One of Hollywood’s up-and-coming actresses is Odessa A’zion, a Jewish actress who was born and raised in Los Angeles to actress Pamela Segall Adlon and German director Felix Adlon. After steadily building her career since her early teens, she’s now stepping into major roles that are turning heads in both film and television.
She stars in Josh Safdie’s film “Marty Supreme” as Rachel Mizler, a married Jewish woman who has an affair with her childhood friend Marty, and in the new HBO series “I Love LA” as Tallulah Stiel, a chaotic, self-centered yet loyal influencer whose reappearance disrupts the life and career of her former best friend, Maia (played by Rachel Sennott). Tallulah serves as a force of disruption, navigating her own ambitions in Los Angeles while often unintentionally hurting those around her.
The past year has been especially busy for the 25-year-old actress, and it likely marked her biggest one yet, as she appeared alongside some of the industry’s biggest names, including Timothée Chalamet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Fran Drescher and Rachel Sennott.
Although she began acting at 15 on “Better Things,” a series created by and staring her mother, A’zion remains humble and genuinely thrilled about landing a leading role in a Safdie film. “It wasn’t like they came and presented it to me and said, ‘Hey, do you want to do this?’ I had to send my tape, do an improv and then do an interview and then another tape,” she said. “If I had to do one scene only, I would be happy to be a part of it. I was beside myself that I even got to audition for it. Then, when I was able to read the script, I was like, ‘OMG, this is insane. Timothée is such an incredible actor, I was beside myself that I even got to audition for it.”
The A24 film had a strong opening during the Christmas weekend, setting records for the studio with a limited debut, projecting strong overall numbers against major releases like “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” revealing it as a major hit for the holidays. On its opening day, “Marty” took in $9.5 million, including $2 million in Wednesday previews.
“I grew up Jewish; I didn’t know what day Christmas was until this movie and only then learned that it falls on December 25 because that’s the date the film opens. I thought it falls on December 22 and because Hanukkah is celebrated on a different day every year, I thought that it’s the same with Christmas.”
Adlon, A’zion’s mother, is an award-winning actress who began her Hollywood career with a role in “Grease 2” and has since appeared in television series including “The Big Bang Theory” and “Young Sheldon.” A’zion’s older sister, Gideon, is also an actress.
Both of A’zion’s grandfathers were involved in filmmaking. Her maternal grandfather, Don Segall, was a writer-producer, while her paternal grandfather was New German Cinema director Percy Adlon.
Speaking about her two recent roles, A’zion said they could not be more different from one another. “Even though Rachel and I are very different people, I really related to her. She felt very personal to me — almost like my kid or my sister — and I wanted to protect her. I understood why she was doing what she was doing. With Tallulah, it was harder in a way because she is so different from me. She pushed me out of my comfort zone, from the clothes she wears to being such a girl. They’re completely different characters, but I loved doing both.”
How do you usually approach a character?
“I feel like I’m, like, not a real actor. I just go and see what happens, you know? I think just bouncing off of the people around you and the energy around you and seeing what they do, and then just trying to make it work altogether, at least for me. Maybe one day I’ll go into it with like, okay, this is exactly what I’m going to do. There’s definitely sometimes where before you do the scene, there are moments that, at least for me, that I want to hit. I hope it worked.”
You’ve played very different roles, and each one feels distinct. How do you look at the range of work you’ve done so far?
“I’m really grateful for all the work I’ve done — it’s how I got here. Every job matters because it leads you to the next one, even the ones you take just to keep working. I’ve learned something from each experience about what works for me and what doesn’t. You don’t always get to choose, but I’m excited to show up and do the work, and I’m especially happy to be part of ‘Marty.’”
Marty is very determined to succeed in the ping-pong world, did you relate to his drive?
“I always feel a little weird talking about it, but definitely. I think everyone has a goal in their mind and dreams big. I could relate to that — maybe I’m not as loud about it as Marty is. Definitely not as loud, but I do have that feeling in me. I know this is what I want to do, so how do I get there? What do I do to make it happen? How can I push myself, or convince the people around me, so I can stay on a path I really care about.”
Does it feel like you’ve gotten there with this role of Rachel?
“Yeah. I’m just happy that I was able to do the movie. I feel like I won with that. I don’t need to do anything else ever.”
Both “Marty Supreme” and “I Love LA” are so tied to their cities — New York and Los Angeles. Since “I Love LA” takes place in the city you grew up in, what do you love most about LA?
“I love the weather and the palm trees. It’s beachy, cozy and there is space. I also love New York but I can’t cram myself into a shoebox apartment, I’ll feel way too claustrophobic and it’s so expensive, the price that you pay for a little shoebox. Here you get a lot more space. and I have a giant-ass dog who needs a backyard. He’s 135 pounds.”
What’s next for you in 2026?
“Our show [‘I Love LA’] was picked up, which I still can’t believe — just after the third episode. I also landed another project that I’m really excited about but can’t share yet, and there’s one more in January that’s a very quick shoot. Other than that, I have most of the year open, and who knows? I’d love to work on more projects — whatever Josh and Ronnie [Ronald Bronstein, co-writer of ‘Marty Supreme’] want to do next, I’m there if they’ll have me. I’m like, take me, I’m yours.”
