We kick off our annual post-nomination Oscar Volley series with the newest Oscar category: Best Casting. There have been calls to add Casting as a category for decades but the Academy always resisted... until now.
Regina Hall & Chase Infiniti in ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER. Casting by Cassandra Kulukunis
NATHANIEL: Abe, I'm sure I've shared this before but since we were assigned Best Casting -- in its inaugural year! -- I feel the need to shout that this film craft, alongside Editing, are the only two I feel I would have been great at, had my life taken a different path. I never took any steps toward making movies -- mostly scared off by how much time people devote to making just ONE if they're on the filmmaking side when my appetite is closer to 200 movies a year and ample time to obsess over about 30 of them as an audience member.
To jog your memory as we begin our discussion, here were the finalists in the category with the eventual nominees in bold...
- FRANKENSTEIN - Robin D Cook
- HAMNET - Nina Gold
- MARTY SUPREME - Jennifer Venditti
- ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER - Cassandra Kulukunis
- THE SECRET AGENT - Gabriel Dominguez
- SENTIMENTAL VALUE - Yngvill Kolset Haga & Avy Kaufman
- SINNERS - Francine Maisler
- SIRĀT - Nadia Acimi, Luis Bertolo, Maria Rodrigo
- WEAPONS - Allison Jones
- WICKED FOR GOOD - Tiffany Little Canfield & Bernard Telsey
I wish the long list had been 15 films so we could see if there was more differentiation from the Best Picture conversation. Given that 10-wde field, the category could have been terrible (two of those ten had absolutely no business being considered for achievements in this particular craft. How do you think this first year went?
ABE: Nathaniel, knowing your passion for this craft, it's an honor to be paired with you for this conversation! I too wish we had longer shortlists, especially as someone who always tries to screen every single film on every single shortlist (I succeeded this year for the first time in all 12 categories). I agree firmly that Wicked: For Good was a puzzling inclusion given the lack of any new cast members, and was enticed by the mentions for both The Secret Agent and Sirât given that, lead actors aside, they're made up primarily of international performers American audiences won't know. If I was more passionate about Weapons, I'm sure I would have been disappointed by its miss given that it made this shortlist in the first place, and I would have loved to see the likes of The Long Walk or an underappreciated comedy like Splitsville or The Ballad of Wallis Island (which I know you didn't love as much as I did) in the running.
Wagner Moura and Tania Moria in THE SECRET AGENT. Casting by Gabriel Domingues
I'll admit that, looking at the final list of nominees, I'm still surprised to see The Secret Agent in over Sentimental Value (not that we should have only one international nominee). It's perhaps more mind-boggling to me that getting four individual performances nominated shouldn't be recognized as a casting achievement, but that's why casting and ensemble performance are not the same award. The Secret Agent is by far the subtlest film on the list of nominees and is enhanced by each small performance, particularly standout Tânia Maria.
While Hamnet and Marty Supreme benefit from spectacular casting choices, I think we can agree that this win is down to One Battle After Another and Sinners. Before we get to which one will triumph, however, I'm curious to hear your thoughts about the most impressive and important casting decisions made with these four high-profile films.
NATHANIEL: Before I answer I want to briefly shout out four films off the top of my head that were brilliantly cast that didn't make the finals: Bonnie Timmerman does a fine job with exciting star casting combinations in Roofman, Stephen Batut finds a ton of doppelgängers for Nouvelle Vague and somehow they're also keyed into the films unique tone of casual but self-assured and naive rebellion) and kudos to both Griffin in Summer's Tucker & Fippenger and The Plague's Rebecca Dealy which are hilarious and gutwrenching, respectively -- casting the right child actors for films which rely so heavily on ensemble performance quality can't possibly be as easy as casting well known accomplished actors for prestige pictures.
How close do you think Allison Jones got to a nomination for WEAPONS?
