{
"version": "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1.1",
"user_comment": "This feed allows you to read the posts from this site in any feed reader that supports the JSON Feed format. To add this feed to your reader, copy the following URL -- https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/category/news-trends/feed/json/ -- and add it your reader.",
"next_url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/category/news-trends/feed/json/?paged=2",
"home_page_url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/category/news-trends/",
"feed_url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/category/news-trends/feed/json/",
"language": "en-US",
"title": "Casting News, Interviews and Advice - Casting Networks",
"icon": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/short-logo-1.svg",
"items": [
{
"id": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/?p=310696",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/rooster-cast-interview-steve-carell-bill-lawrence-hbo/",
"title": "Inside \u2018Rooster\u2019: Steve Carell and Cast Reveal the Real-Life Inspirations Behind HBO\u2019s New Comedy",
"content_html": "\n
The new HBO comedy series Rooster centers on Steve Carell as Greg Russo, a divorced fiction author from Florida who visits an East Coast college campus where his adult daughter, Katie, is a professor whose husband has just left her for a graduate student. Greg ends up staying on as the school\u2019s writer-in-residence, becoming deeply enmeshed not only in campus life but in his daughter\u2019s personal upheaval.
\n\n\n\n
Key Insights
\n\n\n\n
\n
Steve Carell was drawn to Rooster as much for its emotional exploration of fatherhood as for the opportunity to collaborate with showrunners Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses.
\n\n\n\n
The cast emphasized the show\u2019s deeply collaborative environment, with actors actively shaping character dynamics through rehearsal and discussion.
\n\n\n\n
Showrunners blended longtime collaborators with emerging talent to quickly build ensemble chemistry in a shorter streaming format.
At a press conference attended by Casting Networks, Rooster showrunners Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses, known for series including Scrubs and\u00a0Bad Monkey, said the show grew out of a shared experience: reaching the stage of parenting where a daughter becomes an adult, and may not always want her father as involved in her life as he once was.
\n\n\n\n
In the meantime, the father insists on inserting himself in her life anyway.
\n\n\n\n
Ultimately, Lawrence said, it\u2019s about realizing \u201cthat trying to be in their life is not really for them. It\u2019s for you.\u201d
\n\n\n\n
Carell was drawn to that exploration, especially as the father of a daughter himself. But he was equally motivated by the chance to work with Lawrence and Tarses. Lawrence created hits like Ted Lasso and Shrinking, while Tarses\u2019 credits include Mad About You and Sports Night.
\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen they called me, I thought, \u2018This could be something really special,\u2019\u201d Carell said. \u201cA partnership with people that you admire. That\u2019s what I\u2019m most intrigued by. And working with great actors.\u201d
\n\n\n\n
That collaboration quickly proved rewarding.
\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt felt like a true ensemble,\u201d Carell said of a cast that includes Charly Clive as Katie, Phil Dunster as her unfaithful husband Archie, and Lauren Tsai as the graduate student. Danielle Deadwyler plays a poetry professor who may become a love interest for Greg, while John C. McGinley appears as the college president.
\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere was such a pervasive kindness and generosity that reminded me of my experience on The Office in terms of it was a cast where no component was more important than any other.\u201d
\n\n\n\n
For Clive, a British actress known for the series The Lazarus Project, the opportunity arrived in her inbox under the subject line \u201cUntitled Steve Carell Project.\u201d
\n\n\n\n
Her audition included two scenes from the pilot: Katie\u2019s first tense interaction with her father on campus, and an emotionally charged confrontation with Archie about his affair.
\n\n\n\n
Before she recorded the tape, however, her agent tempered expectations, warning her she likely wouldn\u2019t land the role because it was \u201cthis big American thing.\u201d
\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe stakes were very low because I was like, \u2018No one\u2019s going to watch this tape,\u2019\u201d Clive said. \u201cSo I had loads of fun with it.\u201d
\n\n\n\n
That looseness ultimately worked in her favor. Her performance led to a meeting with Lawrence, Tarses and Carell, and ultimately to her landing the role.
\n\n\n\n
Casting Archie, Katie\u2019s husband, required a delicate balance. The character serves as an antagonist, but still needs to retain enough humanity for viewers to empathize with him.
\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat skill set is rare, and Phil has it,\u201d Lawrence said.
\n\n\n\n
Dunster, who previously worked with Lawrence on Ted Lasso, said the complexity was part of the appeal.
\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt would be very boring if he were a nincompoop and you hated him,\u201d Dunster said. \u201cIt gives you much further to go [as an actor] and is so much more inviting as an audience to ask, \u2018Why is he like that? Why do I feel a tug on my heartstrings?\u2019\u201d
\n\n\n\n
The writers clearly succeeded in that balance. Tarses joked that, despite Archie\u2019s behavior, even he finds himself sympathizing with the character.
\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to spoil anything,\u201d he said, \u201cbut not great things happen to him, and I found myself feeling really bad for this despicable guy.\u201d
\n\n\n\n
Deadwyler, meanwhile, relished the chance to step into lighter territory. After delivering acclaimed dramatic performances in films such as Till and The Piano Lesson, she said the project offered a welcome shift in tone.
\n\n\n\n
\u201cI knew that I needed to rejuvenate my nervous system after years of drudgery and tears,\u201d she said.
\n\n\n\n
Before filming began, Deadwyler and Carell met to workshop several scenes and explore the dynamic, romantic and otherwise, between their characters. Among them were a bar scene from the pilot and another pivotal moment for her character, poetry professor Dylan Shepherd.
\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was really, really fun,\u201d Deadwyler said. \u201cI was like, man, I love this guy.\u201d
\n\n\n\n
The process felt deeply collaborative, she added. It was less like a traditional television rehearsal and more like a theater workshop.
\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou\u2019re having a dialogue with folks who want your input, who are trying to craft with you,\u201d she said. \u201cEverything about this was hyper-collaborative, and that\u2019s the kind of joyful project you want to be on.\u201d
\n\n\n\n
Lawrence and Tarses also revealed that Carell\u2019s Greg Russo was partly inspired by real-life author Carl Hiaasen, whose novel Bad Monkey the duo previously adapted for Apple TV+.
\n\n\n\n
Another character came from a more personal and humorous source.
\n\n\n\n
John C. McGinley\u2019s Walter Mann, the health-obsessed and slightly overbearing president of the college, was modeled largely on McGinley himself.
\n\n\n\n
According to the showrunners, visiting the actor\u2019s home involves a mandatory sauna session he built himself, complete with a list of strict rules posted inside.
\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe sits you in there and talks about what\u2019s concerning him with the world, where he\u2019s at emotionally, how his kids are doing,\u201d Lawrence recalled.
\n\n\n\n
And just when guests think the experience is over, it escalates.
\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen you think it\u2019s done, he puts you in a cold plunge,\u201d Lawrence said. \u201cHe looms over you and won\u2019t let you get out. He goes, \u2018Your body\u2019s responding positively because it feels like you\u2019re dying.\u2019\u201d
\n\n\n\n
The anecdote convinced the writers to borrow from real life.
\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe decided to steal his life and put that in the show,\u201d Lawrence said.
\n\n\n\n
McGinley confirmed the inspiration.
\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe told me, \u2018Johnny C., I want to steal your life,\u2019\u201d the actor said. \u201cA lot of times, actors craft characters with eccentricities and tics we can hide behind. In this case, it\u2019s Walt Mann playing John McGinley. So yes, I\u2019m intimately familiar with Walter Mann.\u201d
\n\n\n\n
McGinley, who is also collaborating with Lawrence on the current Scrubs reboot, first met the showrunner when auditioning for the original series more than two decades ago.
\n\n\n\n
\u201cBilly and I met in January of 2001 when I auditioned five times for the role of Dr. Cox,\u201d McGinley said. \u201cEven though the script said \u2018a John McGinley type,\u2019 Bill still made me audition five times.\u201d
\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou weren\u2019t as comfortable playing a John McGinley type back then,\u201d Lawrence joked.
\n\n\n\n
Lawrence acknowledged he enjoys working with collaborators he knows well, partly because that shared shorthand can speed up the creative process. In addition to McGinley and Dunster, Rooster features guest and supporting roles from previous collaborators, including Connie Britton, Alan Ruck and Rory Scovel, who worked with Lawrence on Spin City.
\n\n\n\n
But the showrunner stressed that returning collaborators are only one part of the equation.
\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re lucky enough to get to make something, and there are incredibly talented people whose voices you know in your head, and who you want to spend time with in real life, you\u2019d be insane not to work with them again,\u201d he said.
\n\n\n\n
At the same time, pairing those familiar collaborators with new talent is equally important.
\n\n\n\n
Clive and Tsai represent a newer generation of performers who help give the show its energy, balancing seasoned actors and long-time collaborators with fresh voices.
\n\n\n\n
That blend also serves a practical purpose in today\u2019s television landscape. Before streaming changed the industry, network shows had 26 episodes a year, and it could take 10 to 15 episodes for actors to begin gelling or audiences to begin connecting to them. Now, streaming shows often have only eight to 10 episodes, shortening that process considerably.
\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf you don\u2019t do that in two or three episodes, and have layered characters that everybody\u2019s interested in, [audiences] just drift to another show.\u201d
\n\n\n\n
For Rooster, the mix of actors they\u2019d worked with before, performers they\u2019d long wanted to collaborate with, and emerging talent able to hold their own alongside veterans, proved key.
\n\n\n\n
That balance, Lawrence said, allows the show to walk what he calls a \u201ctonal tightrope.\u201d
\n\n\n\n
\u201cTo switch from broad, silly comedy to moments of emotional depth and pathos, you have to find actors who can pull that off,\u201d he said. \u201cOtherwise the show\u2019s a disaster.\u201d
\n\n\n\n
Fortunately, he added, every member of the ensemble is \u201cskilled enough to make that sharp turn.\u201d
\n\n\n\n
Key Takeaways
\n\n\n\n
\n
Rooster stands out as a character-driven comedy built on strong creative collaboration between cast and creators.
\n\n\n\n
The series balances humor and emotional depth through performances designed to humanize even its most flawed characters.
\n\n\n\n
Real-life inspirations and actor input play a key role in shaping the show\u2019s tone, relationships, and authenticity.
