It had nothing to do with pay or scheduling: Jenna Ortega on exit from 'Scream 7'

Los Angeles: "Wednesday" star Jenna Ortega said her exit from "Scream 7" had nothing to do with the pay or scheduling.

Ortega, who has featured in two instalments of the horror franchise, denied the previous reports and said the reason for her exit was the firing of her co-star Melissa Barrera.

“It had nothing to do with pay or scheduling,” the 22-year-old actor told ‘The Cut’ in an interview.

"The Melissa stuff was happening and it was all kind of falling apart. 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," she added.

Barrera was fired from the film over her comments on the Israel-Hamas conflict. She has earlier starred in two "Scream" films.

Later, the film's director Christopher Landon exited the project. He shared a note on his social media which read, “It was a dream job that turned into a nightmare. And my heart did break for everyone involved. Everyone. But it’s time to move on.” Filmmaker Kevin Williamson is now attached to the project as a director.

Ortega's latest work is "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice". Released in 2024, the film is a sequel to the 1988 classic “Beetlejuice”.