Even though the Academy came up with a great list (it's hard to fault that quintet really) the exclusion that made me saddest was not making room for Alison Jones' work on Weapons. There is no way in hell that her casting choices didn't contribute enormously to its popularity and quality. There are so many ways, for instance, that Aunt Gladys could have been cast and played so I'd argue that whoever thought of Amy Madigan in the first place deserved a nomination. Then you add in a mix of popular actors well cast in the ensemble -- particularly Garner whose ease with leaning into unlikeable character traits makes her such a clever choice in a movie that needs someone you can't decide if you should be rooting for at the center. Plus they had to find a child actor as good as Cary Christopher to pull off the non-verbal trauma. Anyway, I hope this category becomes more interesting as it progresses rather than feeling like just another way to give the Best Picture or runner up an extra trophy. From the shortlists only Weapons and Sirat felt like deviations from the Best Picture conversation and it's worth noting that neither of them ended up as nominees despite their obvious merits in this craft.
Agree entirely with your praise for The Secret Agent's casting work by Gabriel Dominguez. So as for the question about "most impressive / important casting decisions" on the other four, I don't want to hog the conversation so let's go halfsies. I'll take Sinners and Hamnet...
Annie & Smoke in SINNERS. Casting by Francine Maisler
I'd argue that the best casting move in Sinners was Wunmi Mosaku. Michael B Jordan has typically been paired with more traditional screen beauties (Tessa Thompson, Lupita Nyong'o... and Hailee Steinfeld follows suit in one half of Jordan's role here) -- which is not to say that Wunmi is not beautiful. She obviously is gorgeous -- I need to point that out before anyone misunderstands! But my point is nobody would have batted an eye if someone like a Zoe Kravitz or a Teyonahh Paris was cast in the role. Casting a larger, dark skinned actress who is the exact same age as Michael B Jordan as the film's emotional anchor was so smart given the film's racial themes, sexuality, and the shifting power and character dynamics of the plot. There is never any doubt that Annie has always been Stack's equal, so Mosaku immediately elevates the role from 'estranged wife' to "Annie" if you know what I mean. Her intelligence, sensuality, and self possession are thrilling. I also think Jack O'Connell was a great choice for the film's villain Remmick. He's usually cast in heroic roles and his charm is sick-making here. Plus he can sing and dance.
Electric chemistry between leads is the assignment for all romantic dramas but it's not easy to pull off (as thousands of middling romantic dramas prove) so major points to Hamnet for the Buckley/Mescal pairing which you have to immediately understand as both sexually-charged and soul-deep. But the most inspired idea was the casting of the Jupe brothers. Jacobi Jupe proved a real discovery as the tiny titular character but to cast his elder brother Noah as the lead in the play that will immortalize the younger boy was a stroke of genius. The roles are linked by the narrative, of course, but this takes it steps further again by linking the two roles spiritually as well, through artistry (acting) and biology (siblings). I'm sorry but that's standing ovation worthy. It's also quite fun in a coincidental extradiegetic way that Jacobi is the same exact age now (12) as Noah was in his own breakthrough year (2017 when Suburbicon and Wonder were released and he was filming A Quiet Place). Everything about the Jupe brothers in this film is brilliant including the way Chloe Zhao and Lukasz Zal (the snubbed but brilliant cinematographer) leave Noah out of focus in his entire first scene so that he is a revelation when he takes center stage for the climax and must immediately serve as the artistic Fictional bridge to the lost Real child. Note that he is billed only as "Hamlet" even though his character is actually an actor playing that role. Anyway, I love that movie.
Noah Jupe as "Hamlet" in HAMNET. Casting by Nina Gold
Your turn, Abe.
ABE: Great calls on those shout-outs, and I like the Everett Blunck double-feature (though I must admit I have yet to see The Plague). Mosaku and O'Connell are excellent mentions from Sinners, and I'd also note Li Jun Li, who similarly made a small role memorable in Babylon.
