Jenna Ortega breaks her silence on why she really exited Scream franchise

Jenna Ortega is addressing why she really exited the “Scream” franchise two years ago.The “Wednesday” actress, 22, opened up about her decision to depart the role of scream queen Tara Carpenter in an interview with The Cut on Monday.Although it was initially reported that Ortega left the franchise due to “pay and scheduling issues,” she has now clarified that it was actually because her onscreen sister, Melissa Barrera, was fired and would not be returning.Ortega added that she exited the franchise because the directors of 2022’s “Scream” and 2023’s “Scream VI,” Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, were not coming back for “Scream VII.”“The Melissa stuff was happening, and it was all kind of falling apart,” Ortega 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.”Ortega, who most recently starred in “Death of a Unicorn,” added that she is more interested in pursuing projects that are not connected to an already well-established IP.“I’ve happened to join a lot of franchises, which is so great to be a part of legacy,” the “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” star said.

“But for me, I’m really trying to prioritize new directors and original stories.”“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,” she continued.“But an original script is exciting.

If I can help get it made, I love to do that.”“Scream VII” began to “fall apart” in 2023 when directors Gillett and Bettinelli-Olpin left the franchise to direct Barrera in a Universal film titled “Abigail.”The “Scream VI” sequel collapsed further later that year when Barrera, 34, was fired for expressing support for Palestine amid the Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza.“Gaza is currently being treated lik...