Whitewashing controversy over Odessa A’zion starring in Sean Durkin’s film ‘Deep Cuts’ explored as actress pulls out of the project

Actress Odessa A’zion has announced that she will no longer be starring in Sean Durkin’s Deep Cuts. According to The Wrap, she faced whitewashing allegations for her character, who was half-Mexican and half-Jewish. Social media users felt that she was not the right fit for the part, as other Mexican actresses could have taken it up.

When the news of Odessa joining the cast came about, an X user @Cash12X wrote:

“Melissa 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’ve used the opportunity to play a MEXICAN woman in this film over white girl Odessa A’Zion.”

Meanwhile, another netizen @itchyhaybitchy mentioned that many talented and passionate Mexican actors were still waiting for their big chance. They felt upset and discouraged seeing a white woman get that opportunity instead, especially because of the current political situation.

Taking to her Instagram stories, the actress said that she would not be doing the movie. She wrote:

“THANK YOU guys for bringing this to my attention. I AGREE WITH EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU! This is why I love you guys. 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... and now that I know what I know??? F*ck that! IM OUT.”

Odessa A’zion thanked everyone for bringing the issue to her light

Odessa A’zion said that she would never take a role that was meant for someone else. She believed many other people were more suitable for the role and felt she was not the right person for it. She also said she was excited to see who would eventually be chosen. In the subsequent story, she explained:

“I 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 f*ck thattttttt y'all never again!”

She went on to say:

“Ive been so busy with other work I was trying to carve out a time to re read, I wish I found that time sooner and clocked her name. That's all that's mentioned in the script when I just finally did. Thank you thank you THANK YOU GUYS FOR LETTING ME KNOW!!!”

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According to Odessa A’zion, she hasn’t read the book yet. The script is based on the characters Percy and Joe. When she initially read it, that was the main focus. She mentioned that she wanted to be in a different role. However, knowing the real reason, she noted that she won’t take on the role.

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