She has over 1 million followers on Instagram, a stacked filmography and an iconic Jewish comedian as a mom. Odessa A’zion is clearly a young Jewish actress with star power. And we’re about to be seeing a lot more of her, as she’s recently been cast in projects alongside the likes of Timothée Chalamet and Rachel Sennott.
So, without further ado, here are 18 things to know about her.
1. Odessa was born on June 17, 2000 in Los Angeles.
2. She’s a Gemini!
3. Her given name is Odessa Zion Segall Adlon.
4. Odessa has a very notable family! She is the middle child of Jewish comedian and actress Pamela Adlon and German director Felix Adlon. Her older sister is actress Gideon Adlon. Her maternal grandfather was Jewish writer-producer Don Segall and her paternal grandfather was New German Cinema director Percy Adlon.
Here’s Odessa with her sisters being absolutely adorable:
5. In Odessa’s case, having family in Hollywood wasn’t a total leg up in the industry.
“I wanted to [act] when I was younger, but my family didn’t let me,” she told Teen Vogue in 2020. “When I was 15, I went and got an agent and just started doing it on my own.”
6. Still, her first-ever role on TV was in her mother’s sitcom “Better Things” as Defiance. It’s likely through the show that Odessa is friends with Jewish Academy Award-winner Mikey Madison.
7. She attended Charter High School of the Arts in Los Angeles.
8. Music has always been a part of Odessa’s life. She learned how to play guitar and piano and began writing songs as a teen to perform with her band Dessa.
“How does one not get into music?” she asked in an interview. “Music is everywhere. It’s unavoidable. You can’t get away from it.”
9. Arguably, Odessa’s breakout role was in the short-lived Netflix teen drama “Grand Army.”
A’zion received praise for her performance, with Teen Vogue writing, “As the show’s brazen ‘It’ girl Joey Del Marco, the 21-year-old actor delivers a transcendent performance of a young woman navigating the traumatic aftermath of a sexual assault. She imbues Joey’s fiery, fearless spirit with heart-rending fragility, painting a portrait of teenage pain so real it feels created almost from memory.”
You can watch the entire first episode below:
10. She really knows how to stack a Star of David necklace.
11. She has released music under the stage name bugzbee. Her most recent track is a single entitled “helpless.”
12. Fans and tabloids have been speculating for years about whether or not Odessa is dating actor Drew Starkey. Per Cosmopolitan, it’s unclear whether or not they are dating or have dated.
13. That said, Odessa might be queer — if this 2021 New Year’s selfie posted to Instagram with the caption “Happy Jew Queer” is indicative of anything.
14. She celebrates Passover!
15. At one point in 2020, Odessa had 10 pets: four dogs, three cats, two snakes and an iguana.
16. Odessa has starred in multiple horror movies! Her resume includes the “Hellraiser” reboot, “The Inhabitant” and “Until Dawn.”
17. She voices Olly on “The Tiny Chef Show.” You can watch the Tiny Chef and Olly make the cutest matzah ball soup in existence here:
18. Odessa has roles in two very big upcoming projects: “Marty Supreme” and HBO’s “Untitled Rachel Sennott Project.”
“THIS IS THE CRAZIEST MOMENT OF MY LIFE,” Odessa said of being cast in the Josh Safdie-directed Timothée Chalamet table tennis movie. “i’m so proud omfg,” Puerto Rican Jewish actress Ariana Greenblatt said in an Instagram comment.