\n",
"content_text": "The new HBO comedy series Rooster centers on Steve Carell as Greg Russo, a divorced fiction author from Florida who visits an East Coast college campus where his adult daughter, Katie, is a professor whose husband has just left her for a graduate student. Greg ends up staying on as the school\u2019s writer-in-residence, becoming deeply enmeshed not only in campus life but in his daughter\u2019s personal upheaval.\n\n\n\nKey Insights\n\n\n\n\nSteve Carell was drawn to Rooster as much for its emotional exploration of fatherhood as for the opportunity to collaborate with showrunners Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses.\n\n\n\nThe cast emphasized the show\u2019s deeply collaborative environment, with actors actively shaping character dynamics through rehearsal and discussion.\n\n\n\nShowrunners blended longtime collaborators with emerging talent to quickly build ensemble chemistry in a shorter streaming format.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n Get access to thousands of high-quality roles.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n JOIN FREE TODAY \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAt a press conference attended by Casting Networks, Rooster showrunners Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses, known for series including Scrubs and\u00a0Bad Monkey, said the show grew out of a shared experience: reaching the stage of parenting where a daughter becomes an adult, and may not always want her father as involved in her life as he once was.\n\n\n\nIn the meantime, the father insists on inserting himself in her life anyway.\n\n\n\nUltimately, Lawrence said, it\u2019s about realizing \u201cthat trying to be in their life is not really for them. It\u2019s for you.\u201d\n\n\n\nCarell was drawn to that exploration, especially as the father of a daughter himself. But he was equally motivated by the chance to work with Lawrence and Tarses. Lawrence created hits like Ted Lasso and Shrinking, while Tarses\u2019 credits include Mad About You and Sports Night.\n\n\n\n\u201cWhen they called me, I thought, \u2018This could be something really special,\u2019\u201d Carell said. \u201cA partnership with people that you admire. That\u2019s what I\u2019m most intrigued by. And working with great actors.\u201d\n\n\n\nThat collaboration quickly proved rewarding.\n\n\n\n\u201cIt felt like a true ensemble,\u201d Carell said of a cast that includes Charly Clive as Katie, Phil Dunster as her unfaithful husband Archie, and Lauren Tsai as the graduate student. Danielle Deadwyler plays a poetry professor who may become a love interest for Greg, while John C. McGinley appears as the college president.\n\n\n\n\u201cThere was such a pervasive kindness and generosity that reminded me of my experience on The Office in terms of it was a cast where no component was more important than any other.\u201d \n\n\n\nFor Clive, a British actress known for the series The Lazarus Project, the opportunity arrived in her inbox under the subject line \u201cUntitled Steve Carell Project.\u201d\n\n\n\nHer audition included two scenes from the pilot: Katie\u2019s first tense interaction with her father on campus, and an emotionally charged confrontation with Archie about his affair.\n\n\n\nBefore she recorded the tape, however, her agent tempered expectations, warning her she likely wouldn\u2019t land the role because it was \u201cthis big American thing.\u201d\n\n\n\n\u201cThe stakes were very low because I was like, \u2018No one\u2019s going to watch this tape,\u2019\u201d Clive said. \u201cSo I had loads of fun with it.\u201d\n\n\n\nThat looseness ultimately worked in her favor. Her performance led to a meeting with Lawrence, Tarses and Carell, and ultimately to her landing the role.\n\n\n\nCasting Archie, Katie\u2019s husband, required a delicate balance. The character serves as an antagonist, but still needs to retain enough humanity for viewers to empathize with him.\n\n\n\n\u201cThat skill set is rare, and Phil has it,\u201d Lawrence said.\n\n\n\nDunster, who previously worked with Lawrence on Ted Lasso, said the complexity was part of the appeal.\n\n\n\n\u201cIt would be very boring if he were a nincompoop and you hated him,\u201d Dunster said. \u201cIt gives you much further to go [as an actor] and is so much more inviting as an audience to ask, \u2018Why is he like that? Why do I feel a tug on my heartstrings?\u2019\u201d\n\n\n\nThe writers clearly succeeded in that balance. Tarses joked that, despite Archie\u2019s behavior, even he finds himself sympathizing with the character.\n\n\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t want to spoil anything,\u201d he said, \u201cbut not great things happen to him, and I found myself feeling really bad for this despicable guy.\u201d\n\n\n\nDeadwyler, meanwhile, relished the chance to step into lighter territory. After delivering acclaimed dramatic performances in films such as Till and The Piano Lesson, she said the project offered a welcome shift in tone.\n\n\n\n\u201cI knew that I needed to rejuvenate my nervous system after years of drudgery and tears,\u201d she said.\n\n\n\nBefore filming began, Deadwyler and Carell met to workshop several scenes and explore the dynamic, romantic and otherwise, between their characters. Among them were a bar scene from the pilot and another pivotal moment for her character, poetry professor Dylan Shepherd.\n\n\n\n\u201cIt was really, really fun,\u201d Deadwyler said. \u201cI was like, man, I love this guy.\u201d\n\n\n\nThe process felt deeply collaborative, she added. It was less like a traditional television rehearsal and more like a theater workshop.\n\n\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re having a dialogue with folks who want your input, who are trying to craft with you,\u201d she said. \u201cEverything about this was hyper-collaborative, and that\u2019s the kind of joyful project you want to be on.\u201d\n\n\n\nLawrence and Tarses also revealed that Carell\u2019s Greg Russo was partly inspired by real-life author Carl Hiaasen, whose novel Bad Monkey the duo previously adapted for Apple TV+.\n\n\n\nAnother character came from a more personal and humorous source.\n\n\n\nJohn C. McGinley\u2019s Walter Mann, the health-obsessed and slightly overbearing president of the college, was modeled largely on McGinley himself.\n\n\n\nAccording to the showrunners, visiting the actor\u2019s home involves a mandatory sauna session he built himself, complete with a list of strict rules posted inside.\n\n\n\n\u201cHe sits you in there and talks about what\u2019s concerning him with the world, where he\u2019s at emotionally, how his kids are doing,\u201d Lawrence recalled.\n\n\n\nAnd just when guests think the experience is over, it escalates.\n\n\n\n\u201cWhen you think it\u2019s done, he puts you in a cold plunge,\u201d Lawrence said. \u201cHe looms over you and won\u2019t let you get out. He goes, \u2018Your body\u2019s responding positively because it feels like you\u2019re dying.\u2019\u201d\n\n\n\nThe anecdote convinced the writers to borrow from real life.\n\n\n\n\u201cWe decided to steal his life and put that in the show,\u201d Lawrence said.\n\n\n\nMcGinley confirmed the inspiration.\n\n\n\n\u201cHe told me, \u2018Johnny C., I want to steal your life,\u2019\u201d the actor said. \u201cA lot of times, actors craft characters with eccentricities and tics we can hide behind. In this case, it\u2019s Walt Mann playing John McGinley. So yes, I\u2019m intimately familiar with Walter Mann.\u201d\n\n\n\nMcGinley, who is also collaborating with Lawrence on the current Scrubs reboot, first met the showrunner when auditioning for the original series more than two decades ago.\n\n\n\n\u201cBilly and I met in January of 2001 when I auditioned five times for the role of Dr. Cox,\u201d McGinley said. \u201cEven though the script said \u2018a John McGinley type,\u2019 Bill still made me audition five times.\u201d\n\n\n\n\u201cYou weren\u2019t as comfortable playing a John McGinley type back then,\u201d Lawrence joked.\n\n\n\nLawrence acknowledged he enjoys working with collaborators he knows well, partly because that shared shorthand can speed up the creative process. In addition to McGinley and Dunster, Rooster features guest and supporting roles from previous collaborators, including Connie Britton, Alan Ruck and Rory Scovel, who worked with Lawrence on Spin City.\n\n\n\nBut the showrunner stressed that returning collaborators are only one part of the equation.\n\n\n\n\u201cIf you\u2019re lucky enough to get to make something, and there are incredibly talented people whose voices you know in your head, and who you want to spend time with in real life, you\u2019d be insane not to work with them again,\u201d he said.\n\n\n\nAt the same time, pairing those familiar collaborators with new talent is equally important.\n\n\n\nClive and Tsai represent a newer generation of performers who help give the show its energy, balancing seasoned actors and long-time collaborators with fresh voices.\n\n\n\nThat blend also serves a practical purpose in today\u2019s television landscape. Before streaming changed the industry, network shows had 26 episodes a year, and it could take 10 to 15 episodes for actors to begin gelling or audiences to begin connecting to them. Now, streaming shows often have only eight to 10 episodes, shortening that process considerably.\n\n\n\n\u201cIf you don\u2019t do that in two or three episodes, and have layered characters that everybody\u2019s interested in, [audiences] just drift to another show.\u201d\n\n\n\nFor Rooster, the mix of actors they\u2019d worked with before, performers they\u2019d long wanted to collaborate with, and emerging talent able to hold their own alongside veterans, proved key.\n\n\n\nThat balance, Lawrence said, allows the show to walk what he calls a \u201ctonal tightrope.\u201d\n\n\n\n\u201cTo switch from broad, silly comedy to moments of emotional depth and pathos, you have to find actors who can pull that off,\u201d he said. \u201cOtherwise the show\u2019s a disaster.\u201d\n\n\n\nFortunately, he added, every member of the ensemble is \u201cskilled enough to make that sharp turn.\u201d\n\n\n\nKey Takeaways\n\n\n\n\nRooster stands out as a character-driven comedy built on strong creative collaboration between cast and creators.\n\n\n\nThe series balances humor and emotional depth through performances designed to humanize even its most flawed characters.\n\n\n\nReal-life inspirations and actor input play a key role in shaping the show\u2019s tone, relationships, and authenticity.\n\nThe post Inside ‘Rooster’: Steve Carell and Cast Reveal the Real-Life Inspirations Behind HBO’s New Comedy appeared first on Casting Networks.",
"date_published": "2026-03-19T09:47:57-07:00",
"date_modified": "2026-03-19T09:55:13-07:00",
"authors": [
{
"name": "Zorianna Kit",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/author/zorianna-kit/",
"avatar": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/wphb-cache/gravatar/beb/beb229407b4d16d50760c4f6dbf3273cx512.jpg"
}
],
"author": {
"name": "Zorianna Kit",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/author/zorianna-kit/",
"avatar": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/wphb-cache/gravatar/beb/beb229407b4d16d50760c4f6dbf3273cx512.jpg"
},
"image": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/rooster-hbo-e1773939304109.jpeg",
"tags": [
"News and Trends"
]
},
{
"id": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/?p=310195",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/dtf-st-louis-cast-interview-hbo-jason-bateman-linda-cardellini/",
"title": "Jason Bateman, David Harbour and Linda Cardellini Break Down HBO\u2019s Dark \u2018DTF St. Louis\u2019",
"content_html": "\n
Suburban dissatisfaction has never looked quite so dangerous. HBO’s new limited series DTF St. Louis plunges into the loneliness and desperation simmering beneath seemingly happy middle-aged lives, and the catastrophic mistakes that can follow. In this case, it’s a love triangle between three adults, which ultimately leads to one of them ending up dead.\u00a0
\n\n\n\n
Key Insights
\n\n\n\n
\n
DTF St. Louis uses a nonlinear, multi-perspective structure to deepen suspense and constantly shift audience assumptions about the central murder.
