Before Odessa A’Zion stepped into the role of Rachel Mizler for “Marty Supreme,” she was almost Ariel in the 2023 live-action “The Little Mermaid.” There was just one problem: She flubbed her audition. Speaking with CNN and Variety on the red carpet for the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday, A’Zion recounted the “really embarrassing” experience. “I sang ‘Part of Your World.’ I was so nervous that I forgot the lyrics to ‘Part of Your World’ while I was singing it,” she said. “And then, because I was doing it in Ariel’s voice — like a princess voice — they’re like, ‘Just do it normal.’ [And] I couldn’t do it normal. I’d memorized it in that voice.” “I left like ‘That was the most embarrassing thing on planet Earth,’ and didn’t hear back, didn’t get a call back,” A’Zion continued. In the film directed by Rob Marshall, the role ultimately went to singer, actress and songwriter Halle Bailey. “After an extensive search, it was abundantly clear that Halle possesses that rare combination of spirit, heart, youth, innocence, and substance — plus a glorious singing voice — all intrinsic qualities necessary to play this iconic role,” Marshall said in a statement at the time of the casting. Looking back on it, missing out on the role of the red-headed mermaid didn’t deter A’Zion’s career at all; this year, she’s at the Oscars with “Marty Supreme,” which nabbed nine nominations, including Best Picture. For her role as Mizler, Marty Mauser’s (played by Timothee Chalamet) love interest and childhood friend, A’Zion was nominated for both an Actor Award and a BAFTA Award in supporting categories. A’Zion also stars as influencer Tallulah Stiel in Rachel Sennott’s HBO show, “I Love LA.”