Odessa A'zion has pulled out of an adaptation of novel 'Deep Cuts', which was already in the works at A24. The actress announced her exit on Instagram after online users voiced their outrage over her casting as Zoe Gutierrez, a character of Mexican heritage and Jewish faith.
In an Instagram post, A'zion stated that she had not read the book and hadn't taken the role seriously enough to do justice to it. "I went in for Percy but was offered Zoe instead and instantly said yes! I'm so pissed y'all, I hadn't read the book and should have paid attention to all aspects of Zoe before accepting…now that I know what I know? F*ck that. I'm out!"
Her decision comes after the news that A'zion would be playing Zoe was announced just a day prior. The character is described in the novel as close friends with music critic Percy, who will be played by Cailee Spaeny, and ex-girlfriend of Joe, played by Drew Starkey.
The role had originally been eyed by actresses Austin Butler and Saoirse Ronan before they dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. A24, which is producing the adaptation along with other producers Eli Bush, Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie, Anthony Katagas, Jordan Tappis, and novel author Holly Brickley as an executive producer.
As for who will now play Zoe Gutierrez, it seems that A'zion has given up on her claim to the role. She stated that she couldn't wait to see who else would be suited to take on the part of a character from Mexican heritage with a complex identity.
In an Instagram post, A'zion stated that she had not read the book and hadn't taken the role seriously enough to do justice to it. "I went in for Percy but was offered Zoe instead and instantly said yes! I'm so pissed y'all, I hadn't read the book and should have paid attention to all aspects of Zoe before accepting…now that I know what I know? F*ck that. I'm out!"
Her decision comes after the news that A'zion would be playing Zoe was announced just a day prior. The character is described in the novel as close friends with music critic Percy, who will be played by Cailee Spaeny, and ex-girlfriend of Joe, played by Drew Starkey.
The role had originally been eyed by actresses Austin Butler and Saoirse Ronan before they dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. A24, which is producing the adaptation along with other producers Eli Bush, Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie, Anthony Katagas, Jordan Tappis, and novel author Holly Brickley as an executive producer.
As for who will now play Zoe Gutierrez, it seems that A'zion has given up on her claim to the role. She stated that she couldn't wait to see who else would be suited to take on the part of a character from Mexican heritage with a complex identity.
. honestly though, who wouldn't want the role after being in talks with saoirse ronan and austen butler? 
a'zion said she hadn't even read the book lol what was she thinking? 
anyway, now that she's out, i'm curious to see if they can find someone who actually knows what they're doing 
. fingers crossed for a talented actress who can bring some authenticity to zoe's complex identity 
, but still kinda shocked she was cast in the first place. I mean, she's got an amazing body, no doubt, but does that even relate to the character at all? And now she just gives up like it's no big deal? It feels so insincere 
. I'm not saying I'm pro A' Zion or anything, but when someone calls themselves an actress, you've gotta have some skills to back it up...and a little research wouldn't hurt either 
. This whole thing just stinks of tokenism 
... she seems like an awesome actress who can bring depth to Zoe's complex identity. But, at the same time, I'm worried about how this whole drama might affect the final product 
... will they be able to get it right after all the drama that went down? Fingers crossed! 
Odessa A'zion was already playing it cool about being offered the role and then suddenly freaks out because people called her out for not doing her research on the character. I get it, we all make mistakes, but to just quit like that? Not cool, girl 
. And honestly, what's with all the outrage? It's just a casting decision 
. A24's got this, they can find someone who actually gets it 
. And btw, I think Cailee Spaeny sounds like an amazing Percy 
!
The more I think about it, the more I don't think she was right for the part in the first place... and can we talk about how the drama unfolded on social media? 
but honestly, it's kinda weird that she's saying she wasn't serious about playing Zoe in the first place... like, didn't you read the book or something? 
so maybe this will be good for the movie adaptation? 
draw a simple star symbol 
? And to make matters worse, she's basically saying she wasn't even prepared for the character because she had other stuff on her mind 
. Newsflash: if you can't take the time to read the book or learn about the character before committing, maybe don't take the role in the first place? 
#SorryNotSorry - A24 is better than this! They need to do some damage control ASAP 
. Casting calls should come with more info about the role and its cultural significance, especially when it comes to characters of Mexican heritage like Zoe 
. Like, I get it, we all make mistakes and whatnot... but this was kinda last min 