Odessa A'zion drops out of Latina 'Deep Cuts' role following backlash

Odessa A’zion has dropped her relation arsenic Zoe Gutierrez successful Sean Durkin’s “Deep Cuts” pursuing online backlash implicit the histrion not being Latina.

Earlier this week, The Wrap revealed that the “I Love L.A.” and “Marty Supreme” breakout prima was formed arsenic Zoe Gutierrez, a Latina quality successful the A24 movie adaptation of Holly Brickley’s debut novel.

Set successful the 2000s, the communicative follows 2 music-obsessed young adults — Joey Morrow (to beryllium played by Drew Starkey) and Eileen Percy Marks (Cailee Spaeny) — arsenic they navigate talent, individuality and emotion done the indie euphony scenes of Brooklyn and San Francisco.

Character Zoe Gutierrez’s individuality plays an important relation successful the book, arsenic she is written arsenic a half-Mexican and half-Jewish lesbian.

Many societal media users — including her instrumentality accounts — took to the web to knock A’zion for taking connected the role, particularly during a governmental clime erstwhile Latino communities are being targeted crossed the state by ICE and Border Patrol.

One A’zion instrumentality relationship connected X, created successful October 2025 and managed by 2 Latinas from Brazil, paused their enactment until further announcement pursuing the news. “We’re present to authorities that we bash not hold with this casting, particularly fixed the existent governmental authorities of the US,” @bugzbees wrote successful a Jan. 27 post.

A instrumentality relationship nether the sanction “Your #1 Odessa A’zion updates instrumentality account” besides voiced disagreement implicit the casting, besides opting to intermission enactment connected their X profile.

“We bash not hold with the determination to formed a white, non-Mexican histrion arsenic a quality who was primitively written arsenic a Mexican pistillate of colour successful the ‘Deep Cuts’ adaptation,” @OdessaAzionUPD wrote connected Jan. 28. “This prime perpetuates harmful patterns and representations affecting Latinos of each nationalities, peculiarly wrong the existent governmental clime successful the United States.”

A’Zion cleared the aerial connected her Instagram relationship precocious Wednesday.

“I americium with ALL you and I americium NOT doing this movie,” the 25-year-old shared connected her Instagram story. “F— that. I’m OUT.”

In her follow-up posts, A’Zion said she primitively auditioned for the relation of Percy, but was offered Zoe instead; she accepted the role. At that moment, A’zion had not yet work the publication and admits she should person paid much attraction to each aspects of the quality Zoe.

“I’d ne'er instrumentality a relation from idiosyncratic other that’s meant to bash it,” she added. “There [is] a plentitude of radical much susceptible of playing this relation and I americium NOT 1 of them.”

The latest bid of events underscores the prevailing issues with Latino practice successful Hollywood.

According to UCLA’s 2025 Hollywood Diversity Report, which analyzed the apical 104 English-language films released theatrically successful 2024, Latinos made 1% of the starring roles, contempt comprising astir 20% of the full U.S. population.

Amidst online discussions implicit Latino practice users chimed successful with presented antithetic actors who could person taken connected the relation instead. This included Mexican and Jewish “Euphoria” histrion Alexa Demie, who told Nathan Fielder successful a 2020 podcast for A24 that she astir discontinue acting — aft losing retired roles to “blond-haired, blue-eyed” actors.

Melissa Barrera’s sanction besides circulated astir the web arsenic a instrumentality proposition for the relation of Zoe Gutierrez.

Earlier Wednesday, the Mexican histrion took to her Instagram stories to talk up astir practice and erasure successful Hollywood — underscoring racist practices that would unopen retired radical of colour from pb and broadside quality roles, but without straight referring to A’zion.

“So successful 2026 if determination are 1000 roles retired determination for actors and 50 of those are written for Latinos, LATINOS should play them,” Barrera wrote. “Give Latinos the Latino roles!”

Several actors person antecedently been accused of whitewashing successful Hollywood, including James Franco, who was formed arsenic Fidel Castro successful the upcoming movie “Alina of Cuba.” Angelina Jolie faced pushback for her relation arsenic the Egyptian queen successful the movie “Cleopatra,” which was yet canceled. Emma Stone, who played a Chinese Hawaiian quality successful the 2015 movie “Aloha,” was besides criticized for accepting the role.

The A24 movie adaptation of “Deep Cuts” volition beryllium produced by Eli Bush, Ronald Bronstein and “Marty Supreme” director, Oscar nominee Josh Safdie. Brickley, the book’s author, is besides an enforcement producer.

The Times reached retired to A’zion’s representatives for further comment.