Melissa Barrera Biography

Melissa Barrera Martínez was born in Nuevo León, Mexico to Maria Martínez García and Tomás Gerardo Barrera Tames. She is the eldest daughter of the family, with three younger sisters. She attended the American School Foundation of Monterrey, which is where she discovered her passion for theatre. She participated in school plays and musicals until her last year of high school when she wanted to seriously pursue acting. Melissa started university at the Tisch School of the Arts in New York University into the Collaborative Arts Project 21.

After being selected for the 2011 Mexican reality show La Academia, she left university. Melissa started performing in many projects, including a telenovela called La Mujer de Judas (2012) as Zulamita, which led to her being cast on another telenovela called La Otra Cara del Alma (2012). Now recognized for her acting ability, she landed a starring role on the telenovela Siempre Tuya Acapulco (2013).

After this success, Melissa continued in lead roles on telenovelas until she was cast in the fifth Scream movie (2022) as Sam Carpenter. She is now also known for her original work and the musical film In the Heights (2021), the Netflix drama series Keep Breathing (2022) as starring character Liv and the titular character in the musical film Carmen (2022).

Melissa played Maya in The Collaboration (2024), Laura in Your Monster (2024) and Joey in the box office hit Abigail (2024).

She has been nominated for seven awards including the 2023 Imagen Award for Best Actress in a Television Drama and the 2024 Golden Scythe award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. She has won two awards including the 2022 STARmeter Award for Fan Favorite and the 2024 Sun Valley Film Festival Award for Best Narrative Feature Film Performance.

In November 2023, Melissa was fired from her lead role in Scream VII (2024) for posting her support for Palestine on social media. This caused an uproar in the industry, garnishing the attention of 1300 actors and artists, who wrote a letter condemning her dismissal.

Melissa is married to musical artist Xavier Zazueta, whom she met on the set of La Academia in 2011. They began dating soon after and announced their engagement in June 2017. She still actively posts on social media, advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, destigmatizing mental health and gender equality. ~Mackenzie Heidrick

Filmography:

Abigail (2024)
Your Monster (2024)
Scream VI (2023)
Bed Rest (2022)
Carmen (2022)
Scream (2022)
All the World is Sleeping (2021)
In the Heights (2021)
Dos Veces Tú (2018)
Sacudete Las Penas (2018)
El Hotel (2016)
Manual de principiantes para ser president (2016)
L for Leisure (2014)