Odessa A’zion has bowed out of a film adaptation of Holly Brickley’s Deep Cuts after backlash over her casting, Variety reports.
A’zion had been cast as Zoe Gutierrez, a character of Mexican and Jewish heritage, but the actor herself does not have Mexican heritage. Critics said her casting was an instance of what’s often called “whitewashing.”
Brickley’s novel, published last February by Crown, follows the complicated creative partnership—and romantic relationship—between Joe Morrow, a singer-songwriter, and Percy Marks, an opinionated 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.”
A’zion, known for her roles on the series I Love LA and in films including Marty Supreme, Hellraiser, and Fresh Kills, was originally cast as Zoe in the movie adaptation of Deep Cuts, alongside actors Drew Starkey (Outer Banks) and Cailee Spaeny (Wake Up Dead Man). The film is being written and directed by Sean Durkin (The Nest, The Iron Claw).
In an Instagram story, A’zion wrote, “Guys!! I am with ALL of you and I am NOT doing this movie. fuck that. I’m OUT.”
She wrote that she initially auditioned for the role of Percy but was offered the part of Zoe instead. A’zion agreed to play her, but said she hadn’t read the book.
“I’d never take a role from someone else that’s meant to do it. That SHOULD do it!” she wrote. “That’s not me. There are a plentitude of people more than capable of playing this role and I am NOT one of them.”
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
