Here’s why the internet is divided over Odessa A’zion’s controversial new acting role

Odessa A’zion is facing backlash online after being cast in the upcoming A24 film Deep Cuts, where she’ll star alongside Drew Starkey, who also happens to be her real-life rumoured boyfriend.

View this post on Instagram

Most Read

Why Elizabeth Smart’s mother Lois wasn’t in the Netflix documentary, and where she is now

These filthy videos of the identical twins who do OnlyFans together are actually too much

LSE student wins pay out over incorrect grade that made her miss Cambridge offer

A post shared by OD (@odessaazion)

The actress, known for her breakout roles in I Love LA and Marty Supreme, has been announced as a lead in the adaptation of Holly Brickley’s novel Deep Cuts, an indie romance set in the early 2000s. According to TheWrap, the film is “a love story about two music-obsessed twenty-somethings navigating the messy realities of ambition, belonging and adulthood over the course of an era-defining decade.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by OD (@odessaazion)

Production is set to begin in February under director Sean Durkin, with Cailee Spaeny also starring. But while the casting news should have been a win for Odessa, it’s instead sparked a major online controversy.

In Brickley’s original novel, Odessa’s character Zoe Gutierrez is described as being half-Jewish and half-Mexican, something the author has emphasized. However, Brickley has also said she had no involvement in the film’s casting, and that the script no longer explicitly includes Zoe’s ethnicity.

why is odessa a zion playing a mexican woman… and in this political climate pic.twitter.com/qmJyPjwjUE

— vanessa says relax (@tiddiepatrol) January 27, 2026

That change hasn’t gone down well.

People have accused the production of whitewashing, arguing that a Latina actress should have been cast instead. Some suggested actresses like Melissa Barrera, while others criticised Hollywood more broadly for sidelining Latina representation yet again.

One viral tweet read: “Odessa thinks those wash n go curls and tan makes her ambiguous. like you are a white woman so idk why you’re playing a mexican… tried telling y’all about her.”

Another person claimed the script was being rewritten “to accommodate her whiteness”, adding that the author allegedly deleted posts after people called out the casting. Holly Brickley has since limited comments on her Instagram after people repeatedly asked for the role to be recast.

odessa zion adlon being cast to play zoe GUTTIEREZ … and ppl said we were tripping when we side-eyed her sudden attempt at racial ambiguity. she played yall and now she gets to play a mexican while actresses like alexa demie contemplate quitting acting due to lack of roles https://t.co/luEsMiVrO7

— taydutchess ☕️ (@taydutchess) January 27, 2026

Even fan pages have taken a stand. Twitter account Odessa A’zion Daily posted a statement saying they did not support the casting, explaining: “As two Latina admins, we will be pausing this account’s activity until further notice. We’re here to state that we do not agree with this casting, specially given the current political state of the US.”

Not everyone is blaming Odessa herself, though. Some people pointed out that casting decisions are ultimately down to agents, directors and studios.

Still, the backlash shows no sign of slowing down, and Deep Cuts hasn’t even started filming yet.

For more like this, like The Tab on Facebook.

Featured image credit: John Salangsang/Shutterstock