Ariela Barer has been cast in the upcoming film adaptation of Holly Brickley’s Deep Cuts, replacing Odessa A’zion, who dropped out of the project after her casting prompted a backlash, Variety reports.
Barer, known for her roles in the series Marvel’s Runaways and The Last of Us, will play Zoe Gutierrez, a character of Mexican and Jewish descent, in the film. A’zion was originally tapped to play the role, but her casting sparked controversy since she’s not of Mexican descent. A’zion exited the project last month, saying she’d been unaware that the character of Zoe was Mexican American. Barer is Jewish and Mexican American.
Brickley’s novel, published last February by Crown, follows the creative partnership and romantic relationship between Joe Morrow, a singer-songwriter, and Percy Marks, a pop music fan. A critic for Kirkus called the novel “a promising debut notable for sharp characterizations and a vividly conveyed sense of time and place.”
The film is being written and directed by Sean Durkin (The Nest, The Iron Claw), and will also star Drew Starkey and Cailee Spaeny.
A’zion reacted to Barer’s casting in an Instagram story, writing, “THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKIN ABOUT BABY…Always stand up for what I KNOW is right. I stand by my decision and am so so so so so happy this is the outcome. C’mon baby!! She’s gonna eat it up.”
In the same story, A’zion posted a screenshot of an Instagram story from Barer, who wrote, “And a genuine major shoutout to @odessaazion for always leading with integrity and being an absolute real one for as long as I’ve known her <3.”
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
