The former “Heroes” star recently spoke with The Messenger in an interview where she described Barrera’s firing as “very unfair and upsetting.” Panettiere reached out to Barrera after hearing the news, and her co-star thanked her for checking in. Panettiere also notes that:
“After she [spoke out], then a whole bunch of other actors and people in the industry started to do the same thing, right? It was almost like she just did it earlier than everyone else … You know, a lot of people hadn’t really asked her how she felt … Melissa is such a badass as a human being and as an actress … She was hurt by it, but I think she took it in stride and was very, very gracious about it.”
Panettiere said she “wasn’t worried” about her friend, and it sounds like she has good reason for her lack of concern. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Barrera explained that she was advocating for humanity and is “very at peace” with the whole situation, because she and the people she loves know where her heart was at. She also said that she felt her comments shouldn’t be controversial since she is advocating for an end to the violence on both sides, for the wellbeing of all of the innocent people who have been caught in the crossfire.
Barrera is currently earning rave reviews for the film “Your Monster,” which just screened at Sundance. Horror fans can also see her later this year in the vampire ballerina movie “Abigail.”