Why on earth it took until now is a long story. The important thing is that, in 2026, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will finally join the BAFTAs, the Canadian Screen Awards, Australia’s AACTAs, Ireland’s IFTAs and Italy’s David di Donatellos in bestowing a statuette upon casting directors.
The award “marks the long-overdue recognition of the impact casting professionals have made and will continue to make in our industry,” says Casting Society President Destiny Lilly in an emailed statement. “The Oscar not only honors the excellence of the individual and their team, but also affirms the art of casting as a vital cinematic craft.”
The Envelope spoke to six ace casting directors — whose talents benefited at least 13 films this awards season — about the nature of their work.
Nina Gold
“Ballad of a Small Player,” “Hamnet,” “Jay Kelly”
Working in tandem with the director, a casting director “provides the flesh and blood, human elements of the film,” Gold writes in an email about the nature of the gig — identifying “one sole person to play each role, out of boundless possibilities.” She leans into the culinary metaphor when asked about her secret sauce. “It is all about picking great, high-quality ingredients, and figuring out how to blend the right flavors together into a whole, without curdling. It requires a lot of stirring and never taking one’s eye off the pot.” Her greatest challenge on “Hamnet,” for instance, was searching for the boy himself, his twin sister and his older one. “To find children — Jacobi [Jupe], Olivia [Lynes] and Bodhi [Rae Breathnach] — with such access to their inner lives, and connection to their emotions, in such simple, truthful ways, was total joy.”
Cassandra Kulukundis
“One Battle After Another”
Kulukundis says anonymity is her X-factor. Few people know who the reserved veteran is, so no one sees her coming — which allows her to wield her curiosity to discover potential players out in the real world. Her chief obstacle on “One Battle After Another” was finding who would bring the Willa character to life. “She had to be somebody you just fell in love with,” says Kulukundis, adding that one of her utmost pleasures has been seeing the actor cast — relative newcomer Chase Infiniti — grow from being a “really internal, sweet, lovely” young woman into a superstar. “I will feel like her godmother, aunt, older sister, whatever for the rest of my life,” says Kulukundis. “If I never talk to her for 20 years, she could call me from jail, I will be there in a heartbeat.”
Tiffany Little Canfield and Bernard Telsey
“Kiss of the Spider Woman,” “Wicked: For Good”
“I’m willing to take as long as it takes to make sure we’ve tried to find every possible idea and every possible actor that could be right for that role,” says Telsey of the duo’s superpower, adding that on every project, the principal thrill is knowing that the victor has been told they got the job. Their highest hurdle on their current pair of projects was honoring the legacy of each one’s source material — not just bestselling novels and beloved Broadway shows, but in the case of “Spider Woman,” the 1985 film. “The legacy of Terrence McNally was really important to us because we knew him, and his husband was one of our producers, so it felt very close to him,” adds Little Canfield of the “Spider Woman” musical’s late book writer. “I love [McNally’s] work so much — it’s so meaningful — that I just really tried to imagine what he would want.”
Francine Maisler
“Ella McCay,” “Sinners,” “Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere,” “The Lost Bus”
“I don’t think I have a special sauce,” says Maisler, asserting she — like all of her esteemed peers — simply works tirelessly to expertly match the perfect actor to each part. “I’ve just been very lucky to get to work with some incredible artists.” Her best and worst moments in the job mirrors that reverence for the work. “Telling an actor they got the job. Telling an actor they didn’t get the job,” she confesses, adding, “Getting a chance to meet Bruce Springsteen. Getting a chance to meet Bruce Springsteen, but being too nervous to meet him.”
Jennifer Venditti
“Bugonia,” “Marty Supreme,” “The Smashing Machine”
“I feel like people always come to me when they’re looking for something very difficult or very unique,” says Venditti, stating that her great gift is a willingness to dive deep into different communities to discover the actors who will rise to the top to win the job. Specifically, on “Bugonia,” she reveals that director Yorgos Lanthimos “always wanted a discovery, someone that was not an experienced actor” for the role of Don. Finding first-timer Aidan Delbis was quite the coup. “It was a challenge to know if someone was gonna be able to be in that world and be opposite those heavy-hitters Emma [Stone] and Jesse [Plemons],” she says, conceding that she was wowed by the trio’s chemistry. “To see him rise to the occasion… was very satisfying.” Another puzzle? The 140 roles in “Marty Supreme.” “There were just so many levels,” she acknowledges. “It was a huge job.”
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