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O’Dessais set in a post-apocalyptic future in which the world outside major cities is bleak and dusty and the cities themselves are neon hives of scum and villainy,O’Dessatells the story of its titular character and her quest to retrieve a treasured family heirloom. O’Dessa herself is played byStranger Thingsstar Sadie Sink, who began her career singing “Tomorrow” on Broadway in the titular role ofAnnie.
Prepare for amovie musical, but don’t compare it toWickedorIn the Heights.All of its songs are original, written by the film’s writer/director Geremy Jasper. Jasper has told musical stories for years, including with his 2017 filmPatti Cake$.Along for the ride with Jasper and Sink areScary Movie’s Regina Hall and Kelvin Harrison Jr., who is no stranger to putting in practice time for musical roles thanks to his impressive starring turn as the titular violinist and composer in 2022’sChevalier.
ScreenRant’s Liam Crowley sat down with Sadie Sink, Regina Hall, Kelvin Harrison Jr., and Geremy Jasper at South by Southwest 2025 to discussO’Dessa. They discussed the story’s long journey from concept album to film and how the actors went about relating to their characters. Sink also shared her feelings on closing a chapter of her life with the upcomingStranger Thingsseason 5.
“It Was Going To Be An Album”
Geremy Jasper had“the seed of the idea”for O’Dessa 20 years ago, and it came from one single image:“the initial idea came from this image that I had of a young woman with a pompadour and a guitar wandering through a wasteland.”Interestingly, it was not initially conceived as a movie at all.“I wanted to write this big concept record first. It was just going to be an album,”the director said.“Then, I wanted to write it for the stage, because I wasn’t making films yet.”
“Many years later,”Jasper continued,“I said, ‘Oh, I remember that idea. I remember that character. This is the movie that I want to make.’ And it took seven years to build it to where we are now.”
Sadie Sink Was Meant To Play Odessa
“It Was Like A Gut Instinct”
“There’s only one person who could play O’Dessa”,Jasper said,“[and] she wasn’t even born! I was waiting for the prophecy to come true.”
The perfect O’Dessa was, of course, Sadie Sink.“It was like a gut instinct,”the actor said when discussing the pull she felt to audition for the film,“I thought the world that Geremy was creating was so unique. [From] the tagline itself, I was like, ‘Okay, that seems like something I would want to be part of,’ but then I got a hold of some early demos of some of the songs.”
One song in particular landed Sink the role:“‘You’re the One’ kind of stuck out to me,”the actor shared,“I was like, ‘I think I could learn how to play this on guitar, and I might just take a video of myself and send it–see what happens.’”
Regina Hall Hypes Up The Villainous Nature Of Her Character Neon
“I Was Hitting And Beating Everybody On Set”
“I was hitting and beating everybody on set every day,”Regina Hall said when asked how she found her way in to personifying authority as the antagonist Neon.“I remember reading the script and thinking, ‘What crazy mind wrote this?’ I really needed to know. I was very surprised when I met Geremy and he was seemingly normal. I mean, he’s not,”Hall clarified,“but seemingly normal, and nice and bright and optimistic and great.”
It was very fun to be villainous.
“I enjoyed being a villain,”Hall said,“It was very fun to be villainous, and I was really happy that Jeremy gave me the opportunity to do something I hadn’t done. That was great.”
Kelvin Harrison Jr. Compares O’Dessa To Alice In Wonderland
Harrison Got To “Create Something Funky” With His Character Euri Dervish
Kelvin Harrison Jr. has said that he feltO’Dessawas anAlice in WonderlandorWizard of Ozfor modern audiences.“It definitely was like that,”Harrison affirmed,“I was just going on this journey.”Harrison brought his own experience into the fold, saying,“Alice in Wonderland used to spook me as a kid, but at the same time I was so excited by all the different characters, the world, the playfulness, and the imagination behind it.”
In terms ofO’Dessa, Harrison was happy to“be an entity inside this big, crazy universe,”relating it to that experience he had watchingAlice in Wonderlandfor the first time.“To get to create something funky with this guy,” Harrison continued,“was cool. I didn’t really know what to expect, but it was cool.”
Sadie Sink Shares Her Response To Wrapping Stranger Things Season 5
“What A Beautiful Experience”
Stranger Thingsseason 5 releases later in 2025, and it will mark the end of the hit series that began nearly a decade ago.“It’s so emotional,”Sink said,“We wrapped in December. It was a really hard day–crazy to say goodbye to your childhood in that way. I think I’m still processing all of it, but what a beautiful experience it’s been for eight years of my life.”
O’Dessapremiered March 8 as part of South by Southwest 2025, and will be released on Hulu on March 20.
