Odessa A’zion Pulls Out of Film After Getting Cast in a Latina Role

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Odessa A’zion has withdrawn from the upcoming film adaptation of Deep Cuts following criticism of her casting. The character she was meant to play, Zoe Gutierrez, is described as both Mexican and Jewish in the source novel, but A’zion does not have Mexican heritage. A’zion explained on Instagram that she originally auditioned for a different role, Percy, but accepted the part of Zoe without fully understanding the character’s background. She expressed regret for not reading the book beforehand, stating she now realizes it was a mistake and has decided to leave the project.

She explained that she would never take a role that belonged to someone else, emphasizing it wasn’t her place. She acknowledged there were many more qualified people for the part and expressed excitement to see who ultimately got it. In a separate post, she mentioned being busy with other projects and wished she had reread the script sooner to recognize the actress being referenced. She was grateful to her followers for bringing it to her attention, as the script only mentioned the actress’s name.

The situation escalated when actress Melissa Barrera, who was removed from the upcoming Scream 7 after voicing support for Palestine, publicly commented on the casting of A’zion. She explained that historically, even minor roles for people of color were often given to white actors because they had more opportunities in the industry due to systemic racism. This created a cycle where white actors became the standard. Barrera argued that in the future, if only a small percentage of acting roles are written for Latino actors, those roles should be filled by Latino performers.

Cailee Spaeny, known for her role in Priscilla, and Drew Starkey, from Queer, will star in Deep Cut as Percy and Joe, respectively. The story centers around two young people passionate about music as they come of age in the early 2000s. A’zion’s replacement hasn’t been announced yet, leaving some to wonder if they might reach out to Barrera.

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2026-01-29 18:54