Odessa A’zion pulls out of movie after backlash over Mexican role

Odessa A’zion has pulled out of an upcoming film after facing backlash for being cast as a Mexican character.

The actor, who recently received acclaim for her role as Rachel Mizler alongside Timothée Chalamet, made headlines after joining the cast of Sean Durkin’s A24 project Deep Cuts. However, following criticism online, A’zion exited the film just 48 hours later.

Deep Cuts is an adaptation of Holly Brickley’s novel of the same name, a love story that follows Percy and Joe, two young people who meet at a bar on the Berkeley campus. A’zion had been cast as Zoe Gutierrez, a character who is of Mexican heritage and Jewish. A’zion is an American actress with German family roots and Jewish heritage.

In a series of Instagram Stories shared on Wednesday night, A’zion explained her decision to step back from the role. She revealed that she had only read the script, not the novel, before accepting the part. According to A’zion, she originally auditioned for the lead role of Percy but was instead offered the role of Zoe.

“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!” she wrote.

“But f*** thattttttt y’all never again! I’ve been so busy with other work I was trying to carve out a time to re read, I wish I found that time sooner and clocked her name. 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!!! 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 apologize to fans, saying she was frustrated with herself for not paying closer attention to the character’s background before accepting the role. She explained that she had immediately agreed to play Zoe without fully understanding the significance of the character’s heritage, and once she became aware of it, she felt stepping away was the only appropriate decision.

A’zion emphasized that she would never want to take a role away from someone better suited to tell that story, adding that many other actors would be more capable of portraying Zoe authentically.

In the novel, Zoe Gutierrez is a close friend of Percy, who will be played by Cailee Spaeny, and the ex-girlfriend of Joe Morrow, Percy’s love interest.