After a week of online backlash, actor Odessa A’zion announced last Wednesday that she has dropped out of Sean Durkin’s A24 film Deep Cuts.
Deep Cuts adapts Holly Brickley’s 2025 novel of the same name. Set in the 2000s, the story follows two music-obsessed twentysomethings navigating ambition, belonging, and adulthood during a formative decade.
The controversy erupted after A’zion’s casting was announced, with readers noting that Zoe Gutierrez, the character she was set to play, is described as Mexican and Jewish. Because A’zion is not Mexican, critics argued the role was miscast, a sentiment that quickly spread once it became widely known that the 25-year-old actor, who is white, had been attached to the part.
One viral post (now deleted) crystallized the anger surrounding the decision:
“Casting a white woman to play a Mexican [role] at a time when Latinos in this country are afraid to leave their houses for fear of their government kidnapping them is so gross.”
As the conversation widened, users resurfaced comments from Latina actors about the long-standing difficulty of booking roles in Hollywood. Alexa Demie, who rose to prominence playing Maddy on Euphoria, previously discussed representation during a 2020 appearance on the A24 Podcast.
Demie reflected on her early career and the industry’s narrow casting standards:
“I wasn’t booking anything ever. It was really hard, especially because I feel like a lot of the lead roles I would go out for would go to a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl. Even for Maddy, I think some people saw her as that… You never see mixed or Latin girl as a lead.”
By Wednesday night, A’zion addressed the controversy directly, announcing via Instagram Stories that she was exiting the project. She explained that she had originally auditioned for a different role and said she had not been fully aware of Zoe’s identity when she accepted the part.
A’zion addressed fans directly in her Instagram statement:
“Guys!! I am with ALL of you and I am NOT doing this movie… F--k that. I’M OUT. lemme make myself clear… THANK YOU guys for bringing this to my attention. I AGREE WITH EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU! This is why I love you guys.”
She later clarified that she had not read the novel prior to accepting the role and said she should have paid closer attention to the character’s background.
The actor emphasized her stance on representation and casting integrity:
“I’d never take a role from someone else that’s meant to do it. That SHOULD do it! That’s not me.”
The decision came during a high-profile moment in A’zion’s career. In the 2025 film Marty Supreme, she plays Rachel Mizler, the sharp and fiercely loyal partner-in-crime to Timothée Chalamet’s ping-pong-playing grifter. Her performance in the 1950s-set drama earned her a Best Supporting Actress nomination and helped cement her status as a rising presence in Hollywood.
She has also appeared in the HBO series I Love LA.
You can view her Instagram Stories post below:
@odessaazion/Instagram
@odessaazion/Instagram
@odessaazion/Instagram
Other key roles in Deep Cuts are set to be played by Cailee Spaeny as Percy and Drew Starkey as Joe. The adaptation was previously developed with Saoirse Ronan and Austin Butler attached, though both later exited due to scheduling conflicts.
The timing of A’zion’s casting and subsequent exit amid the current political climate in the United States further intensified the response. Melissa Barrera also issued an impassioned Instagram statement addressing systemic barriers in the industry.
Barrera addressed the historical imbalance in access and opportunity:
“For the longest time the only people that had the access or were given opportunities to create were white people. And so white creators would write stories about white characters (with MAYBE some POC side characters) Makes sense, and no shade to that: people should write about their own experiences. (Also I love white people, some of y’all are really cool.) But yes shade because, unfortunately that meant that POC were shut out of the industry.”
Barrera is currently starring opposite Simu Liu in Peacock’s The Copenhagen Test and has several upcoming projects, including In the Cradle of Granite, The Collaboration, and Renny Harlin’s survival thriller Black Tides.
She concluded her statement with a direct call for accountability in casting:
“So in 2026 if there are 1000 roles out there for actors. And 50 of those are written for Latinos. LATINOS should play them. There SHOULD be more. No doubt. But there aren’t. And until there are and we don’t have to have this conversation. Give Latinos the Latino roles!”
Her Instagram posts can be seen here:
@melissabarreram/Instagram
@melissabarreram/Instagram
Following A’zion’s announcement, many social media users praised her decision to step away from the role, framing it as a rare example of accountability in a casting controversy.
Others used the moment to spotlight Latina actors they believe should be considered for roles like Zoe Gutierrez, sharing casting recommendations and urging studios to prioritize Mexican and Latina talent earlier in the process rather than responding only after backlash.
You can view the reactions to A’zion’s announcement here:
The situation has also drawn comparisons to Jacob Elordi’s casting as Heathcliff in Emerald Fennell’s upcoming adaptation of Wuthering Heights, which sparked similar outrage given the character’s description in Emily Brontë’s original novel.
Amid the debate, more than 100 Latino creatives signed an open letter to Hollywood following the controversy surrounding Deep Cuts.
The letter directly addressed the industry’s decision-making failures:
“Recent casting decisions around the character Zoe Gutierrez in A 24’s ‘Deep Cuts’ have exposed a troubling pattern. We acknowledge and commend Odessa A’zion for listening, reflecting and deciding to exit the project and become an ally. Yet how did this happen?”
The letter calls for increased Latino representation in development, casting, and non-stereotypical leading roles. Its signatories include Eva Longoria, John Leguizamo, Xochitl Gomez, Danny Ramirez, Gina Rodriguez, Gloria Calderon Kellett, Jessica Alba, and others.
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