Katie Rich

You know, 10 years ago, Spotlight wins Best Picture when Mad Max Fury Road is right there.

It wins like six Oscars, but not Best Picture because it's like too popular.

And there's a world in which you can see maybe Sinners wins Best Picture, but Paul Thomas Anderson wins Best Director.

But that would be, I think, the third time, possibly more times that a film by a Black director has won Best Picture, but not Best Director, which is not great.

There has never been a Black Best Director winner.

Yeah.

Yeah, it's exciting.

So, yes.

So the casting category took a really long time to come about.

Casting directors have worked with everybody.

You know, anytime you interview a casting director, they're like, oh, I auditioned them 10 years ago and they weren't right for this.

And then I brought them back for this thing.

Actors love it.

love them because they're their advocates throughout so many different things.

And so in this category of five nominees, you've got, you know, some people who are a little bit newer in the business, like Cassandra Koulikundis, who cast one battle after another.

She's mostly only worked with Paul Thomas Anderson.

The casting director of The Secret Agent, obviously, is based in Brazil.

But you have people like Francine Maisler, who cast Sinners and just cast everything.

Like, her list of credits is absolutely unbelievable.

And then Nina Gold, who cast Hamnet, kind of similar, based in the UK, knows absolutely everyone.