Not Latina.
Photo: Photo by Savion Washington/Penske Media./Getty Images
Odessa A’zion wasn’t feeling so supreme about this controversy. A’zion pulled out of Sean Durkin’s upcoming adaptation of Holly Brickley’s novel Deep Cuts after experiencing online backlash for her casting. The character A’zion was set to play, Zoe Gutierrez, is explicitly Mexican and Jewish in the novel, and A’zion isn’t Mexican. On her Instagram Story, A’zion explained the casting process to add context. “It is SO important for me to let you in on how it all went down: I went in for Percy, but was offered Zoe instead and instantly said yes!” A’zion wrote. “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??? Fuck that! IM OUT.”
She continued, writing, “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 capable of playing this role and I am NOT one of them. I can’t wait to see who it ends up being.” “Ive been so busy with other work I was trying to carve out a time to re read,” she wrote in another Instagram Story. “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!!!”
The controversy reached a boiling point after actress Melissa Barrera (who was fired from Scream 7 after speaking out for Palestine) made a post clearly about A’zion’s casting. “FOR THE LONGEST TIME even the POC side characters in white stories were played by white actors because white actors would be the ones with access (and because racism),” she wrote. “And therefore they were the ones that became working actors, and that became the norm … So in 2026 if there are 1000 roles out there for actors. And 50 of those are written for Latinos. LATINOS should play them.”
Deep Cut will be led by Priscilla star Cailee Spaeny as Percy and Queer actor Drew Starkey as Joe. The book follows two music obsessives as they navigate growing up in the early 2000s. As of now, nobody has been cast to replace A’zion. Maybe Barrera would pick up if they called?
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