Cinemajenna Ortega explains a decision to get out of Panic 7 after the resignation of Melissa Barrera

Jenna Ortega revealed, in an interview published this week by the magazine The cutthat your departure from the movie Panic 7 It was not related to salary or agenda conflict, as was initially disclosed. According to the actress, the project “was crumbling” after the resignation of the colleague Melissa Barreraand that motivated her to move away from production.

“It had nothing to do with payment or schedule. The situation with Melissa was happening, and everything was kind of crumbling. Panic 7 Were it not for that team of directors and those people I fell in love with, so it didn’t seem like the right choice for my career at that moment, ”said Ortega.

The actress played Tara Carpenter in the movies Panic(2022) and Panic VI (2023), and its departure from the franchise was announced in November 2023 – one day after the resignation of Melissa Barrera. Since then, speculation arose that Ortega would have left the project in solidarity with his colleague, now confirmed by the new statement.

Melissa Barrera was disconnected from the cast after publishing on social networks critical to Israel’s performance in Gaza, describing actions such as “genocide” and “ethnic cleaning”. At the time, the producer Spyglass media group issued an official note to the Variety stating that it does not tolerate anti -Semitism or incitement to “in any way” hatred.

After the controversy, the director Christopher Landon Also left the movie. In a post, after deleted, wrote:

“This is all horrible. Stop screaming. That decision was not mine.” A month later, he made his departure official: “It was a dream job that turned into a nightmare. And my heart broke out for all involved. But it’s time to move on.”

The seventh film of the franchise will be commanded by Kevin Williamsonoriginal screenwriter of the saga, and will feature the return of snow Campbell. Ortega, in turn, is still involved in other projects, including the second season of the series Wandinhafrom the Netflix.

“It turns out I went to many franchises, which is great for being part of the legacy,” Ortega told The Cut. “But for me, I’m really trying to prioritize new directors and original stories. I know that, outside, maybe people are looking at my choices like, ‘man, what the hell is this girl doing?’ I never thought I would make a movie [como ‘Death of Unicorn’ da A24]. But an original script is exciting. If I can help you do it, I love to do that. ”

The full interview is available on the website of The cut.