\n\n\n\n
The series explores middle-aged loneliness and dissatisfaction as catalysts for impulsive decisions that spiral into irreversible consequences.
\n\n\n\n
The emotional core of the show lies in the fragile, unexpected friendship between its two male leads, adding humanity to an otherwise dark narrative.
The story follows the budding friendship between local news reporter Clark (Jason Bateman) and Floyd (David Harbour, in his first TV role post-Stranger Things), an interpreter who works with the station’s ALS-accessible broadcasts. Both men feel trapped in unsatisfying marriages, so Floyd joins a hookup app at Clark’s suggestion. Meanwhile, Clark secretly begins an affair with Floyd’s wife, Carol (Linda Cardellini). When Floyd is found dead, the seven-episode series unfolds as a nonlinear investigation that gradually exposes the secrets and desperation driving each character’s choices.
\n\n\n\n
The show also stars Richard Jenkins and Joy Sunday as the investigators tasked with unraveling what happened.
\n\n\n\n
At a press conference attended by Casting Networks, show creator Steve Conrad (Patriot, Perpetual Grace LTD) said he and Harbour wanted to create a show that would showcase the dissatisfaction and desperation that can happen in middle age. Eventually, they developed a concept centered on a set of middle-aged people in a suburban community over the course of one summer in 2018.
\n\n\n\n
\u201cDavid and I agreed to hang a series of suspenseful and tense events that might follow from grown-ups making mistakes, then trying to fix them, only to create greater mistakes,\u201d Conrad said.
\n\n\n\n
Bateman says the unusual storytelling structure immediately grabbed him when he read the scripts.
\n\n\n\n
\u201cI just remember racing through those scripts, and I just could not believe how unique and original almost every single page was without it ever sort of jumping a shark,\u201d said Bateman, recalling his first reaction after Harbour reached out to him about the project.
\n\n\n\n
Cardellini had a similar response. \u201cI was so moved by it,\u201d she said. \u201cI had not read anything like it. It doesn’t move linearly.\u201d
\n\n\n\n
The nonlinear storytelling also required the actors to carefully track what each character knows and when.
\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe had to keep in mind that the audience is gonna try to figure out who’s behind this death. And there are certain things in the plot that give certain characters motivation. There are certain emotional points. And so, it was important for us all to remember, \u2018Okay, what does the audience know? What do they assume? Or, what does the character know and assume? And at what point and what stage?\u2019\u201d said Bateman.
\n\n\n\n
Harbour says the layered narrative makes the show even more complex.
\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere\u2019s so many levels to it,\u201d he said. \u201cBecause not only are we telling it out of order, but we’re telling it from different people’s perspectives, from investigations, from detectives, from simple memories, from different things.\u201d
\n\n\n\n
At the heart of the story is also the unlikely friendship between Clark and Floyd. For Harbour, that dynamic mirrored his own off-screen connection with Bateman.
\n\n\n\n
\u201cFrom early discussions with Jason, I felt camaraderie, and I started to let my guard down,\u201d he admits. \u201cIt’s hard as a 50-year-old heterosexual male to make new friends. I\u2019ve found it hard. And yet, even that process of making a new friend in him \u2026 I would let those colors play on me as we played the scene. I think the chemistry was very organic, and I’m very pleased to see that it translates on screen so well.\u201d
\n\n\n\n
Bateman agreed that rapport came easily. \u201cIn any occupation, it is a choice to have a connection with the people that you’re working with and building with. When you’ve got people that aren’t jerks, it’s not tough. And Steve \u2026 provided an environment where it was safe to explore all those things and cast a bunch of people and crewed it in such a way where that process was very simple.\u201d
\n\n\n\n
By his own admission, Bateman reveals the show pushes him into territory he\u2019s not used to exploring on screen: sexual intimacy.
\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was definitely a little apprehensive about it all, but looking forward to the challenge. And Steve made me feel super comfortable early on when I had phone calls with him about what his expectations were regarding these scenes. Fortunately, my character is someone who’s not comfortable with it either!\u201d
\n\n\n\n
That awkwardness becomes part of the show\u2019s tone.
\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt’s so vulnerable and human and uncomfortable to watch these people experiment with becoming more dynamic in their lives,\u201d observes Bateman. \u201cIt’s awkward and ugly and not sexy. This is not a titillating show; it’s equal parts tragic and humorous. That’s what compels you to just keep watching \u2026 because these people are so bravely diving off into the void.\u201d
\n\n\n\n
These contrasts are evident in Harbour\u2019s Floyd as well. A physically big character, the audience gets glimmers of a past life where he was physically potent in a way he knows he\u2019ll never get back to, which haunts him. Then, during one such encounter from the app, Clark does something surprising.
\n\n\n\n
\u201cBasically, he’s very gracious in a situation where normal people wouldn’t really be gracious,\u201d observes Harbour. \u201cSometimes, as an actor, you’ll discover things in a script, and you’ll go, \u2018That doesn’t feel like my character.\u2019 Then, there are other times when you get curious and go, \u2018Maybe I could build a character around this choice.\u2019\u201d
\n\n\n\n
Those moments of surprise, he says, are part of what makes Conrad\u2019s writing so compelling.
\n\n\n\n
\u201cI’m never settled as a viewer,\u201d Harbour said. \u201cThat’s so pleasurable and so rare. It allowed us, as actors, to embrace the things that were weird about these people.\u201d
\n\n\n\n
For Cardellini, Linda\u2019s emotional conflict is often reflected visually through her wardrobe. During her secret affair with Clark, the character sheds layers in motel rooms. But at home, she’s buried under the bulky uniform she wears as a little league umpire, a look her husband finds repulsive.
\n\n\n\n
The uniform, she said, also reflects the burden Linda carries in her personal life. It\u2019s her second marriage, and instead of being taken care of as she expected, she finds herself responsible for supporting the household, including her son, who refuses to accept Floyd as a parental figure.
\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt’s a lot on her, and so the weight of that outfit is kind of like the weight that she carries in terms of trying to make extra money and making ends meet,\u201d she said.
\n\n\n\n
Key Takeaways
\n\n\n\n
\n
HBO\u2019s DTF St. Louis blends dark humor and tragedy to portray the messy, uncomfortable reality of people seeking change later in life.
\n\n\n\n
Strong performances from Jason Bateman, David Harbour and Linda Cardellini elevate a complex, character-driven mystery.
\n\n\n\n
The show\u2019s unconventional storytelling and emotional vulnerability make it a standout among recent limited series.
