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‘You Kind of Have to Fight for More Room': Melissa Barrera Says Diverse Casting Has Net Effect on Productions
Melissa Barrera is aware that her career has made her something of a 'genre actress' — but while she has no intention of running away from her film roots, she is always looking to expand her career horizons. After a starring role in the series 'Vida,' Barrera came to theatrical prominence in 2021's high-profile 'In the Heights' (a musical) and two 'Scream' sequels (decidedly horror) in 2022 and 2023. She then doubled-down on horror with last year's well-received 'Abigail' and the indie 'Your Monster.'
'I love horror. It's super fun. And there's so many great horror scripts,' Barrera said on 'The Seeds' podcast, praising horror directors as some of the biggest 'risk takers' in the industry. But she added that she wanted to 'stretch' as an actress. 'I also have never liked putting myself in a box of any kind, and I know that I have a lot of other skills that… I want to showcase, and I want to like play with. So, I feel like I would get bored — I do get bored easily if I'm doing the same thing or the same genre.'
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As a Latina actress, Barrera said she has had to work harder to get considered for certain roles throughout her career.
'You kind of have to fight for more room,' she explained. 'People [are] not necessarily looking for people that look like you for a role, but you got to kind of try and… knock on the door and be like, 'Hey, I know you're not looking for me. But like, maybe, would you mind? I'll just do it, and if you like it, maybe.''
Barrera said that there is a net effect anytime a Latino performer is added to a production's cast that benefits more than just a single actor. She used the casting of the fifth 'Scream' installment as an example. 'The big reason that I wanted to get that role so badly was because I knew that this character was going to have a family, and that if I got the role, then that meant more opportunities for other Latinos in the other roles. So that's kind of thing that you think about,' she explained.
Barrera will next be seen alongside Simu Lui in the Peacock series 'The Copenhagen Test,' bringing her into a new genre: espionage action thriller. A release date has yet to be announced, though a trailer was shown at the NBCU upfronts last month.
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