I'm not quite as high on One Battle After Another as everyone else, which is to say that I think it's very, very good, just not the absolute best movie of the year/decade/century as so many have propped it up to be. What could have been a record with six individual acting nominations deserves effusive praise for key roles like Benicio Del Toro and Regina Hall, who make their characters so much more relevant and impactful than they might otherwise be. Teyana Taylor too since her character disappears shortly into the film, never to be seen again, replaced by the wonderful Chase Infiniti, an inspired choice who will surely go far after this. For the smaller parts, my mind immediately goes to the great John Hoogenakker, far more charming and pancake-affirming than the rest of the Christmas Adventurers, while Tony Goldwyn is exactly the right blend of charming and absolutely detestable. Eric Schweig as a bounty hunter who makes an important decision about what matters to him is also a formidable pick.
Timothee Chalmet, Geza Rohrig (centered) and Koto Kawaguchi (far bottom left) in MARTY SUPREME. Casting by Jennifer Venditti.
Marty Supreme may not be quite as epic but it does have a sprawling ensemble with a handful of fantastic gems embedded within it. Pairing Gwyneth Paltrow, who hasn't had a role like this since The Politician if not much longer before that, with up-and-comer Odessa A'zion, is very smart, and both have superb chemistry with Timothée Chalamet. Kevin O'Leary may be a controversial figure but he's exactly what that role demands. As Marty's fellow con artist, Tyler Okonma becomes so much larger than the part. The two supporting players who most come to mind are Marty's best competition, one of whom is a friend and the other who is indisputably a foe. Géza Röhrig rose to prominence for the Holocaust film Son of Saul, and here he portrays a Holocaust survivor who uses his legacy to propel his career. Röhrig adds depth and emotion to this intriguing figure, while Koto Kawaguchi coolly and emphatically represents the opposite of everything Marty is and his greatest opponent. It's hard to like many of the characters in this film, but Jennifer Venditti ensures they're all properly filled out by just the right people.
Before we get to the predicted winners, who have I missed from these ensembles that deserve mentions as brilliant casting picks?
NATHANIEL: You summed up wonderful things about both pictures and I especially liked the shoutouts for Del Toro and Hall (talk about elevating your role!) in One Battle. In regards to Marty Supreme I think I would be tempted to vote for it here for many of the reasons you mentioned. But I wanted to also shout out the slyly smart choice of picking an instantly familiar but now little seen actress (Fran Drescher!) as Marty's understandably fed-up and perptually avoided mother.
Our prediction: Francine Maisler wins Best Casting for SINNERS
Any ballot choice for the inaugural Best Casting statue is a good one for voters (hurrah!) but I think Francine Maisler is going to win, both for her strong work on Sinners and for her brilliant career. If this had been a category for her entire career she'd surely have won a statue or two already... Milk? The Usual Suspects? Birdman? 12 Years a Slave? I'd argue that she was award worthy as early as her second feature, Ben Stiller's Reality Bites. That movie is such a 90s time capsule and her choices at the time were just impeccable across the board.
My guess is that Sinners is more than amply rewarded on Oscar night; Im sensing a Gravity / 12 Years a Slave or Cabaret / Godfather situation coming up where you think it's going to win Best Picture because it's hoovering up Oscars left and right but then it loses at the end to One Battle.
ABE: I completely agree that, though Sinners is surging right now, there's not enough going against One Battle After Another for it to lose Best Picture. I think Sinners wins here and in other places, but I liken it more to the CODA / Dune year. While Sinners has the most nominations, I think it's distinctly possible that it only wins this, Score, and Original Screenplay since Frankenstein may sweep the technical categories. But we're getting away from this conversation... I agree that Best Casting is a great list in the end. Sinners would get my vote, and I remain confident that, even if One Battle After Another continues its predictable path to Best Picture, Francine Maisler wins this prize from the Academy. Let's hope for as good a list next year for Oscar's newest category!
NATHANIEL: Yes, and with a stronger shortlist before that with zero duds. Thanks for chatting Abe. I suppose this is as good a time as any to share my own ballot in this very category which you can see here and it's semi-counterpart Best Ensemble which you can see here.
Your turn readers. Who would you vote for in this category and if you could change the list which swaps would you make?