letting it define her.
Ghostface may not be chasing her anymore, but the industry certainly is.