\n",
"content_text": "Suburban dissatisfaction has never looked quite so dangerous. HBO’s new limited series DTF St. Louis plunges into the loneliness and desperation simmering beneath seemingly happy middle-aged lives, and the catastrophic mistakes that can follow. In this case, it’s a love triangle between three adults, which ultimately leads to one of them ending up dead.\u00a0\n\n\n\nKey Insights\n\n\n\n\nDTF St. Louis uses a nonlinear, multi-perspective structure to deepen suspense and constantly shift audience assumptions about the central murder.\n\n\n\nThe series explores middle-aged loneliness and dissatisfaction as catalysts for impulsive decisions that spiral into irreversible consequences.\n\n\n\nThe emotional core of the show lies in the fragile, unexpected friendship between its two male leads, adding humanity to an otherwise dark narrative.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n Get access to thousands of high-quality roles.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n JOIN FREE TODAY \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe story follows the budding friendship between local news reporter Clark (Jason Bateman) and Floyd (David Harbour, in his first TV role post-Stranger Things), an interpreter who works with the station’s ALS-accessible broadcasts. Both men feel trapped in unsatisfying marriages, so Floyd joins a hookup app at Clark’s suggestion. Meanwhile, Clark secretly begins an affair with Floyd’s wife, Carol (Linda Cardellini). When Floyd is found dead, the seven-episode series unfolds as a nonlinear investigation that gradually exposes the secrets and desperation driving each character’s choices.\n\n\n\nThe show also stars Richard Jenkins and Joy Sunday as the investigators tasked with unraveling what happened.\n\n\n\nAt a press conference attended by Casting Networks, show creator Steve Conrad (Patriot, Perpetual Grace LTD) said he and Harbour wanted to create a show that would showcase the dissatisfaction and desperation that can happen in middle age. Eventually, they developed a concept centered on a set of middle-aged people in a suburban community over the course of one summer in 2018.\n\n\n\n\u201cDavid and I agreed to hang a series of suspenseful and tense events that might follow from grown-ups making mistakes, then trying to fix them, only to create greater mistakes,\u201d Conrad said.\n\n\n\nBateman says the unusual storytelling structure immediately grabbed him when he read the scripts.\n\n\n\n\u201cI just remember racing through those scripts, and I just could not believe how unique and original almost every single page was without it ever sort of jumping a shark,\u201d said Bateman, recalling his first reaction after Harbour reached out to him about the project.\n\n\n\nCardellini had a similar response. \u201cI was so moved by it,\u201d she said. \u201cI had not read anything like it. It doesn’t move linearly.\u201d\n\n\n\nThe nonlinear storytelling also required the actors to carefully track what each character knows and when.\n\n\n\n\u201cWe had to keep in mind that the audience is gonna try to figure out who’s behind this death. And there are certain things in the plot that give certain characters motivation. There are certain emotional points. And so, it was important for us all to remember, \u2018Okay, what does the audience know? What do they assume? Or, what does the character know and assume? And at what point and what stage?\u2019\u201d said Bateman.\n\n\n\nHarbour says the layered narrative makes the show even more complex.\n\n\n\n\u201cThere\u2019s so many levels to it,\u201d he said. \u201cBecause not only are we telling it out of order, but we’re telling it from different people’s perspectives, from investigations, from detectives, from simple memories, from different things.\u201d\n\n\n\nAt the heart of the story is also the unlikely friendship between Clark and Floyd. For Harbour, that dynamic mirrored his own off-screen connection with Bateman.\n\n\n\n\u201cFrom early discussions with Jason, I felt camaraderie, and I started to let my guard down,\u201d he admits. \u201cIt’s hard as a 50-year-old heterosexual male to make new friends. I\u2019ve found it hard. And yet, even that process of making a new friend in him \u2026 I would let those colors play on me as we played the scene. I think the chemistry was very organic, and I’m very pleased to see that it translates on screen so well.\u201d\n\n\n\nBateman agreed that rapport came easily. \u201cIn any occupation, it is a choice to have a connection with the people that you’re working with and building with. When you’ve got people that aren’t jerks, it’s not tough. And Steve \u2026 provided an environment where it was safe to explore all those things and cast a bunch of people and crewed it in such a way where that process was very simple.\u201d\n\n\n\nBy his own admission, Bateman reveals the show pushes him into territory he\u2019s not used to exploring on screen: sexual intimacy.\n\n\n\n\u201cI was definitely a little apprehensive about it all, but looking forward to the challenge. And Steve made me feel super comfortable early on when I had phone calls with him about what his expectations were regarding these scenes. Fortunately, my character is someone who’s not comfortable with it either!\u201d\n\n\n\nThat awkwardness becomes part of the show\u2019s tone. \n\n\n\n\u201cIt’s so vulnerable and human and uncomfortable to watch these people experiment with becoming more dynamic in their lives,\u201d observes Bateman. \u201cIt’s awkward and ugly and not sexy. This is not a titillating show; it’s equal parts tragic and humorous. That’s what compels you to just keep watching \u2026 because these people are so bravely diving off into the void.\u201d\n\n\n\nThese contrasts are evident in Harbour\u2019s Floyd as well. A physically big character, the audience gets glimmers of a past life where he was physically potent in a way he knows he\u2019ll never get back to, which haunts him. Then, during one such encounter from the app, Clark does something surprising.\n\n\n\n\u201cBasically, he’s very gracious in a situation where normal people wouldn’t really be gracious,\u201d observes Harbour. \u201cSometimes, as an actor, you’ll discover things in a script, and you’ll go, \u2018That doesn’t feel like my character.\u2019 Then, there are other times when you get curious and go, \u2018Maybe I could build a character around this choice.\u2019\u201d\n\n\n\nThose moments of surprise, he says, are part of what makes Conrad\u2019s writing so compelling.\n\n\n\n\u201cI’m never settled as a viewer,\u201d Harbour said. \u201cThat’s so pleasurable and so rare. It allowed us, as actors, to embrace the things that were weird about these people.\u201d\n\n\n\nFor Cardellini, Linda\u2019s emotional conflict is often reflected visually through her wardrobe. During her secret affair with Clark, the character sheds layers in motel rooms. But at home, she’s buried under the bulky uniform she wears as a little league umpire, a look her husband finds repulsive.\n\n\n\nThe uniform, she said, also reflects the burden Linda carries in her personal life. It\u2019s her second marriage, and instead of being taken care of as she expected, she finds herself responsible for supporting the household, including her son, who refuses to accept Floyd as a parental figure.\n\n\n\n\u201cIt’s a lot on her, and so the weight of that outfit is kind of like the weight that she carries in terms of trying to make extra money and making ends meet,\u201d she said.\n\n\n\nKey Takeaways\n\n\n\n\nHBO\u2019s DTF St. Louis blends dark humor and tragedy to portray the messy, uncomfortable reality of people seeking change later in life.\n\n\n\nStrong performances from Jason Bateman, David Harbour and Linda Cardellini elevate a complex, character-driven mystery.\n\n\n\nThe show\u2019s unconventional storytelling and emotional vulnerability make it a standout among recent limited series.\n\nThe post Jason Bateman, David Harbour and Linda Cardellini Break Down HBO’s Dark ‘DTF St. Louis’ appeared first on Casting Networks.",
"date_published": "2026-03-18T09:53:38-07:00",
"date_modified": "2026-03-18T09:53:39-07:00",
"authors": [
{
"name": "Zorianna Kit",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/author/zorianna-kit/",
"avatar": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/wphb-cache/gravatar/beb/beb229407b4d16d50760c4f6dbf3273cx512.jpg"
}
],
"author": {
"name": "Zorianna Kit",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/author/zorianna-kit/",
"avatar": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/wphb-cache/gravatar/beb/beb229407b4d16d50760c4f6dbf3273cx512.jpg"
},
"image": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/dtf-st-louis-e1773851557113.jpeg",
"tags": [
"News and Trends"
]
},
{
"id": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/?p=309394",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/the-98th-academy-awards-celebrate-the-best-of-cinema-and-casting-finally-gets-their-oscar/",
"title": "The 98th Academy Awards Celebrate the Best of Cinema \u2014 and Casting Finally Gets Their Oscar",
"content_html": "\n
It’s been one battle after another all through awards season with Sinners and One Battle After Another trading wins at various awards over the last few months, setting the stage for one of the most competitive Oscar races in recent memory.
\n\n\n\n
By the end of the night, both films walked away with multiple statues. Michael B. Jordan won the Best Actor trophy for his double roles as twins Smoke and Stack in Sinners, while Paul Thomas Anderson’s timely One Battle After Another came out on top for best film. Anderson probably put it best when he referenced the 1975 Academy Awards to make a point about how Oscar-nominated films are often viewed through the lens of history, saying, “There is no best among them. There is just what the mood might be that day.”
\n\n\n\n
It was also a historic night for casting directors, who are near and dear to us at Casting Networks. To present the first-ever Oscar for Best Casting, the Academy honored five talented casting directors with five presenters, all actors who gave a personal anecdote about each nominee before finally presenting the gold statue to Cassandra Kulukundis for One Battle After Another. It was thrilling to see casting given such a warm welcome to film’s most celebrated stage.
\n",
"content_text": "It’s been one battle after another all through awards season with Sinners and One Battle After Another trading wins at various awards over the last few months, setting the stage for one of the most competitive Oscar races in recent memory.\n\n\n\nBy the end of the night, both films walked away with multiple statues. Michael B. Jordan won the Best Actor trophy for his double roles as twins Smoke and Stack in Sinners, while Paul Thomas Anderson’s timely One Battle After Another came out on top for best film. Anderson probably put it best when he referenced the 1975 Academy Awards to make a point about how Oscar-nominated films are often viewed through the lens of history, saying, “There is no best among them. There is just what the mood might be that day.”\n\n\n\nIt was also a historic night for casting directors, who are near and dear to us at Casting Networks. To present the first-ever Oscar for Best Casting, the Academy honored five talented casting directors with five presenters, all actors who gave a personal anecdote about each nominee before finally presenting the gold statue to Cassandra Kulukundis for One Battle After Another. It was thrilling to see casting given such a warm welcome to film’s most celebrated stage.\n\n\n\nTo learn more about what an Oscar-winning casting director looks for in an audition, check out our interview with Cassandra Kulukundis.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBest Picture\n\n\n\n\nFrankenstein\n\n\n\nHamnet\n\n\n\nMarty Supreme\n\n\n\nOne Battle After Another – WINNER\n\n\n\nSinners\n\n\n\nTrain Dreams\n\n\n\nF1\n\n\n\nBugonia\n\n\n\nSentimental Value\n\n\n\nThe Secret Agent\n\n\n\n\nBest Director\n\n\n\n\nChlo\u00e9 Zhao, Hamnet\n\n\n\nJosh Safdie, Marty Supreme\n\n\n\nPaul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another – WINNER\n\n\n\nJoachim Trier, Sentimental Value\n\n\n\nRyan Coogler, Sinners\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n Get access to thousands of high-quality roles.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n JOIN FREE TODAY \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBest Actress in a Leading Role\n\n\n\n\nJessie Buckley, Hamnet – WINNER\n\n\n\nRose Byrne, If I Had Legs I\u2019d Kick You\n\n\n\nKate Hudson, Song Sung Blue\n\n\n\nRenate Reinsve, Sentimental Value\n\n\n\nEmma Stone, Bugonia\n\n\n\n\nBest Actor in a Leading Role\n\n\n\n\nTimoth\u00e9e Chalamet, Marty Supreme\n\n\n\nLeonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another\n\n\n\nEthan Hawke, Blue Moon\n\n\n\nMichael B. Jordan, Sinners – WINNER\n\n\n\nWagner Moura, The Secret Agent\n\n\n\n\nBest Actress in a Supporting Role\n\n\n\n\nElle Fanning, Sentimental Value\n\n\n\nInga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Sentimental Value\n\n\n\nAmy Madigan, Weapons – WINNER\n\n\n\nWunmi Mosaku, Sinners\n\n\n\nTeyana Taylor, One Battle After Another\n\n\n\n\nBest Actor in a Supporting Role\n\n\n\n\nBenicio del Toro, One Battle After Another\n\n\n\nJacob Elordi, Frankenstein\n\n\n\nDelroy Lindo, Sinners\n\n\n\nSean Penn, One Battle After Another – WINNER\n\n\n\nStellan Skarsg\u00e5rd, Sentimental Value\n\n\n\n\nBest Casting\n\n\n\n\nNina Gold, Hamnet\n\n\n\nJennifer Venditti, Marty Supreme\n\n\n\nCassandra Kulukundis, One Battle After Another – WINNER\n\n\n\nGabriel Domingues, The Secret Agent\n\n\n\nFrancine Maisler, Sinners\n\n\n\n\nCongratulations to all winners and nominees! \n\n\n\n\nThe post The 98th Academy Awards Celebrate the Best of Cinema \u2014 and Casting Finally Gets Their Oscar appeared first on Casting Networks.",
"date_published": "2026-03-16T09:14:26-07:00",
"date_modified": "2026-05-22T12:12:24-07:00",
"authors": [
{
"name": "Casting Networks",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/author/casting-networks/",
"avatar": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/wphb-cache/gravatar/200/200444408742b2af675bc62d4765cbe4x512.jpg"
}
],
"author": {
"name": "Casting Networks",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/author/casting-networks/",
"avatar": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/wphb-cache/gravatar/200/200444408742b2af675bc62d4765cbe4x512.jpg"
},
"image": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/academy-awards-oscars-winners-nominees.jpg",
"tags": [
"News and Trends"
]
},
{
"id": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/?p=308788",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/best-actor-oscar-predictions-2026-who-will-win/",
"title": "Inside the Best Actor Oscar Race: Michael B. Jordan Surges Ahead",
"content_html": "\n
And now, finally, the Best Actor race. People spent a lot of time talking about how it\u2019s a race between two actors, but that was a while back, and things have changed markedly.
