The Last of Us actress Ariela Barer will star in Sean Durkin‘s Deep Cuts, replacing Odessa A’zion following backlash to her original casting.
Barer will portray Zoe Gutierrez, a character featured in Holly Brickley’s 2023 novel, which the film is based on. In the book, Zoe is described as half Mexican and half Jewish, which sparked controversy when A’zion was first cast in the role.
The actress celebrated her casting on her Instagram Stories on Tuesday, writing, “SO excited to be a part of this special project with such special people.” In a separate post, Barer also shared praise to A’zion: “A genuine major shoutout to @odessaazion for always leading with integrity and being an absolute real one for as long as I’ve known her.”
The Marty Supreme star announced she was dropping out of the A24 film in late January. She explained that she “hadn’t read the book” and originally went after the role of music critic Percy, which will be played by Cailee Spaeny (Priscilla) opposite Drew Starkey (Queer, Outer Banks).
“Guys!! I am with ALL of you and I am NOT doing this movie,” A’zion wrote on Instagram at the time. “Fuck that. I’m OUT.” She then elaborated: “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 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???”
Amid backlash to A’zion’s casting and after she dropped the role, over 100 Latino actors, artists and storytellers signed an open letter urging Hollywood to increase Latino voices across all avenues of the entertainment industry. Among the signees were Eva Longoria, John Leguizamo and Xochitl Gomez.
“Recent casting decisions around the character Zoe Gutierrez in A24’s Deep Cuts have exposed a troubling pattern. We acknowledge and commend Odessa A’zion for listening, reflecting and deciding to exit the project and become an ally. Yet how did this happen?” the letter read in part. “The absence of Latina audition opportunities, and the choice to replace a clearly Latina character with a non-Latina actress, signals a broader, ongoing erasure of our community from the stories that define our culture. This is not about any one actor or project. It is about a system that repeatedly overlooks qualified Latino talent even as our identities, histories, and experiences fuel the most enduring stories.”
Deep Cuts, which is set in the 2000s, is described as a love story about two music-obsessed twenty-somethings navigating the messy realities of ambition, belonging and adulthood over the course of an era-defining decade.
Durkin will write, direct and produce, while Central’s Eli Bush, Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie, Anthony Katagas, Jordan Tappis and A24 will also produce. Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and producer Blake Mills will create the film’s original music.
Barer is represented by OPE Partners, Paradigm, ID and Felker Toczek Suddleson McGinnis Ryan LLP.