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Odessa A’zion<\/a> has been at the center of fierce social media discourse for the past few days, and it doesn\u2019t look like it\u2019s going to die down anytime soon \u2014 even after she issued a passionate response.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n In case you missed it, earlier this week, it was announced that 25-year-old Odessa, who is white, had been cast in Sean Durkin\u2019s movie adaptation of the novel Deep Cuts<\/i>, where she would play a character named Zoe Gutierrez, who is Mexican.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n This casting decision sparked immediate backlash, with Odessa being heavily criticized for whitewashing the character, as well as for taking a role away from a Latina actor. In addition, the timing of this decision amid the current political climate across the United States did not go unchecked, with one viral tweet reading<\/a>: \u201cCasting a white woman to play a Mexican tole at a time when Latinos in this country are afraid to leave their houses for fear of their government kidnapping them is so gross.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cand i can tell you right now there are thousands of beautiful, talented and passionate mexican actors out there waiting for their big break\u2026to see a white woman steal that opportunity in the current political climate is not only disgusting but also disheartening,\u201d another tweeted<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThis makes me think of Danny Ramirez\u2019s tweets a few years back<\/a> about losing a Latino role to a white actor whose casting resulted in rewrites to the character\u2019s ethnicity. It\u2019s infuriating how much of Hollywood sees us as disposable,\u201d somebody else added<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n One more wrote<\/a>: \u201cmelissa barrera<\/a> was right fucking there. a MEXICAN actress for a MEXICAN role. but yeah sure let\u2019s just rewrite her to be white for a white actress!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cMelissa Barrera and Eiza Gonzalez are two actress who were both born and raised in Mexico. Both have name recognition in their respective genres and both could\u2019ve used the opportunity to play a MEXICAN woman in this film over white girl Odessa A\u2019Zion,\u201d another echoed<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n And on that note, others remembered quotes from Latina actors about how hard it can be to book roles, including Alexa Demie<\/a>, who shot to fame playing Maddy in Euphoria<\/i><\/a>, and said on the A24 Podcast<\/i><\/a> in 2020: \u201cI wasn\u2019t 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\u2026 You never see mixed or Latin girl as a lead.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Reposting Alexa\u2019s quote, an incredibly popular tweet reads<\/a>: \u201cOdessa should not have auditioned for and\/or accepted that role for Deep Cuts. I have no idea what the movie even is or the book, but if the book\u2019s character was latina, that shouldn\u2019t be erased. I\u2019m tired of this ‘don\u2019t blame the actor’ BS when some of them are plenty aware.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cAlexa demie was so right Because why is Odessa playing a Mexican character?\u201d somebody else asked<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Melissa Barrera also issued an impassioned Instagram statement about representation in Hollywood amid the growing discourse. She wrote, in part: \u201cFor 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\u2019all are really cool.) But yes shade because, unfortunately that meant that POC were shut out of the industry.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cFOR THE LONGEST TIME even the POC side characters in white stories were played by white actors because white actors would be the ones with access (and because racism). And therefore they were the ones that became working actors, and that became the norm,\u201d Melissa went on, later explaining: \u201cPOCs get, let\u2019s say there are ten lanes, they get ONE, to share, amongst all POCs. Why???? Idk man\u2026. Anyway That\u2019s how the system is designed. That\u2019s what we are allocated. And NO, it\u2019s not in any\u2028way proportional to the population, or ticket sales, or any other counter argument you may have.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cSo 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\u2019t. And until there are and we don\u2019t have to have this conversation. Give Latinos the Latino roles!\u201d she concluded.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n And finally, on Wednesday night, Odessa herself responded, issuing an Instagram statement of her own as she announced that she will be dropping out of the project. She also explained that she had originally auditioned for a different character.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cGuys!! I am with ALL of you and I am NOT doing this movie,\u201d she began. \u201cfuck that. I\u2019m OUT. lemme make myself clear\u2026 THANK YOU guys for bringing this to my attention. I AGREE WITH EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU! This is why I love you guys.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI am 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!\u201d Odessa went on. \u201cI\u2019m so pissed y\u2019all, I hadn\u2019t read the book and should have paid more attention to all aspects of Zoe before accepting\u2026 and now that I know what I know??? Fuck that! IM OUT.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI\u2019d never take a role from someone else that\u2019s meant to do it. That SHOULD do it! That\u2019s not me,\u201d she added. \u201cThere are a plentitude of people more than capable of playing this role and I am NOT one of them. I can\u2019t wait to see who it ends up being.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI was so excited I just said hell yeah cause I knew how much I loved the story so I was just down to be a part of it, and so excited to work with this group of people! But fuck thatttttttttt y\u2019all never again!\u201d Odessa continued. \u201cIve been so busy with other work I was trying to carve out a time to read, I wish I found that time sooner and clocked her name. That\u2019s all that\u2019s mentioned in the script when I just finally did. Thank you thank you THANK YOU GUYS FOR LETTING ME KNOW!!!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cStill haven\u2019t read the book but the story in the script is focused on Percy and Joe, so of course on my initial read that was my main focus as well,\u201d she explained. \u201cI was happy to be involved as a different role, but I just can not do it knowing more about Zoe now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n And through all of this, people can\u2019t help but compare the situation to Jacob Elordi\u2019s<\/a> divisive casting in Emerald Fennell\u2019s upcoming adaptation of Wuthering Heights<\/i>. If you missed the drama, the internet was left outraged when Jacob, who is white, was cast as Heathcliff, who is repeatedly described as \u201cdark-skinned\u201d in Emily Bront\u00eb\u2019s original novel.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n One person wrote<\/a>: \u201cI wish filmtwt treated Jacob Elordi the same way they did Odessa, he deserves all the lashings too,\u201d while another pointed out<\/a>: \u201cJacob Elordi had plenty of time to respond to Wuthering Heights backlash the same way Odessa A\u2019zion handled the Deep Cuts situation. He didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cJacob Elordi can still function and have his career after taking that race swapped wuthering heights role in this modern age but Odessa can\u2019t after she\u2019s dropped out and apologized ???\u201d somebody else said<\/a> in response to those who are still criticizing Odessa after her statement.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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