\n\n\n\n
The nominees for Best Actor in a Leading Role are Michael B. Jordan, Sinners, Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet, Marty Supreme, Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another, Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon and Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent.
\n\n\n\n
Key Insights
\n\n\n\n
\n
Awards momentum can change quickly, and the Best Actor race proves how industry buzz and late viewings can reshape predictions.
\n\n\n\n
Michael B. Jordan\u2019s dual performance in Sinners may give him the kind of technical showcase voters often reward.
\n\n\n\n
Subtle performances like Wagner Moura\u2019s can earn critical admiration even when flashier roles dominate awards voting.
I wrote another version of this essay a couple of weeks ago, but came back and changed it entirely at the last minute, because so much has changed since I first did it. Originally, I basically dismissed Ethan Hawke and Michael B. Jordan\u2019s chances at this award, briefly mentioned Leo\u2019s job in One Battle After Another, and then focused most of the rest of it on Chalamet and Moura.
\n\n\n\n
But so much is different that I asked my editor if I could sub this in at the last minute, because everything has been turned upside down, and I knew I had to reexamine it all.
\n\n\n\n
Not long ago, Leo was considered a frontrunner for this, and it was likely to come down to him and Timoth\u00e9e. Now, I would put Leo\u2019s chances at zero and believe he will get the fewest votes of any of these guys.
That\u2019s because everyone else is catching up to the work the other four have done. Ethan Hawke is someone I thought had no chance at all, but the truth is, if people actually watch Blue Moon, they will be forced to reckon with perhaps the finest actor of his generation turning in some of his strongest work. He is simply remarkable playing Lorenz Hart in longtime collaborator Richard Linklater\u2019s best movie in a while. Yesterday, I said that Renate Reinsve was the third of three truly great performances I saw this year, but I realized after the fact that I left out a fourth and a fifth. Hawke\u2019s is the fourth. The fifth I will get to in a few paragraphs.
\n\n\n\n
First, I need to talk about Chalamet, whom I was convinced was going to win this award. You want to talk about an electric current through a film, that\u2019s Chalamet, who is big and brassy and also subtle and quiet, depending on the moment. He plays a stupendously unlikable character who, through Chalamet\u2019s charisma, you can\u2019t help but root for. I have talked to a lot of people who did not like Marty Supreme, and I get it. I personally loved it, but it\u2019s one of those movies where I can understand how someone might not.
\n\n\n\n
Chalamet\u2019s talent is really incredible. He\u2019s building a remarkable resume, and even though he\u2019s only 30 years old, he\u2019s already been nominated for four Oscars, three of them for acting (he\u2019s also a producer on Best Picture nominee Marty Supreme). There are only so many times one can say about an actor, \u201cIt\u2019s not his time yet,\u201d before it becomes his time. It happened with Leo, and until a few days ago, I thought it would happen with Timoth\u00e9e.
\n\n\n\n
But that rare thing happened, which is that Michael B. Jordan has come from nowhere to become the frontrunner. Any time an actor convincingly plays twins \u2014 see Nicolas Cage in Adaptation, for one example \u2014 there\u2019s an added degree of difficulty, as well as extra honors in store. This is not different, and the thing is, as more and more people seem to be convinced that One Battle After Another is going to sweep Best Picture, Director, and Adapted Screenplay, and Sinners director Ryan Coogler seems a given for Best Original Screenplay, I suspect more people are going to throw votes toward Jordan to recognize their love of Sinners. So now, I\u2019m doing the rare thing and changing my mind at the last possible minute. I don\u2019t tend to second-guess myself, but I’m not so stubborn as to be unwilling to change my mind when presented with more information.
\n\n\n\n
Which is that Michael B. Jordan seems to now be the odds-on favorite, and I can\u2019t argue with that and won\u2019t pick against it.
\n\n\n\n
Now, having said all that, there\u2019s still the matter of the fifth truly great performance I saw this year, and that\u2019s Wagner Moura. If you\u2019ve been paying attention to the essays I\u2019ve written for this site over the last few years, you know I\u2019m a big fan of work that\u2019s more subtle, that you have to really pay attention to so as to properly appreciate it. Moura does that in The Secret Agent, keeping things a mystery and only revealing small details until he needs to show more. Even then, you\u2019re never really certain what he\u2019s doing or why, all while you can see the tension coiled beneath his eyes. He knows he\u2019s in constant danger, and we know that part of him is certain he\u2019s not going to survive. And yet, there\u2019s no panic, no release, just a steady hum of tension that is as electrifying as the flashier work Chalamet turns in. I couldn\u2019t take my eyes off Moura in the film, and even wrote about it at the beginning of the year.
\n\n\n\n
I want Moura to win. I think Chalamet still has an outside shot, and it\u2019s entirely possible that Hawke pulls a huge upset \u2014 again, it really depends on if people actually see that movie \u2014 but if we\u2019re talking about odds, and who has the best of them, my new pick is Jordan, and honestly, I won\u2019t be upset to be right. Really, I won\u2019t be upset to be wrong, either. It\u2019s still wide open.
\n\n\n\n
For everyone but Leo, of course.
\n\n\n\n
WHO SHOULD WIN: Wagner Moura
\n\n\n\n
WHO WILL WIN: Michael B. Jordan
\n\n\n\n
Key Takeaways
\n\n\n\n
\n
The Best Actor race has shifted dramatically in recent weeks, with Michael B. Jordan emerging as the new frontrunner after once trailing Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet and Leonardo DiCaprio.
\n\n\n\n
While Jordan appears to have momentum, strong performances from Ethan Hawke, Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet, and Wagner Moura keep the category competitive.
\n\n\n\n
Though Jordan is now the predicted winner, Wagner Moura\u2019s subtle performance remains the critic\u2019s personal pick.
\n",
"content_text": "And now, finally, the Best Actor race. People spent a lot of time talking about how it\u2019s a race between two actors, but that was a while back, and things have changed markedly.\n\n\n\nThe nominees for Best Actor in a Leading Role are Michael B. Jordan, Sinners, Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet, Marty Supreme, Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another, Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon and Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent.\n\n\n\nKey Insights\n\n\n\n\nAwards momentum can change quickly, and the Best Actor race proves how industry buzz and late viewings can reshape predictions.\n\n\n\nMichael B. Jordan\u2019s dual performance in Sinners may give him the kind of technical showcase voters often reward.\n\n\n\nSubtle performances like Wagner Moura\u2019s can earn critical admiration even when flashier roles dominate awards voting.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n Get access to thousands of high-quality roles.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n JOIN FREE TODAY \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nI wrote another version of this essay a couple of weeks ago, but came back and changed it entirely at the last minute, because so much has changed since I first did it. Originally, I basically dismissed Ethan Hawke and Michael B. Jordan\u2019s chances at this award, briefly mentioned Leo\u2019s job in One Battle After Another, and then focused most of the rest of it on Chalamet and Moura. \n\n\n\nBut so much is different that I asked my editor if I could sub this in at the last minute, because everything has been turned upside down, and I knew I had to reexamine it all. \n\n\n\nNot long ago, Leo was considered a frontrunner for this, and it was likely to come down to him and Timoth\u00e9e. Now, I would put Leo\u2019s chances at zero and believe he will get the fewest votes of any of these guys.\n\n\n\nAmazing, how fortunes can change. While Jessie Buckley is a mortal lock to win the Best Actress race as discussed yesterday, Leo has done nothing wrong, and yet has seen his chances vanish over the course of a month.\u00a0\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s because everyone else is catching up to the work the other four have done. Ethan Hawke is someone I thought had no chance at all, but the truth is, if people actually watch Blue Moon, they will be forced to reckon with perhaps the finest actor of his generation turning in some of his strongest work. He is simply remarkable playing Lorenz Hart in longtime collaborator Richard Linklater\u2019s best movie in a while. Yesterday, I said that Renate Reinsve was the third of three truly great performances I saw this year, but I realized after the fact that I left out a fourth and a fifth. Hawke\u2019s is the fourth. The fifth I will get to in a few paragraphs.\n\n\n\nFirst, I need to talk about Chalamet, whom I was convinced was going to win this award. You want to talk about an electric current through a film, that\u2019s Chalamet, who is big and brassy and also subtle and quiet, depending on the moment. He plays a stupendously unlikable character who, through Chalamet\u2019s charisma, you can\u2019t help but root for. I have talked to a lot of people who did not like Marty Supreme, and I get it. I personally loved it, but it\u2019s one of those movies where I can understand how someone might not.\n\n\n\nChalamet\u2019s talent is really incredible. He\u2019s building a remarkable resume, and even though he\u2019s only 30 years old, he\u2019s already been nominated for four Oscars, three of them for acting (he\u2019s also a producer on Best Picture nominee Marty Supreme). There are only so many times one can say about an actor, \u201cIt\u2019s not his time yet,\u201d before it becomes his time. It happened with Leo, and until a few days ago, I thought it would happen with Timoth\u00e9e.