Odessa A’zion Exits “Deep Cuts” Movie After Casting Backlash, Forcing a Fast Recast of Zoe as Percy and Joe’s Story Moves Ahead

Odessa A’zion has stepped away from the upcoming film adaptation of Deep Cuts following online backlash over her casting as Zoe Gutierrez, a character described in the novel as having Mexican and Jewish heritage. The decision, announced in a public message to her followers on Wednesday, January 28, 2026 (ET), lands just as the production was ramping up toward a planned February start for filming.

The exit instantly turns a buzzy literary adaptation into a high-pressure casting scramble. It also reopens a broader industry argument that has only intensified in recent years: when a story explicitly codes a character’s identity, audiences increasingly expect the casting to match that identity, especially when underrepresented communities are involved.

What is “Deep Cuts” and who are Percy and Zoe?

Deep Cuts is a 2025 novel by Holly Brickley set across the early 2000s, built around a messy, intimate friendship triangle that slowly bends into romance and rivalry. The book’s core relationship is between Percy Marks, a music-obsessed critic with an unusually sharp ear for what makes a song hit, and Joe, a musician navigating ambition, insecurity, and the brutal math of making art in public.

Zoe is the connective tissue and the complication: a close friend whose presence shapes what Percy and Joe allow themselves to want, and when. In the book, identity is not just decoration. It informs how characters move through scenes, how they’re perceived, and how they protect themselves inside creative spaces that can be welcoming one moment and punishing the next.

For the film, Cailee Spaeny is set to play Percy, and Drew Starkey is set to play Joe.

Why Odessa A’zion’s casting drew criticism

The backlash centered on authenticity. Fans argued that casting a performer who is not Mexican in a role written as Mexican and Jewish felt like a step backward for representation, particularly for a character whose background is not incidental.

A’zion, who has spoken publicly about being Jewish, acknowledged the criticism and announced she would leave the project. She also indicated she initially pursued a different role and accepted Zoe without having fully understood the character’s specifics, then reversed course once the concerns became clear.

The controversy intensified as an alleged private exchange circulated online suggesting the character’s heritage might be altered in the adaptation. That claim has not been independently verified in full, but the mere possibility acted like gasoline: it shifted the debate from “questionable casting” to “potential erasure,” which tends to trigger a faster and more unified response from readers.

Sean Durkin’s “Deep Cuts” movie now faces a tight production clock

Director Sean Durkin is known for grounded, character-driven filmmaking where tension comes from relationships and power dynamics rather than spectacle. That sensibility is a natural fit for Deep Cuts, which depends on emotional precision: jealousy that isn’t shouted, affection that isn’t stated, and longing that’s half hidden behind taste, talent, and timing.

But that same realism creates a practical constraint. A role like Zoe can’t be treated as interchangeable without changing the texture of the story. If the production intends to keep its planned start, the team will need to move quickly on recasting while also ensuring the choice holds up under scrutiny from readers who already demonstrated they will organize, amplify, and pressure in real time.

Behind the headline: incentives, stakeholders, and the real risk for the film

Context matters here. Book-to-film adaptations now launch into an environment where audiences often know the characters intimately before a single frame is shot. That flips the old power structure: casting is no longer just an industry decision, it’s part of the public contract with fans.

Incentives are pulling in different directions:

• The production has an incentive to maintain schedule and momentum, because delays can cascade into availability and budget problems.

• Fans have an incentive to push for casting that reflects the character’s identity, because this is one of the few moments where they can influence outcomes.

• The author has an incentive to protect the book’s integrity while also recognizing how limited creative control can be once an adaptation is underway.

Stakeholders extend beyond the cast. A casting controversy can affect marketing, awards positioning, and even the tone of the eventual release. A project can be technically strong and still arrive under a cloud of mistrust if audiences believe key choices signaled disrespect.

Second-order effects are already visible: the industry watches how quickly a production responds, and whether it treats backlash as a nuisance or as a legitimate signal about audience expectations.

What we still don’t know

Several key details will determine how this story settles:

• Whether the film will adjust its timeline or stay on track for a February production start

• Whether the adaptation will preserve Zoe’s background as written, or revise it in ways that change the character’s meaning

• Who will be cast as Zoe, and whether the choice is framed as a course correction or simply a replacement

• How much of the book’s identity-specific context remains intact once the screenplay is finalized

What happens next: likely scenarios and triggers

1. Rapid recast and move forward if the production finds a new Zoe quickly and signals that the character remains true to the book. Trigger: a casting announcement that satisfies the core authenticity concern.

2. Short delay to stabilize if the team decides it needs time to rebuild trust and avoid another misstep. Trigger: schedule pressure colliding with reputational risk.

3. Script and character adjustments become the next fight if any change suggests dilution of Zoe’s heritage. Trigger: leaks or early reporting about story revisions.

4. The conversation shifts back to the story if a strong recast lands and attention returns to Percy and Joe’s music-world romance. Trigger: a widely praised casting choice and a clear communication strategy.

For now, the immediate headline is simple: Odessa A’zion is out, and Deep Cuts has to replace Zoe fast. The bigger story is what this episode signals about adaptation culture in 2026: identity on the page is no longer easily “adjusted” on screen without a loud, organized response—and productions are learning that lesson in public.