Odessa A'Zion drops out of Sean Durkin's 'Deep Cuts' adaptation

Odessa A’Zion (Marty Supreme) revealed, via her Instagram story, that she left Sean Durkin’s upcoming adaptation of ‘Deep Cuts’.

Earlier this morning, Odessa A’Zion pulled out of the project following a large online backlash. A’Zion posted a statement on her Instagram story, found here, that read, “Guys!! I am with ALL of you and I am NOT doing this movie. F-ck that. I’m OUT“. Drew Starkey (Queer) and Cailee Spaeny (Alien: Romulus) remain attached to the project.

The backlash related to the Mexican heritage of the character Zoe Gutierrez in the original book, whom Durkin cast A’Zion as. Fans of the book felt that casting a non-Mexican actress in the role of Zoe was an irreconcilable mistake.

Afterwards, posts on her Instagram stories clarified A’Zion’s position. She stated, “THANK YOU guys for bringing this to my attention. I AGREE WITH EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU! This is why I love you guys.” A’Zion went on to apologise for the mistake, saying, “I’m so so sorry that this happened. It is SO important for me to let you in on how it all went down: 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 more attention to all aspects of Zoe before accepting“.

Odessa A’Zion clarified the mistake made in her casting.

Additionally, Odessa A’Zion stated, “I’d never take a role from someone else that’s meant to do it. That SHOULD do it! That’s not me. There are a plentitude of people more than capable of playing this role and I am NOT one of them. I can’t wait to see who it ends up being”.

Furthermore, A’Zion made it clear that she didn’t get time to re-read the script, and clocked her name. That’s all that’s mentioned in the script when I just finally did”. The statement highlights that actors often don’t receive a full character synopsis before an audition, and therefore lack key context about the role they’re auditioning for.

The project, produced by A24, has already experienced casting issues. Saoirse Ronan and Austin Butler were first cast as leads, but dropped out due to scheduling issues. Eli Bush, Ronald Bronstein, and Josh Safdie are producing the film alongside Durkin, Anthony Katagas, and Jordan Tappis.