\n\n\n\nBut that rare thing happened, which is that Michael B. Jordan has come from nowhere to become the frontrunner. Any time an actor convincingly plays twins \u2014 see Nicolas Cage in Adaptation, for one example \u2014 there\u2019s an added degree of difficulty, as well as extra honors in store. This is not different, and the thing is, as more and more people seem to be convinced that One Battle After Another is going to sweep Best Picture, Director, and Adapted Screenplay, and Sinners director Ryan Coogler seems a given for Best Original Screenplay, I suspect more people are going to throw votes toward Jordan to recognize their love of Sinners. So now, I\u2019m doing the rare thing and changing my mind at the last possible minute. I don\u2019t tend to second-guess myself, but I’m not so stubborn as to be unwilling to change my mind when presented with more information. \n\n\n\nWhich is that Michael B. Jordan seems to now be the odds-on favorite, and I can\u2019t argue with that and won\u2019t pick against it.\n\n\n\nNow, having said all that, there\u2019s still the matter of the fifth truly great performance I saw this year, and that\u2019s Wagner Moura. If you\u2019ve been paying attention to the essays I\u2019ve written for this site over the last few years, you know I\u2019m a big fan of work that\u2019s more subtle, that you have to really pay attention to so as to properly appreciate it. Moura does that in The Secret Agent, keeping things a mystery and only revealing small details until he needs to show more. Even then, you\u2019re never really certain what he\u2019s doing or why, all while you can see the tension coiled beneath his eyes. He knows he\u2019s in constant danger, and we know that part of him is certain he\u2019s not going to survive. And yet, there\u2019s no panic, no release, just a steady hum of tension that is as electrifying as the flashier work Chalamet turns in. I couldn\u2019t take my eyes off Moura in the film, and even wrote about it at the beginning of the year.\n\n\n\nI want Moura to win. I think Chalamet still has an outside shot, and it\u2019s entirely possible that Hawke pulls a huge upset \u2014 again, it really depends on if people actually see that movie \u2014 but if we\u2019re talking about odds, and who has the best of them, my new pick is Jordan, and honestly, I won\u2019t be upset to be right. Really, I won\u2019t be upset to be wrong, either. It\u2019s still wide open.\n\n\n\nFor everyone but Leo, of course.\n\n\n\nWHO SHOULD WIN: Wagner Moura\n\n\n\nWHO WILL WIN: Michael B. Jordan\n\n\n\nKey Takeaways\n\n\n\n\nThe Best Actor race has shifted dramatically in recent weeks, with Michael B. Jordan emerging as the new frontrunner after once trailing Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet and Leonardo DiCaprio.\n\n\n\nWhile Jordan appears to have momentum, strong performances from Ethan Hawke, Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet, and Wagner Moura keep the category competitive.\n\n\n\nThough Jordan is now the predicted winner, Wagner Moura\u2019s subtle performance remains the critic\u2019s personal pick.\n\nThe post Inside the Best Actor Oscar Race: Michael B. Jordan Surges Ahead appeared first on Casting Networks.",
"date_published": "2026-03-13T10:10:43-07:00",
"date_modified": "2026-05-22T12:12:52-07:00",
"authors": [
{
"name": "Neil Turitz",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/author/neil-turitz/",
"avatar": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/wphb-cache/gravatar/824/824ad122ece0f64119671fbf606465d3x512.jpg"
}
],
"author": {
"name": "Neil Turitz",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/author/neil-turitz/",
"avatar": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/wphb-cache/gravatar/824/824ad122ece0f64119671fbf606465d3x512.jpg"
},
"image": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/shutterstock_9795192a.jpg",
"tags": [
"News and Trends"
]
},
{
"id": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/?p=308379",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/best-actress-oscar-predictions-2026-who-will-win/",
"title": "Inside the Best Actress Oscar Race: Jessie Buckley Leads a Divisive Field",
"content_html": "\n
It\u2019s not often that I see a movie that gets a ton of Oscar love and find myself bored to tears, but it does happen. It\u2019s also rare that I see an actor getting universal love for a performance and find myself thinking, \u201cWell, this is just silly Oscar bait, isn’t it?\u201d This also happens occasionally. Why do I bring this up?
\n\n\n\n
Now that we’ve covered who should win among the Best Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress categories, let\u2019s discuss the nominees for Best Actress in a Leading Role. They are Emma Stone, Bugonia, Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I\u2019d Kick You, Jessie Buckley, Hamnet, Renate Reinsve, Sentimental Value and Kate Hudson, Song Sung Blue.
\n\n\n\n
Key Insights
\n\n\n\n
\n
Oscar voters often reward emotionally demonstrative performances in prestige period dramas, which gives Jessie Buckley a clear advantage this year.
\n\n\n\n
Renate Reinsve\u2019s restrained, nuanced acting in Sentimental Value highlights the ongoing tension between subtle artistry and traditional \u201cOscar bait\u201d roles.
\n\n\n\n
The category reflects a familiar awards-season dynamic: career narratives and dramatic roles often outweigh quieter but more inventive performances.
Okay, first things first. I have come to the point in my life where I am not afraid to admit that I don\u2019t happen to enjoy the work of Y\u00f3rgos L\u00e1nthimos. Yeah, I thought Poor Things was fun, and The Favourite has some really good stuff in it, but otherwise, his films are too much work for me, and way, way, way too dark and cynical. The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer were depressing; his Poor Things follow-up, Kinds of Kindness, gave me a migraine; and I was likewise not terribly fond of Bugonia. Emma Stone, L\u00e1nthimos\u2019 muse, is great in it, of course, because she\u2019s great in everything. But she\u2019s already won two Oscars before the age of 40, and there is no way on God\u2019s green earth that she\u2019s going to win a third. It took Meryl Streep decades to win her third Oscar, and Emma Stone is not going to beat her to it. At least, not with this film. Yes, it\u2019s been nominated for four Oscars, but two years after she won her last trophy, it\u2019s too soon for her to do it again.
\n\n\n\n
Kate Hudson\u2019s nomination is a nice story \u2014 an actress who announced herself with authority a quarter century ago in Cameron Crowe\u2019s masterpiece, Almost Famous, a role that earned Hudson her first and, up to this year, only Oscar nod. One might have thought she would be a regular nominee based on that performance, but she started making movies for the paychecks rather than the prestige, and while she got rich, her reputation took a bit of a hit. Over the last few years, though, she started doing more interesting stuff. A supporting turn in Marshall, a featured role in Glass Onion, even the Sia movie Music, while a truly terrible film, had aspirations to be something more than it was. She\u2019s been starring on the hit Netflix series Running Point lately, and her role in the Neil Diamond-inspired Song Sung Blue showcased the promise she\u2019s long teased. That said, her nomination is her reward.
\n\n\n\n
I think Jessie Buckley \u2014 who took home an Actor’s Award this year already \u2014 is a sure thing to win this, which is not remotely surprising if you\u2019ve seen Hamnet. I did not like the movie at all \u2014 the payoff is undeniably powerful, but good Lord, the lead-up to it is just so crushingly boring \u2014 and while Buckley is indeed very good in it, the character felt like Oscar bait to me. Lots of emoting, with laughter and pain, plenty of anguish, some childbirth mixed in, and lots and lots of grief. Toss it all into a period piece and throw in some Shakespeare to boot? Surefire winner.\u00a0
\n\n\n\n
Sorry if I sound as cynical as a L\u00e1nthimos film, but I\u2019ve been doing this a long time, and I\u2019ve seen a lot. Don\u2019t get me wrong, Buckley is a terrific actress whose work I have long admired, and she does excellent work in Hamnet. I just feel like I\u2019ve seen it before, and I wasn\u2019t as impressed by it as a lot of other people clearly are.
\n\n\n\n
If anyone is going to upset Buckley, it\u2019s Byrne, who was also in a movie I thoroughly disliked, but who was outstanding in it. If I Had Legs I\u2019d Kick You is a stifling, suffocating rumination on how overwhelming life can be. I know it has its fans, but I was counting the minutes until it was over. I don\u2019t honestly think she\u2019s going to pull an upset, but if someone does, it\u2019ll be her.
\n\n\n\n
Which brings us to the year\u2019s best lead performance by an actress, Renate Reinsve. As I have mentioned previously, I thought she was remarkable in The Worst Person in the World, and was excited to see her once again teaming with writer-director Joachim Trier. I was not disappointed. Reinsve is a revelation in the movie, an actress with such paralyzing stage fright that she tries to leave a major theater production in the moments before the curtain rises, only to conquer it and earn standing ovations. She spars with Stellan Skarsg\u00e5rd, playing her estranged father, with a raw reality that jumps off the screen. Where Buckley\u2019s work is big and expressive, Reinsve does a lot with subtlety, and it\u2019s magical. I would really love to see her win this award. She doesn\u2019t have a chance in hell, but it would be great.
\n\n\n\n
WHO SHOULD WIN: Renate Reinsve
\n\n\n\n
WHO WILL WIN: Jessie Buckley
\n\n\n\n
Key Takeaways
\n\n\n\n
\n
Jessie Buckley appears poised to win Best Actress for Hamnet, though Renate Reinsve\u2019s subtle work in Sentimental Value may be the year\u2019s finest performance.
\n\n\n\n
While Emma Stone, Kate Hudson and Rose Byrne all have strong moments, the Best Actress race ultimately comes down to Buckley\u2019s Oscar-friendly role in Hamnet.
\n\n\n\n
Despite a crowded field of talented nominees, the awards momentum clearly favors Jessie Buckley \u2014 even if another performance deserves the crown.
