Rising star Odessa A’zion dramatically exited A24’s upcoming adaptation of the novel Deep Cuts, just two days after her casting was made public.
The 25-year-old actress, who is the daughter of actress Pamela Adlon and director Felix Adlon, was cast as Zoe Gutierrez, a character in Holly Brickley’s 2025 book who is described as half-Mexican and half-Jewish. Fans of the book and of A’zion, who is Jewish but not Mexican, said they were disappointed she was chosen for the part and asked whether the part would be rewritten.
The actress, who had a breakout role in this year’s Oscar contender Marty Supreme, said she took her followers’ criticism of her casting seriously and that she is exiting the film. “Guys!! I am with ALL of you and I am not doing this movie,” she wrote on Instagram.
In a lengthier follow-up, A’zion wrote to her 2.1 million followers, “THANK YOU guys for bringing this to my attention. I AGREE WITH EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU! This is why I love you guys.”
The actress apologized to her fans, saying, “I’m so so sorry that this happened.” She explained that she initially auditioned for Percy, the main character and romantic lead of the book, but was offered the role of Zoe.
“I’m so p---ed 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--- that. I’m OUT,” she added, saying that she wished she “clocked” the character’s name sooner. “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!!!” she wrote, thanking her followers again for bringing the subject to her attention.
“I’d never take a role from someone else that’s meant to do it. That SHOULD do it! That’s not me. There are a plentitude of people more than capable of playing this role and I am NOT one of them,” A’zion, who grew up in Los Angeles, wrote. “I can’t wait to see who it ends up being.”
The actress received public support from A-Lister Pedro Pascal, who posted a statement in solidarity with A’zion on X.
“You guys have to understand as actors often times u have NO IDEA what you’re auditioning for until you sign on and are given a full script. Props to her for listening and doing the right thing,” the Last of Us actor wrote.
A’zion is one of the stars of 2025’s wildly acclaimed Marty Supreme, which starred Timotheé Chalamet as the titular character. She played Rachel, Marty’s married childhood friend, with whom he is having an affair.
The actress’ mother, Pamela Adlon, is known for voicing Bobby Hill on King of the Hill, and she also starred in shows like Louie, Californication, and This Is Us, among many others.
A’Zion is currently starring in Rachel Sennott’s HBO series I Love LA.
In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, A’zion said that acting has come with challenges and a lot of “chasing.”
“In acting, there’s a lot of chasing your dreams. It felt like people weren’t taking me seriously for a long time, whether that be because of age or gender or whatever. But ultimately, you’ve got to just push yourself,” she said, adding that “it’s really hard to finally reach your goal.”
Deep Cuts is set to begin production in February 2026. Set in the 2000s, the film stars Priscilla actress Cailee Spaeny as music critic Percy and Queer actor Drew Starkey as a songwriter and Percy’s love interest. Director Sean Durkin is collaborating with A24 on the movie, after making 2023’s The Iron Claw under its umbrella.
