The Kitchen Sisters Present Everyone's a Casting Director – The First-Ever Academy Award for Achievement in Casting with Host Frances McDormand
Mar 4, 2026
Guest
Gabriel Dominguez
Guest
Francine Maisler
Guest
Nina Gold
Guest
Jennifer Vendetti
Guest
Cassandra Kulikundas
Featuring Frances McDormand with Gabriel Dominguez (Brazilian casting director), Francine Maisler (veteran casting pro), Nina Gold (seasoned UK casting leader), Jennifer Vendetti (street-casting specialist), and Cassandra Kulikundas (longtime Paul Thomas Anderson collaborator). They talk about large open calls in Brazil, global searches for musical performers, finding child actors and on-screen chemistry, street discoveries and building ensembles, and long director collaborations.
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Finding A Lead In A K‑Pop Dance Tape
- Cassandra Kulikundas discovered Chase Infinity via a K-pop dance video and built a years-long audition process to prepare her for the lead in One Battle After Another.
- She ran months of chemistry workshops, karate classes, and camera tests so a first-time feature actor could meet Paul Thomas Anderson's demands.
Use Field Research To Build A Casting Database
- Treat street casting like journalism and anthropology: build a database, document faces, and follow subcultures to find authentic presences.
- Jennifer Vendetti uses Polaroids, interviews, and improvised tests to turn raw people into reliable onscreen performers.
Iterating Scenes Live On Location
- For Marty Supreme Jennifer Vendetti sent actors into real locations to perform scenes at night, iterating with notes until the moment felt authentic.
- Odessa Zion filmed phone booth scenes in Budapest and repeatedly refined them on location.