For many, the last few months and this holiday season have been an introduction to a seemingly new up-and-coming actress, Odessa A’zion. In some respects, that’s true, but, to be fair, she’s been acting for years. The 25-year-old LA native has had leading roles in Netflix series, Prime Video movies, indie films, and horror movies that have been seen all over the world. And yet, it’s her roles as Tallulah on HBO’s “I Love LA,” and as Rachel Mizler, “Marty Supreme’s” secret girl, that have taken her career to another level.
“I Love LA” just wrapped up its first season and, despite some initially polarizing opinions, may have won over even its LA metro skeptics by the sweet “I miss LA” season finale. As a recent transplant looking to become an even bigger force in the influencer space, Tallulah has taken a gamble on having her on again off again old friend Maia (Rachel Sennott) manage her career. When we spoke yesterday, A’zion still seemed somewhat surprised that “LA” is one of the reasons her popularity has spiked.
“I don’t know. I feel like I’ve been doing this for such a long time, and so many things that I’ve done, it’s like maybe no one’s seen it, or it’s been an indie and doesn’t really go too far,” A’zion says. “Or obviously it’s different just knowing where the show lives. That it lives on HBO. So automatically, it’s going to reach more people. The last time that I had something like that was ‘Grand Army.’ Even after ‘Grand Army’ doing ‘Hellraiser’ and ‘Sitting in Bars with Cake,’ which were on major platforms, Hulu and Amazon, still didn’t reach a crazy amount of people, but I kind of knew that more people were going to see it because it was on HBO. And I think that the show is so fun and funny, and everyone involved is so great. I’m happy that people are seeing it, and I hope that they’re liking it.”
When asked what she thinks might be in store for Tallulah in season two, she smiles and replies, “Ooh, I don’t know, I hope she gets into some more crazy s**t because that’s fun. That’s really fun.”
On the flip side is “Marty,” a seminal showcase for leading man and marketing maestro Timothee Chalamet, which has earned rave reviews (an 89 on Metacritic at posting), a slew of early awards group accolades and mentions, as well as the best limited opening in almost a decade (something even A’zion was unaware of). Her character is integral to Marty’s storyline, but she was effusive in praising director Josh Safdie and her co-stars before giving herself any credit. And you can immediately tell she loves the film, calling the A24 release “a really exhilarating movie. It’s just fun. It feels like you’re going to an amusement park without having to walk around. You just sit in your seat, and you’re on this fun ride. I can’t believe I’m a part of it.”
The first solo effort for Safdie after directing thrillers such as “Good Time” and “Uncut Gems” with his brother Benny, A’zion says she dreamed of working with the New York-based filmmaker for years.
“There’s so many people that I want to work with that I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s a pipe dream. I don’t think it’ll ever happen.’ I was so pleasantly surprised when I heard about the audition, and I’ve auditioned for a million things that I haven’t gotten,” A’zion admits. “I didn’t think it was going to really happen. But yeah, I was so shocked that I was able to send in a tape, and I mean, even more shocked that I was able to do the project when I found out that I got the role.”
Rachel has a big secret in “Marty,” one we won’t spoil, and credits Safdie and co-screenwriter Ronald Bronstein with giving her the backstory she needed to go tete-a-tete with a possessed Chalamet as Rachel’s love interest.
“They always say it’s really important to know the backstory of every character because something that maybe happened to them when they were eight will define what happens to them in this particular scene because that happened,” A’zion says. “So, we knew everything about our characters, which was amazing. Yeah, they told us when Rachel and Marty were younger, they went to go and see ‘King Kong’ together when it came out, and she fell in love with the movies and Fay Ray and all of that. And I usually would, on my own time, think of something, but they just had everything already there and ready to go. If you have any questions about anything, they would know exactly what to tell you, which is really nice.”
At times, viewers may wonder why Rachel, who is stuck in a marriage to the seemingly vindictive Ira (Emory Cohen), would risk everything for Marty, a man whose obsession with dominating the sport of Table Tennis puts people in his orbit in legitimate danger. Moviegoers might think that, but A’zion gets it.
“I think a big thing with her and Marty’s story specifically is that it’s this young love kind of thing,” A’zion says. “And that’s why she sticks with them so hard. And she really, really, really believes in him, I think more than he believes in himself. And she’s really rooting for him. And she sees this life for them together that I think he sees too, but he’s so blinded by the success that he wants, that he wants to achieve that person. All that she wants to do is push him to get there so that she can have him in her life as well.”
A’zion has been in the Oscar conversation for her performance, and in any other year, she might be something of a given for a Supporting Actress nomination. While absolutely possible, this season is one of the most competitive Supporting Actress races in forever. That being said, Safdie gives her several startling moments to shine, the sort of work her next auteur director will covet before casting her.
“I think doing scenes like the hospital scene or the scene right before the hospital scene, those are always really hard and just emotionally [tough] to channel in,” A’zion reveals. “And it always feels a little embarrassing because you’re doing it in front of people, and it’s like you’re very vulnerable. And always when I’m filming those scenes, I’m like, ‘Are you sure we got it? Can we do it again?’ But nothing that I was super concerned about, just that I was anxious about being able to do and hoping that they turned out well.”
She adds, “Things that I was really excited about, though, I was excited about all of it. I was really, really excited to do the black eye scene. I was really, really excited to do the hospital scene too, even though I knew I was going to feel anxious and embarrassed and shy because I do get camera shy sometimes, but it was just, those are the types of scenes that I love to do, even though they’re hard.”
As for her co-star, Chalamet, A’zion says she knew he was an incredible actor from his previous work and that he was going “to be a force.” She adds, “He was super, super locked in and dedicated, and that was really nice to see, but it wasn’t surprising because he’s so good. And I feel like he’s getting the flowers that he really deserves with this film.”
“Marty Supreme” opens nationwide on Christmas Day. “I Love LA” season one is available on HBO Max.
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Editor-at-Large Gregory Ellwood is one of the entertainment industry's most respected journalists and critics. Based in Los Angeles, he's the only current awards expert who previously worked on Oscar campaigns at a major movie studio. Over the years, he has written for the LA Times, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and Vox, among others. He also co-founded the entertainment news site HitFix, which spawned a legion of influential Emmy and WGA Award-winning alumni.
