Odessa A’zion always watches her own movies to see how she can improve.
Odessa A’zion has enjoyed a run of success
The 25-year-old actress has compared her own approach to filmmaking to an athlete preparing for a major sporting occasion.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter after winning the Trophee Chopard, the Female Revelation of the Year award, at the Cannes Film Festival, Odessa explained: “I used to always think that the thing to do was never watch your work because everyone says that, so I wouldn’t. And if I did happen to watch something, I would always think to myself, ‘Oh my God, I f****** suck. What am I doing?’
“Now I’ve learned that it’s important to watch your own stuff. That doesn’t mean that I’m rewatching projects over and over, but I do watch it at least once when it comes out.
“It’s like being an athlete, right? Athletes watch their plays to see what worked and what didn’t work. I feel like acting is the same thing. It’s important to know what works for you and what doesn’t work for your performance, even if it’s just for yourself.”
Odessa has learned some important acting lessons from seeing herself on screen.
The Marty Supreme star said: “From watching myself, I have learned what facial expressions didn’t work and what comes off wrong in the moment.
“While I’m filming, I will only watch playback if I feel like I didn’t get something right or if I need an idea for a certain direction to go toward.”
Odessa starred alongside Timothee Chalamet, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Kevin O’Leary in Marty Supreme, the acclaimed sports comedy-drama film directed by Josh Safdie.
And Odessa – who played Timothee’s on-screen love interest in the movie – admits that the film changed her life.
She said: “Oh my God. I don’t even know how to describe it.
“Josh changed my life. Every director I’ve worked with who believed in me enough to cast me in their project has seen something in me, and I’m so grateful for every single one of them. But it’s a different thing to be a part of a movie like that.”
Odessa feels like the Marty Supreme role was perfect for her.
The Hollywood star said: “It’s hard to talk about without sounding like I’m putting down other things because I’m not. I really am grateful for everything I’ve been a part of, but Marty Supreme feels like something that was written for me without them knowing it. It sounds so cheesy to say.”