Why You Won’t See Odessa A’Zion Playing the Girl Next Door

“He was super intense,” she continued. “But he’s like, a performer, you know. He’s got to bring the intensity and he’s so good at that. He’s so good. It’s crazy.”

Indeed, the I Love L.A. actress admitted she would even get caught up in his portrayal. 

“We were doing a scene one time and I’m like, ‘Is he for real?’” she added. “And I was like, ‘Oh yeah.’ I forgot we were doing a scene. I was just watching him, he’s so good. He brings that intensity. It works. In real life and on camera, it’s magic.”

But one decision Odessa is less sure of when it comes to reality vs. acting is how her mom Pamela Adlon portrayed her family in her semi-autobiographical FX show Better Things, which aired for five seasons from 2016 to 2022. 

While the series was a fictional glimpse into Pamela’s experience as a single mom raising Odessa, as well as sisters Gideon Adlon and Valentine Adlon, in Hollywood, Odessa has no interest in fact-checking her mom’s work. 

“I won’t watch it,” she admitted. “So, I don’t know. I don’t think so all the way. I know it’s from her brain so it’s probably not super specific.”

For more stars on the Actor Awards 2026 red carpet, keep reading…