Close up on Casting

The second season of The Academy Museum Podcast, titled “Close Up on Casting,” was inspired by Former Academy Museum Director and President Jacqueline Stewart’s observation that museum visitors gravitate to the Performance gallery that features audition tapes, early Polaroid photos of actors, and casting directors’ notes. The question of “who gets the part?” has evolved over time, and Stewart seeks to break down this essential and often misunderstood element of the filmmaking process. Each episode explores different themes that help explain the immense influence that casting directors can have on the success of a film and the career trajectories of actors.  Episodes include revelatory interviews and in-depth conversations with casting directors and scholars, including Cara Caddoo, Reuben Cannon, Kim Taylor-Coleman, Sarah Finn, Eric Goldberg, Kimberly Hardin, Mary Hidalgo, Lora Kennedy, Laurie Parker, David Rubin, and Patricia White. 

In this season of The Academy Museum Podcast, we’ll explore the history of the job of “casting director”—one of the most essential and under-appreciated roles in filmmaking. The biggest question around casting is: Who gets to play what role? 

"The Casting of 'Rebecca': Vivien Leigh vs. Joan Fontaine"

We're starting in the year 1940 with the Alfred Hitchcock film, Rebecca. We’ll dive into Rebecca’s casting history, and how life on set for its lead actress imitated art.

Guests: Dara Jaffe, Associate Curator at the Academy Museum; Patricia White, Professor of Film and Media Studies and Coordinator of Gender and Sexuality Studies at Swarthmore College.

“Typecasting and the Studio System: The Case of Noble Johnson” 

 How the first African American movie star created roles for himself in some of the earliest Black-produced films made for Black audiences. But he rose to mainstream notoriety playing characters of nearly every race but his own.  

 Guests: Dara Jaffe, Associate Curator at the Academy Museum; Cara Caddoo, Associate Professor, Department of History and Media School, Indiana University Bloomington

“Innovators in New Hollywood: Marion Dougherty and Lynn Stalmaster” 

 How the fall of the studio system led to the creation of the role of casting director as we know it today, and how Lynn Stalmaster and Marion Dougherty defined the profession.  Guests: Dara Jaffe, Associate Curator at the Academy Museum; casting directors Kim Taylor-Coleman, former Academy President David Rubin, and Lora Kennedy

"Breaking Boundaries in the ‘70s: Reuben Cannon" A conversation with Reuben Cannon, the first Black casting director. How he got his start in casting, brought now-iconic talents to the screen, broke boundaries in the industry, and why he ultimately decided to shift into producing. 

Guests: Kim Taylor-Coleman, casting director; Reuben Cannon, casting director and producer

Casting Unknowns: Baby Boy

From this point forward in the season, we are going to talk about different practices in modern day casting, starting with casting “unknowns” and the 2001 John Singleton film Baby Boy.  

Guests: Kim Taylor-Coleman, casting director; Kimberly Hardin, casting director.

“In the Cut: Casting Against Type” 

A look at contemporary typecasting, and the potential audience backlash to an actor taking on a new kind of role, through the lens of Jane Campion’s 2003 erotic thriller In the Cut, starring rom-com queen Meg Ryan.  Guests: David Rubin, casting director and former Academy President; Laurie Parker, film producer

“Casting Boys Don't Cry”  What does it mean when an actor is cast to play a person from a marginalized group that in real life they’re not a part of? This episode delves into the casting process and legacy of a groundbreaking film exploring the complexities of gender and sexual identities.  Guests: Dara Jaffe, Associate Curator at the Academy Museum; Kimberly Peirce, writer-director-producer; Kerry Barden, casting director

“Casting in Animation: Can't Put the Genie Back in the Bottle” 

The casting of Robin Williams as The Genie in Aladdin (1992) is often talked about as a turning point—when animated films began to focus on casting big-name actors. But is that true? This episode looks at the history of casting for animation. What’s the role of a casting director for finding the right voices? And how is it different from casting for live action? 

Guests: Eric Goldberg, animator, director, and voice actor; Mary Hidalgo, casting director

“Casting Batman" 

How do you cast an iconic character like Batman for the screen, especially for the third or fourth or tenth time? 

Guests: Lora Kennedy, casting director; John Papsidera, casting director

“Casting an Ensemble: Everyone in Everything Everywhere All At Once" 

So far in this season of the Academy Museum Podcast we've heard a lot about casting a lead or finding the right star for a project. What goes into piecing together a group with incredible chemistry? Everything Everywhere All At Once was originally written for Jackie Chan and Awkwafina, but it’s now impossible to imagine without Michelle Yeoh and Stephanie Hsu. In this season finale, we hear from the film’s casting director Sarah Finn who breaks down the art of casting an ensemble. Guests: Sarah Finn, casting director

The first season of the Academy Museum podcast goes behind the scenes of touchstone Academy Awards® ceremonies, probing key social and cultural moments that impacted film artists as well as film fans over the years.

Listen to all episodes of the podcast's first season, And the Oscar Goes To… here

Brought to you by the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and Southern California Public Radio’s LAist Studios.

Academy Museum digital engagement platforms, including this podcast, are sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies.

Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford.

This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.