US EditionCasting directors find the stars we love. Now they are finally getting their own Oscar
The new Oscar category recognizes casting directors’ crucial role in film creation, with inaugural nominees from five films highlighted for their creative contributions.
- For the first time, the Academy Awards will celebrate casting directors in a new category at the 2026 ceremony, with inaugural nominees including teams from Hamnet, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, The Secret Agent, and Sinners.
- Despite Martin Scorsese stating casting comprises 85 to 95 per cent of a film's success, the profession remained overlooked for decades; the Academy rejected a casting category proposal in 1999.
- Casting director Thea McLeod explains the work is collaborative, involving writers and producers; decisions are "more like piecing together a puzzle" than relying on instinct alone.
- With only about 76 members in the Australian Casting Guild, this small creative community wields outsized influence; Stevie Ray notes the work involves cherry-picking talent to "create the world of the story."
- Casting directors navigate complex recasts—Michael Keaton's 1989 casting as Batman sparked fan backlash—yet this award recognizes their role in evolving characters for the modern age.
13 Articles
13 Articles
On Monday, March 16th, the Oscars 2026 will be awarded. This year, some innovations are waiting for the audience.
During the Oscar ceremony tonight, an award for Best Casting will be presented for the first time: who made the best selection of actors for a film? "It is a recognition that casting is no accident," says Sien Josephine Teijssen, who handled the casting for films such as 'Dust', 'Julie Zwijgt', and 'Boho'. She also makes a bold prediction about the first winner of the award.
In 2026, the Academy added an Oscar for the best direction of the list. But what, finally, is a good selection of the list? "Each one will have a different perspective than voting," said Debra Zane, one of the three directors of the Hollywood Academy of Arts and Film Sciences, adding: "For me, this is the narrative, to ensure that everything makes sense as a whole." Who is the 'secret agent' of the Kleber Mendance Child film? Culture personaliti…
They operate in the shadows, choosing the actors who will be stars. They are the casting director, who since this year have a statue all for them. But, exactly, what work do they do?
The Oscars, the most important film awards of the year, will be presented tonight. This year, for the first time, there is a golden statuette to be won in the casting category.
Sydney Morning Herald
Casting directors find the stars we love. Now they are finally getting their own Oscar
The contribution of casting directors to great films has been sidelined for decades – this year their work will be recognised at the Academy Awards.
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