Odessa A’zion is stepping away from an upcoming A24 project after facing swift and vocal backlash surrounding her casting.
Earlier this week, the 25-year-old actress — best known for her work in Marty Supreme and I Love LA — was announced as part of the cast of Deep Cuts, an adaptation of Holly Brickley’s novel directed by Sean Durkin. The film also stars Drew Starkey and Cailee Spaeny, with Starkey rumored to be romantically linked to A’zion.
The casting news initially generated excitement, especially given the film’s buzzy creative team and A24’s reputation for prestige storytelling. However, that excitement quickly turned into controversy once fans noticed a significant issue with the role A’zion had been cast to play.
In Deep Cuts, Odessa was set to portray Zoe Gutierrez, a character described in the novel as being of Mexican heritage and Jewish. Shortly after the casting announcement, critics and fans alike raised concerns that A’zion — who is white — should not be playing a character with that background, reigniting conversations about whitewashing and authentic representation in Hollywood.
The criticism spread rapidly across social media, with many calling on the production to reconsider the casting choice. Within days, A’zion responded directly and decisively.
On Wednesday night, January 28, the actress took to her Instagram Stories to announce that she was leaving the project entirely.
“Guys!! I am with ALL of you and I am NOT doing this movie,” Odessa began. “F–k that. I’m OUT.”
She followed up by expressing gratitude toward fans who raised the issue in the first place, writing, “THANK YOU guys for bringing this to my attention. I AGREE WITH EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU! This is why I love you guys.”
A’zion went on to explain how the situation unfolded from her perspective, offering transparency about the casting process and acknowledging her own missteps.
“Lemme make myself clear…I’m so so sorry that this happened. It is SO important for me to let you in how it all went down,” she wrote. “I went in for Percy, but was offered Zoe instead and instantly said yes! I’m so pissed y’all, I hadn’t read the book and should have paid more attention to all aspects of Zoe before accepting…and now that I know what I know??? F–k that! IM OUT.”
She continued by making it clear that she does not believe the role should belong to her.
“I’d never take a role from someone else that’s meant to do it. That SHOULD do it!” Odessa wrote. “That’s not me. There are a plentitude of people more than capable of playing this role and I am NOT one of them. I can’t wait to see who it ends up being.”
In additional posts, A’zion reflected on how excitement and timing contributed to her initial decision.
“I was so excited I just said hell yeah cause I knew how much I loved the story so I was just down to be a part of it, and so excited to work with this group of people! But f–k thatttttt y’all never again.”
She also clarified that the script itself didn’t initially provide clear cultural context for the character.
“I’ve been so busy with other work I was trying to carve out a time to reread, I wish I found that time sooner and clocked her name,” she explained. “That’s all that’s mentioned in the script when I just finally did. Thank you thank you THANK YOU GUYS FOR LETTING ME KNOW!!!”
Odessa concluded her statement by reiterating that once she understood more about Zoe’s identity beyond the script, she could no longer justify remaining involved.
“Still haven’t read the book but the story in the script is focused on Percy and Joe, so of course on my initial read that was my main focus as well. I was happy to be involved as a different role, but I just can not do it knowing more about Zoe now.”
As of now, A24 has not publicly commented on the casting change or announced a replacement. The situation has sparked broader conversations about due diligence, responsibility, and representation — and has positioned A’zion’s decision as a notable example of an actor responding directly to audience concerns in real time.