\n",
"content_text": "It\u2019s not often that I see a movie that gets a ton of Oscar love and find myself bored to tears, but it does happen. It\u2019s also rare that I see an actor getting universal love for a performance and find myself thinking, \u201cWell, this is just silly Oscar bait, isn’t it?\u201d This also happens occasionally. Why do I bring this up?\n\n\n\nNow that we’ve covered who should win among the Best Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress categories, let\u2019s discuss the nominees for Best Actress in a Leading Role. They are Emma Stone, Bugonia, Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I\u2019d Kick You, Jessie Buckley, Hamnet, Renate Reinsve, Sentimental Value and Kate Hudson, Song Sung Blue.\n\n\n\nKey Insights\n\n\n\n\nOscar voters often reward emotionally demonstrative performances in prestige period dramas, which gives Jessie Buckley a clear advantage this year.\n\n\n\nRenate Reinsve\u2019s restrained, nuanced acting in Sentimental Value highlights the ongoing tension between subtle artistry and traditional \u201cOscar bait\u201d roles.\n\n\n\nThe category reflects a familiar awards-season dynamic: career narratives and dramatic roles often outweigh quieter but more inventive performances.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n Get access to thousands of high-quality roles.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n JOIN FREE TODAY \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOkay, first things first. I have come to the point in my life where I am not afraid to admit that I don\u2019t happen to enjoy the work of Y\u00f3rgos L\u00e1nthimos. Yeah, I thought Poor Things was fun, and The Favourite has some really good stuff in it, but otherwise, his films are too much work for me, and way, way, way too dark and cynical. The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer were depressing; his Poor Things follow-up, Kinds of Kindness, gave me a migraine; and I was likewise not terribly fond of Bugonia. Emma Stone, L\u00e1nthimos\u2019 muse, is great in it, of course, because she\u2019s great in everything. But she\u2019s already won two Oscars before the age of 40, and there is no way on God\u2019s green earth that she\u2019s going to win a third. It took Meryl Streep decades to win her third Oscar, and Emma Stone is not going to beat her to it. At least, not with this film. Yes, it\u2019s been nominated for four Oscars, but two years after she won her last trophy, it\u2019s too soon for her to do it again.\n\n\n\nKate Hudson\u2019s nomination is a nice story \u2014 an actress who announced herself with authority a quarter century ago in Cameron Crowe\u2019s masterpiece, Almost Famous, a role that earned Hudson her first and, up to this year, only Oscar nod. One might have thought she would be a regular nominee based on that performance, but she started making movies for the paychecks rather than the prestige, and while she got rich, her reputation took a bit of a hit. Over the last few years, though, she started doing more interesting stuff. A supporting turn in Marshall, a featured role in Glass Onion, even the Sia movie Music, while a truly terrible film, had aspirations to be something more than it was. She\u2019s been starring on the hit Netflix series Running Point lately, and her role in the Neil Diamond-inspired Song Sung Blue showcased the promise she\u2019s long teased. That said, her nomination is her reward.\n\n\n\nI think Jessie Buckley \u2014 who took home an Actor’s Award this year already \u2014 is a sure thing to win this, which is not remotely surprising if you\u2019ve seen Hamnet. I did not like the movie at all \u2014 the payoff is undeniably powerful, but good Lord, the lead-up to it is just so crushingly boring \u2014 and while Buckley is indeed very good in it, the character felt like Oscar bait to me. Lots of emoting, with laughter and pain, plenty of anguish, some childbirth mixed in, and lots and lots of grief. Toss it all into a period piece and throw in some Shakespeare to boot? Surefire winner.\u00a0\n\n\n\nSorry if I sound as cynical as a L\u00e1nthimos film, but I\u2019ve been doing this a long time, and I\u2019ve seen a lot. Don\u2019t get me wrong, Buckley is a terrific actress whose work I have long admired, and she does excellent work in Hamnet. I just feel like I\u2019ve seen it before, and I wasn\u2019t as impressed by it as a lot of other people clearly are.\n\n\n\nIf anyone is going to upset Buckley, it\u2019s Byrne, who was also in a movie I thoroughly disliked, but who was outstanding in it. If I Had Legs I\u2019d Kick You is a stifling, suffocating rumination on how overwhelming life can be. I know it has its fans, but I was counting the minutes until it was over. I don\u2019t honestly think she\u2019s going to pull an upset, but if someone does, it\u2019ll be her.\n\n\n\nWhich brings us to the year\u2019s best lead performance by an actress, Renate Reinsve. As I have mentioned previously, I thought she was remarkable in The Worst Person in the World, and was excited to see her once again teaming with writer-director Joachim Trier. I was not disappointed. Reinsve is a revelation in the movie, an actress with such paralyzing stage fright that she tries to leave a major theater production in the moments before the curtain rises, only to conquer it and earn standing ovations. She spars with Stellan Skarsg\u00e5rd, playing her estranged father, with a raw reality that jumps off the screen. Where Buckley\u2019s work is big and expressive, Reinsve does a lot with subtlety, and it\u2019s magical. I would really love to see her win this award. She doesn\u2019t have a chance in hell, but it would be great.\n\n\n\nWHO SHOULD WIN: Renate Reinsve\n\n\n\nWHO WILL WIN: Jessie Buckley\n\n\n\nKey Takeaways\n\n\n\n\nJessie Buckley appears poised to win Best Actress for Hamnet, though Renate Reinsve\u2019s subtle work in Sentimental Value may be the year\u2019s finest performance.\n\n\n\nWhile Emma Stone, Kate Hudson and Rose Byrne all have strong moments, the Best Actress race ultimately comes down to Buckley\u2019s Oscar-friendly role in Hamnet.\n\n\n\nDespite a crowded field of talented nominees, the awards momentum clearly favors Jessie Buckley \u2014 even if another performance deserves the crown.\n\nThe post Inside the Best Actress Oscar Race: Jessie Buckley Leads a Divisive Field appeared first on Casting Networks.",
"date_published": "2026-03-12T09:47:38-07:00",
"date_modified": "2026-05-22T12:14:06-07:00",
"authors": [
{
"name": "Neil Turitz",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/author/neil-turitz/",
"avatar": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/wphb-cache/gravatar/824/824ad122ece0f64119671fbf606465d3x512.jpg"
}
],
"author": {
"name": "Neil Turitz",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/author/neil-turitz/",
"avatar": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/wphb-cache/gravatar/824/824ad122ece0f64119671fbf606465d3x512.jpg"
},
"image": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/shutterstock_1941921493-scaled-e1773333955539.jpg",
"tags": [
"News and Trends"
]
},
{
"id": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/?p=307966",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/best-supporting-actor-oscar-predictions-2026-who-will-win/",
"title": "Inside the Best Supporting Actor Oscar Race: Why Stellan Skarsg\u00e5rd Is the Clear Favorite",
"content_html": "\n
Quite often, the winners of the Actor Awards are favored to win the Oscars, but that\u2019s not really the case this year, especially since the actor who I think is going to win this one wasn\u2019t even nominated by SAG-AFTRA. Maybe because the bulk of actors can\u2019t be bothered with foreign films, I don\u2019t know. Either way, it\u2019s sometimes interesting how the two line up or don\u2019t.
\n\n\n\n
Key Insights
\n\n\n\n
\n
This year\u2019s Best Supporting Actor race highlights how Oscar momentum can diverge from SAG recognition.
\n\n\n\n
Vote-splitting between Sean Penn and Benicio del Toro could further solidify Stellan Skarsg\u00e5rd\u2019s path to victory.
\n\n\n\n
Delroy Lindo\u2019s nomination celebrates a legendary career, but the category ultimately belongs to Skarsg\u00e5rd.
Anyway, let\u2019s get to it. The nominees for Best Actor in a Supporting Role are Delroy Lindo, Sinners, Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein, Stellan Skarsg\u00e5rd, Sentimental Value, and Sean Penn and Benicio del Toro, One Battle After Another.
\n\n\n\n
I am a big fan of everyone\u2019s work here, and it\u2019s genuinely thrilling to see Delroy Lindo finally being honored after decades of greatness. He\u2019s terrific in Sinners, a very good movie that I really enjoyed, but which I do not revere like so many others appear to. I mean, 16 nominations? Sixteen? Okay, sure, I guess. And the thing is, Lindo was something of a surprise. Miles Caton was the one I thought was going to be nominated, and while he\u2019s also terrific in the movie, it was great to see Lindo\u2019s name called on Nomination Day.
\n\n\n\n
This is one of those times when I think his nomination is his win. In other years, he might actually have a shot, but not this year. In fact, if not for one particular other nominee, I think Lindo might even be the frontrunner, especially against these other guys. For instance, while Jacob Elordi is tremendous as Frankenstein\u2019s monster in Guillermo del Toro\u2019s Frankenstein adaptation, he\u2019s still pretty new to all this, and while this is a category in which newcomers sometimes win, I think this is not the year it happens.
\n\n\n\n
I still don’t really understand why Sean Penn has been recognized so often this awards season for his work in One Battle After Another. Don\u2019t get me wrong, he\u2019s good in the movie, but then, he\u2019s always good, so what\u2019s so different about this performance? I don\u2019t necessarily think it\u2019s one of the best of the year, and right up to the announcement of the nominations, I held out hope that someone else would get his spot. Alas.
\n\n\n\n
Benicio del Toro, on the other hand, is remarkable in the movie, and his nomination is not only expected, it\u2019s welcome. Still, if it were between him and Lindo, I think Lindo would take it. The fact that del Toro and Penn will probably split whatever One Battle After Another vote there might be in this category solidifies it for me.
\n\n\n\n
Ultimately, all this is academic because I cannot conceive of a reality in which Stellan Skarsg\u00e5rd doesn\u2019t win. Aside from the fact that he has decades of beloved work and has been campaigning his butt off, he\u2019s just transcendent in Sentimental Value as an aging filmmaker who is slowly coming to terms with his own legacy, both personally and professionally.
\n\n\n\n
Skarsg\u00e5rd\u2019s character is a selfish man who has left an enormous amount of pain in his wake, and the lament he feels as he tries to tell his mother’s story, while asking his estranged actress daughter to be his proxy, is palpable. It permeates every frame of the film. He only has a few scenes with Best Actress nominee Renate Reinsve, and more about her later this week, but those moments are some of the most powerful, rivaled only by the ones he has with another nominee, Elle Fanning, playing a rising American star who may or may not end up taking on the role herself. Seeing the way he deals with her, trying to foster a paternal relationship that he knows won\u2019t actually work, is like watching a masterclass.
\n\n\n\n
There are times when an actor wins an Oscar for their career work. Skarsg\u00e5rd qualifies, but in this particular case, he actually deserves it for this picture. It\u2019s one of the two or three best performances of any kind this year (Reinsve\u2019s is another, but, again, I\u2019ll get to that), and it will be a pleasure to see him mount the stage and accept that trophy.
\n\n\n\n
WHO SHOULD WIN: Stellan Skarsg\u00e5rd
\n\n\n\n
WHO WILL WIN: Stellan Skarsg\u00e5rd
\n\n\n\n
Key Takeaways
\n\n\n\n
\n
Stellan Skarsg\u00e5rd\u2019s powerful performance in Sentimental Value makes him the clear frontrunner for Best Supporting Actor.
\n\n\n\n
Despite strong work from Delroy Lindo, Jacob Elordi, Sean Penn, and Benicio del Toro, this year\u2019s race appears firmly in Skarsg\u00e5rd\u2019s hands.
\n\n\n\n
With a career\u2019s worth of respected performances and a transcendent role this year, Skarsg\u00e5rd is poised for a long-overdue Oscar win.
