ODESSA A'ZION

The emblematic Gen Z cool girl seems poised to become a reluctant celebrity—which made her perfect for director Josh Safdie's latest film, Marty Supreme

- —SAVANNAH WALSH

WILD WILD WEST

Odessa A'zion, photographed on August 7 in Malibu, California. Sweater by Khaite; pants by Loewe; shoes by Valentino Garavani; socks by Comme Si. Throughout: hair products by Leonor Greyl. Following page: Top by Fendi.

Odessa A'zion has a date with Quentin Tarantino. She's planning to see Reservoir Dogs at the New Beverly Cinema, which the filmmaker bought in 2007. But first A'zion must get through her first Vanity Fair photo shoot. Posing is anxiety inducing enough even without a long drive up a windy Malibu hill that's left A'zion carsick. But she puts the nausea aside once she reaches the beach, chugging water before launching herself into crashing waves, nerves momentarily forgotten.

A'zion should get used to just diving in. The 25-year-old—makeup-free and dressed in a striped shirt for our interview, her mop of curly hair now dry—has graduated from playing troubled teens on short-lived series like Netflix's Grand Army and the CBS sitcom Fam to It-girl-in-waiting status. This fall she'll become the face of a generation in two titles: I Love LA, a comedy series from Rachel Sennott that airs Sunday nights on HBO, and Josh Safdie's A24 sports drama Marty Supreme, starring Timothée Chalamet as the titular table tennis champion.

Uncomfortable as the attention may feel—"God, interviews are so weird," she rasps—A'zion certainly looks the part. She's got a trendy septum piercing and a smattering of tattoos, frequently on display in the Instagrams she posts with friends like Madelyn Cline and Billie Eilish. A'zion is "a romantic," says Safdie. "She's also a punk."