Odessa A’zion on Her Breakout Fall in I Love LA and Marty Supreme

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Everyone’s talking about how dedicated Timothée Chalamet was to playing Marty Mauser in Marty Supreme, and honestly, it shows. But I just learned that Odessa A’zion really went all-in for her role too! It’s cool to see both actors so committed to bringing this movie to life.

Timothée Chalamet actually wore contacts that made his vision worse, just to make the glasses his character wore feel more authentic. But for A’zion, she went to extreme lengths to embody her role – she wanted to truly feel pregnant and restricted. She wore two corsets and even added weights around her chest and inside the prosthetic belly. This caused her to develop blisters under her breasts after long days of filming. She also cut her hair for the part and unfortunately had an allergic reaction to the hair dye.

I completely understand what he went through, because I experienced something similar. We were both pushing our bodies in unhealthy ways.

For almost ten years, Timothée Chalamet has been considered the quintessential young heartthrob, but in this intense historical drama, Maya A’zion rivals him in impact. She plays Rachel Mizler, a friend and former lover of the main character, Marty, who finds herself unexpectedly pregnant and trapped in a difficult marriage while Marty pursues his dreams around the world. However, Rachel isn’t overshadowed by Marty’s larger-than-life personality; she confidently establishes herself as equally ambitious and spirited. Since its premiere at the New York Film Festival in October, the film, set to release on Christmas, is already generating significant Oscar buzz.

A’zion is quickly becoming a rising star, with her role as Tallulah marking her second significant part this year. She first gained attention in the HBO comedy I Love LA, which is finishing its first season soon. In the show, she plays Tallulah, a spontaneous social media influencer who sometimes steals things, but is also surprisingly innocent. While A’zion and Tallulah are very different – Tallulah embodies the hopes and struggles of Gen Z, while A’zion’s character lives in the 1950s – A’zion portrays them with distinct voices: a trendy vocal fry for Tallulah and a New York accent for Rachel. Despite these differences, both characters share a vibrant, free-spirited energy that seems to be a signature of A’zion herself, who is increasingly being recognized as a popular and exciting personality.

I met A’zion, who’s only 25, at the restaurant in the Bowery Hotel on a really cold day in December, and she immediately struck me as effortlessly cool. She had this edgy look – a nose ring and a huge leather coat with a fluffy collar – that reminded me a little of Penny Lane from Almost Famous, but with a totally modern, Instagram-worthy vibe. Despite looking so put-together, she was surprisingly sweet and a little shy. Instead of shaking my hand, she went in for a hug, and she was constantly fidgeting with her fingers. It was so kind of her to even compliment my hair, especially considering how gorgeous her own curls are – they’ve gone viral on TikTok!

A’zion shared that she was worried because her project and the releases of Marty and I Love LA were all scheduled to happen around the same time.

She understands people can get tired of seeing the same face everywhere. She worried about overexposure with both the show and the movie coming out at the same time, and didn’t want to overwhelm audiences.

A’zion’s success wasn’t sudden; it’s the result of a lifelong dream. She began acting at 15, knowing she wanted a career in performing for as long as she can remember. While she can’t name a single movie or show that first inspired her, she explains that watching performances alone naturally led her to practice and aspire to do the same. “I was inspired by everything,” she says.

A’zion was eager to begin her career, but she was advised to wait. She’s the daughter of Pamela Adlon, the actor and writer behind the FX show Better Things, which draws heavily from Adlon’s own life. A’zion prefers not to discuss her family, and clarifies that “A’zion” is actually her middle name, “Zion.”

“It’s just my name,” she says. “I don’t even know how to explain it.” 

I’ve been watching A’zion’s career for a while, and honestly, she feels like she’s really hitting her stride now. It’s like all her experience is finally coming together and she’s truly blossoming as an actress.

Playing Marty Supreme felt like a dream come true. It was the role I’d always imagined for myself, and I finally got to bring it to life.

A’zion was first noticed by Jennifer Venditti, the casting director for Marty, after auditioning for the second season of Euphoria. Although Euphoria‘s creator, Sam Levinson, didn’t choose her for that role, he later worked with her on a project that was ultimately cancelled. However, Levinson suggested her to the Safdie brothers, who were initially concerned she might be too young for the part.

I had to put it behind me and just keep working hard, going to auditions, and striving to find opportunities and make things happen.

Several months later, Venditti contacted A’zion again. A’zion was already working on the set of the horror film Until Dawn, but she fully committed to the audition. It included a three-minute improv section and an interview where Safdie asked her personal questions about her life. She even had to re-record the interview because Safdie’s wife, Jen, thought the first one didn’t go well. Jen encouraged her, saying she really believed A’zion was perfect for the part and wanted to make sure she had the best chance.

A’zion immediately made an impression on Rachel. “She’s a force of nature,” Rachel explains. “She’s incredibly intelligent, very strategic, knows how to play the game, and also has a strong sense of imagination.”

Tallulah was harder for A’zion to understand. One reason was her bold and revealing style of dress, though she eventually became more comfortable with it.

She explained that she deliberately aimed for a style completely unlike Odessa’s. She adjusted her voice and, of course, her fashion choices were very different. While Tallulah favors revealing, tight-fitting outfits, A’zion prefers looser, more relaxed looks inspired by men’s clothing that still appear polished.

A’zion enjoys living in Los Angeles, but it feels strange to say that now, as it sounds like she’s referencing the name of her TV show.

She believes people are generally wonderful, despite the negative stereotypes they sometimes get. She thinks if you encounter bad ones, it’s simply because you’re associating with the wrong crowd – people like that can be found anywhere. She actually spent time with even worse people when she briefly attended boarding school in Germany before starting her acting career, an experience she describes as “traumatizing.”

Tallulah seems like a modern young woman, while A’zion feels like an old soul with a love for classic bands like ABBA and Led Zeppelin. She excitedly shows me a Spotify playlist she created, using songs by artists like Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan, and the Bee Gees to chart the ups and downs of a relationship. A’zion’s playlist for Tallulah, however, features more music she enjoyed as a teenager – artists like J. Cole, Gwen Stefani, and Kanye West.

A’zion is a talented musician in addition to being an actress. When she’s not filming, she writes and plays her own music, and she’s planning to release her songs in 2026.

She explained that she’s working to refine her music until she’s truly satisfied with it. While she has released music before, she doesn’t feel it fully captures her artistic vision.

She wants to keep playing strong, complex, and interesting female characters, similar to Rachel. It was tough adjusting after working on Marty, and for a brief time, she even feared her career was finished.

She recalls thinking she’d never experience anything so amazing again. It reminded her of the core of the movie – Marty pursuing his dream, because it felt like her dream too.

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2025-12-22 15:07