@pinknews: Odessa A’zion has responded after facing major backlash due to the controversial reveal of her next movie role. The actress was confirmed to be joining the cast of upcoming movie Deep Cuts, an adaptation of the well-loved coming-of-age novel. Odessa was cast in the role of Zoe Gutierrez, who is described as having Mexican heritage in the book, something many fans associate with the character. The casting received intense criticism from fans online, with many pointing out that the 25-year-old star is white and shouldn’t have been cast as or accepted a role originally written for a person of colour. “Sorry but why do they have a white girl with a fake tan playing a latina,” one fan posted. Another said “it’s such a d**k move to not have a mexican poc woman cast in this role.” Now, the star has taken to her Instagram story to respond to the backlash. Revealing that she initially auditioned for the role of Percy, the main female character of the story - who is white in the book - the actress says she was offered the role of Zoe instead without having read the book first. “I hadn’t read the book and should have paid more attention to all aspects of Zoe before accepting,” she said. “I’d never take a role from someone else that’s meant to do it. That SHOULD do it!” she continued. “There are a plentitude of people more than capable of playing this role, and I am NOT one of them.” The actress confirmed that she has now dropped out of the film following the backlash and is excited to see who eventually gets recast in the role. #odessaazion #deepcuts #filmtok #lgbtqia #hollywood

PinkNews 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

Open In TikTok:

Region: GB

Thursday 29 January 2026 17:55:22 GMT