‘Grand Army’: Meet Odessa A’Zion, Odley Jean, Jayson Jackson and the rest of the cast of Netflix’s teen drama
The new Netflix original series, adapted from Katie Cappiello's play 'Slut', is generating considerable buzz as the next prestige show focussing on teens and being hailed as a grittier version of a 'Euphoria'-type drama. Cappiello, a former teacher, who served as the creator, showrunner, and executive producer described the series as her "life's work" in one interview.
The play-to-show adaptation is getting a significant update in its 2020 avatar to better depict the issues New York teens are grappling with right now, including the pandemic in the later episodes. But it also has remnants of the anxieties of the generation that grew up when terrorism was the biggest threat of the hour. Other narratives like the one around sexual assault have become even more relevant post-#MeToo. All in all, expect storylines that won't shy away from painting a gritty, realistic portrait of what it's like to be a high schooler.
The show's synopsis states: “Grand Army tunnels into a generation that’s raging and rising. Five students at the largest public high school in Brooklyn take on our chaotic world as they fight to succeed, survive, wild out, break free and seize the future.” The series stars Odessa A'zion, Odley Jean, Maliq Johnson, Amalia Yoo and Amir Bageria as classmates and peers at Grand Army High School in Brooklyn. The drama focuses on these five students and their interweaving stories to tackle subjects like romance, friendship, school violence, and social justice issues like the Black Lives Matter movement. Each of the main characters will reflect Brooklyn's diversity and deal with the problems that come with being a teen in America from a minority or marginalized background.
Here is what we know of the characters and the actors who play them.
Odessa A’Zion as Joey Del Marco
Odessa A’Zion plays the lead, Joey Del Marco. She is the one who has to deal with sexual assault who decides to talk to about it. She has previously starred in 'Fam', 'Nashville', and 'Wayne'.
Odley Jean as Dominique Pierre
Odley Jean, who plays Dominique Pierre, was a former student of the showrunner Katie Capiello, and this is her first acting gig. In the show, Dominique is a Haitian-American immigrant and Joey's best friend.
Amalia Yoo as Leila Zimmer
Amalia Yoo, another first-time actor, is Leila Zimmer. In the show, Leila is the damaged mixed-race adoptee who gets bullied for not being Chinese enough and is a bit of a drama queen herself.
Maliq Johnson as Jayson Jackson
Maliq Johnson is Jayson Jackson, whose storyline centers around how African-American students are often penalized harshly for their mistakes, even in schools, compared to their lighter-skinned peers. The show will focus on the school-to-prison phenomenon that was previously looked at in the 'The Wire' as well. He has previously appeared in 'Skin' and 'When They See Us'.
Amir Bageria as Sid Pakam
Amir Bageria plays Sid Pakam, an Indian-American, who fears being racially profiled after a terrorist attack near the school. The character's storyline deals with another aspect of racism that is different from the one faced by Maliq. Bageria has previously starred in 'Degrassi: Next Class' and 'Resolve'.
'Grand Army' will premiere on October 16, 2020, on Netflix.