Movies of War

Mar 15, 2026 5:08pm PT ‘One Battle After Another’ Casting Director Cassandra Kulukundis Wins Inaugural Oscar for Best Casting By Jazz Tangcay Plus Icon Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor @jazzt Latest ‘Sinners‘ and ‘The Pitt’ Take Top Honors at ICG Publicists Awards 2 days ago Producer Victoria Alonso on Her Marvel Exit, Why She’d Love to Work at Paramount and the Rise of AI 3 days ago ‘Bluey’ Gets 10 More Mini Episodes at Disney+ and a Televised Stage Show 3 days ago See All Getty Images “One Battle After Another” casting director Cassandra Kulukundis has won the inaugural Oscar for best casting. Kulukundis triumphed over Nina Gold (“Hamnet”), Jennifer Venditti (“Marty Supreme”), Francine Maisler (“Sinners”) and Gabriel Domingues (“The Secret Agent”). This is the first new category created by the Academy since 2001 introduced the best animated feature film category. The five nominees were among the 10 casting directors who were shorlisted back in December. The Casting Directors Branch was formed in July 2013 and has nearly 160 members. Related Stories Actor Awards' Stunt Ensemble Categories Announce Nominated Performers and Coordinators (EXCLUSIVE) 'Bridesmaids' Reunion Set for Oscars With Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Melissa McCarthy and Rose Byrne (EXCLUSIVE) During her speech, she said, “I have to thank the Academy for even adding this category and for the casting directors who fought tirelessly to make it happen despite everything in their way. I dedicate this to you and to the casting directors who never got a chance to get up here, who didn’t even get a chance to get their name on the movie. So to you guys.” She went on to say, “When Paul calls you, you enter the witness protection program and literally don’t talk to your friends and family unless they have somebody that’s right for the movie. I put them all to work and get mad at them when they haven’t provided. I have to thank all of the crew, who I’m in all of your departments, whether you like me or not, whether it’s locations, stunts, production, art directors, everyone, and editors, obviously. Thank you. This is a thing and I just thank you for — ten movies, we’ve done this over 30 years.” Popular on Variety Paul Thomas Anderson’s go-to casting director Kulukindis admitted, “The truth is, no one knows what we do. They don’t understand it.” She went on to say, “We’re in this weird dungeon all by ourselves. It is an art, and it’s also a science, because we have to deal with DNA, and I take it super seriously.” Kulukundis previously spoke with Variety about the search for Willa for “One Battle After Another”: “We know her DNA. She’s mixed race, so she’s got a white parent and a Black parent. She’s a warrior and she kicks ass.” She said everyone was on her radar. In her search, she was constantly looking at people and going to tournaments. “I attacked people on the streets. If you are a living human being, breathing, I might consider you.” In the film, Willa plays Bob Ferguson’s teenage daughter. Bob is a former revolutionist, and when Willa is kidnapped by a former nemesis, he sets out to rescue her. Chase Infiniti eventually won the part. Says Kulukundis, “I’d seen Chase dancing, and I was like, ‘If she can act, I know I can teach her the martial arts.’” As it turned out, Infiniti also knew martial arts, and soared to the top of the list. As for seeing how audiences have responded to Infiniti’s performance, Kulukundis calls Infiniti “a completely unique human being. She is ‘A Star Is Born,’ that’s what they made the phrase for.” Jump to Comments DIRECTV’s MyNews Genre Pack Is Now $34.99/Month for 2 mos. — Just in Time For Awards Season TV Station Group Consolidation Leaves Markets With Less Local News, According to New Study That DirecTV Has Filed With the FCC AT&T Taps Kirk Herbstreit for ‘Clutch Calls’ Promotion During College Football Playoffs JavaScript is required to load the comments. Loading comments...