\n",
"content_text": "Quite often, the winners of the Actor Awards are favored to win the Oscars, but that\u2019s not really the case this year, especially since the actor who I think is going to win this one wasn\u2019t even nominated by SAG-AFTRA. Maybe because the bulk of actors can\u2019t be bothered with foreign films, I don\u2019t know. Either way, it\u2019s sometimes interesting how the two line up or don\u2019t.\n\n\n\nKey Insights\n\n\n\n\nThis year\u2019s Best Supporting Actor race highlights how Oscar momentum can diverge from SAG recognition.\n\n\n\nVote-splitting between Sean Penn and Benicio del Toro could further solidify Stellan Skarsg\u00e5rd\u2019s path to victory.\n\n\n\nDelroy Lindo\u2019s nomination celebrates a legendary career, but the category ultimately belongs to Skarsg\u00e5rd.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n Get access to thousands of high-quality roles.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n JOIN FREE TODAY \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAnyway, let\u2019s get to it. The nominees for Best Actor in a Supporting Role are Delroy Lindo, Sinners, Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein, Stellan Skarsg\u00e5rd, Sentimental Value, and Sean Penn and Benicio del Toro, One Battle After Another. \n\n\n\nI am a big fan of everyone\u2019s work here, and it\u2019s genuinely thrilling to see Delroy Lindo finally being honored after decades of greatness. He\u2019s terrific in Sinners, a very good movie that I really enjoyed, but which I do not revere like so many others appear to. I mean, 16 nominations? Sixteen? Okay, sure, I guess. And the thing is, Lindo was something of a surprise. Miles Caton was the one I thought was going to be nominated, and while he\u2019s also terrific in the movie, it was great to see Lindo\u2019s name called on Nomination Day. \n\n\n\nThis is one of those times when I think his nomination is his win. In other years, he might actually have a shot, but not this year. In fact, if not for one particular other nominee, I think Lindo might even be the frontrunner, especially against these other guys. For instance, while Jacob Elordi is tremendous as Frankenstein\u2019s monster in Guillermo del Toro\u2019s Frankenstein adaptation, he\u2019s still pretty new to all this, and while this is a category in which newcomers sometimes win, I think this is not the year it happens. \n\n\n\nI still don’t really understand why Sean Penn has been recognized so often this awards season for his work in One Battle After Another. Don\u2019t get me wrong, he\u2019s good in the movie, but then, he\u2019s always good, so what\u2019s so different about this performance? I don\u2019t necessarily think it\u2019s one of the best of the year, and right up to the announcement of the nominations, I held out hope that someone else would get his spot. Alas. \n\n\n\nBenicio del Toro, on the other hand, is remarkable in the movie, and his nomination is not only expected, it\u2019s welcome. Still, if it were between him and Lindo, I think Lindo would take it. The fact that del Toro and Penn will probably split whatever One Battle After Another vote there might be in this category solidifies it for me.\n\n\n\nUltimately, all this is academic because I cannot conceive of a reality in which Stellan Skarsg\u00e5rd doesn\u2019t win. Aside from the fact that he has decades of beloved work and has been campaigning his butt off, he\u2019s just transcendent in Sentimental Value as an aging filmmaker who is slowly coming to terms with his own legacy, both personally and professionally.\n\n\n\nSkarsg\u00e5rd\u2019s character is a selfish man who has left an enormous amount of pain in his wake, and the lament he feels as he tries to tell his mother’s story, while asking his estranged actress daughter to be his proxy, is palpable. It permeates every frame of the film. He only has a few scenes with Best Actress nominee Renate Reinsve, and more about her later this week, but those moments are some of the most powerful, rivaled only by the ones he has with another nominee, Elle Fanning, playing a rising American star who may or may not end up taking on the role herself. Seeing the way he deals with her, trying to foster a paternal relationship that he knows won\u2019t actually work, is like watching a masterclass. \n\n\n\nThere are times when an actor wins an Oscar for their career work. Skarsg\u00e5rd qualifies, but in this particular case, he actually deserves it for this picture. It\u2019s one of the two or three best performances of any kind this year (Reinsve\u2019s is another, but, again, I\u2019ll get to that), and it will be a pleasure to see him mount the stage and accept that trophy.\n\n\n\nWHO SHOULD WIN: Stellan Skarsg\u00e5rd\n\n\n\nWHO WILL WIN: Stellan Skarsg\u00e5rd\n\n\n\nKey Takeaways\n\n\n\n\nStellan Skarsg\u00e5rd\u2019s powerful performance in Sentimental Value makes him the clear frontrunner for Best Supporting Actor.\n\n\n\nDespite strong work from Delroy Lindo, Jacob Elordi, Sean Penn, and Benicio del Toro, this year\u2019s race appears firmly in Skarsg\u00e5rd\u2019s hands.\n\n\n\nWith a career\u2019s worth of respected performances and a transcendent role this year, Skarsg\u00e5rd is poised for a long-overdue Oscar win.\n\nThe post Inside the Best Supporting Actor Oscar Race: Why Stellan Skarsg\u00e5rd Is the Clear Favorite appeared first on Casting Networks.",
"date_published": "2026-03-11T09:41:09-07:00",
"date_modified": "2026-05-22T12:14:22-07:00",
"authors": [
{
"name": "Neil Turitz",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/author/neil-turitz/",
"avatar": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/wphb-cache/gravatar/824/824ad122ece0f64119671fbf606465d3x512.jpg"
}
],
"author": {
"name": "Neil Turitz",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/author/neil-turitz/",
"avatar": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/wphb-cache/gravatar/824/824ad122ece0f64119671fbf606465d3x512.jpg"
},
"image": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/shutterstock_1924135448-scaled.jpg",
"tags": [
"News and Trends"
]
},
{
"id": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/?p=307539",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/best-supporting-actress-oscar-predictions-2026-who-will-win/",
"title": "Inside the Best Supporting Actress Oscar Race: Five Standout Performances and One Likely Winner",
"content_html": "\n
After covering predictions for the first-ever Oscar for casting, we begin with the acting awards. I really do enjoy doing this a few times a year because it lets me talk about actors and their work and why they are being recognized. It also allows me to wax rhapsodic a bit, and you know how much I enjoy doing that.
\n\n\n\n
Key Insights
\n\n\n\n
\n
Momentum has shifted late in the awards season as Teyana Taylor\u2019s early-film tour de force gains traction among voters.
\n\n\n\n
Narrative factors, including career recognition and performance impact across an entire film, could tip the Oscar race in Amy Madigan\u2019s favor.
\n\n\n\n
Breakout performances from international and emerging actors show how globally diverse the supporting actress field has become.
There was a time this fall when it seemed like this was going to be one of the easiest categories to predict, in that it was essentially a runaway for one actress. That has changed markedly in the last number of weeks, though, as another actress has not just become a serious contender, she might just walk away with the award herself. Who am I talking about? Well, let\u2019s see.
\n\n\n\n
The nominees for Best Actress in a Supporting Role are Amy Madigan, Weapons, Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another, Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas and Elle Fanning, Sentimental Value.
\n\n\n\n
Wunmi Mosaku is excellent in Sinners, as is everyone in the film, and she deserves to be here as much as anyone else. But her nomination is her award this year. Same can be said for the two actresses from Sentimental Value. I had never seen Lilleaas before, but was totally knocked out by her performance as the less damaged, but still melancholy, daughter of Stellan Skarsg\u00e5rd\u2019s narcissistic filmmaker. Lilleaas\u2019 character is a former child actress, a woman who so badly tried to please her distant director father that she acted in one of his movies before realizing it wasn\u2019t going to do her any good in the long run. Now, she\u2019s got a child of her own and a husband/partner who\u2019s something of a pushover, but she at least has some control over her own life, unlike her big sister, Renate Reinsve, who is a walking exposed nerve.
\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s a moment, toward the end of the movie, when the two sisters are talking about how they survived their childhood, and Lilleaas\u2019 Agnes looks with admiration at her sister and says, \u201cIt was easier for me. I had you.\u201d It\u2019s one of the most powerful moments in a powerful movie, and Lilleaas makes it her own by just saying it. Not milking it, not trying to make it into something bigger, just saying it in a conversation with the big sister she loves so dearly. It\u2019s quite an announcement of arrival for the Norwegian actress, who won\u2019t win this award, but will certainly be back.
\n\n\n\n
Elle Fanning, on the other hand, has been on our screens for almost her entire life. She has always been good and has been rewarded for that work with numerous Emmy, Golden Globe and Actor Award nominations over the years, most recently for the Hulu series The Great (a fun show that also starred Nicholas Hoult), in which she played Catherine the Great. So it\u2019s not like this performance is any kind of surprise. She\u2019s a talented actress, and this role seemed to be tailor-made for her: an up-and-coming actress, well known, but not yet a true movie star, offered the role of a lifetime that she might have to walk away from because she\u2019s not sure it\u2019s a great fit. Fanning is really wonderful in the movie, but just like with her co-star, I don\u2019t see a reality in which she wins.
\n\n\n\n
Really, this is between Teyana Taylor and Amy Madigan. I honestly thought there was no chance anyone was going to challenge Madigan for this award, but Taylor is clearly making a run at her, peaking at just the right time. Make no mistake, Taylor gives a tour de force in One Battle After Another\u2019s first 40 minutes, taking the movie entirely away from its star, Leonardo DiCaprio. Her appeal is undeniable, as is the power she brings to the movie.
\n\n\n\n
As good as it is, though, I don\u2019t think it compares to what Madigan does in Weapons. Remember yesterday when I said Stellan Skarsg\u00e5rd and Renate Reinsve gave two of the three best performances I saw this past year? Well, Madigan\u2019s was the third. I understand Taylor\u2019s appeal here, but for me, it comes down to a couple of things. The first is that Madigan\u2019s villainous Aunt Gladys is a genuinely terrifying figure, one of the best horror movie characters of the 21st century. The second is that, while Taylor disappears after her movie\u2019s first act, Madigan is a consistent factor throughout hers, and directly plays into the film\u2019s climax, whereas Taylor is nowhere to be found in the finale of One Battle After Another. There\u2019s also the fact that Madigan is a beloved professional who has put in more than four decades of great work, and if there\u2019s a tiebreaker, I think that\u2019s it.
\n\n\n\n
I am not as confident in this category as I am in the one I wrote about yesterday, but I\u2019m still going to stick with my gut and say that Madigan takes it.
\n\n\n\n
WHO SHOULD WIN: Amy Madigan
\n\n\n\n
WHO WILL WIN: Amy Madigan
\n\n\n\n
Key Takeaways
\n\n\n\n
\n
The Best Supporting Actress race has tightened considerably, with Amy Madigan and Teyana Taylor emerging as the clear front-runners.
\n\n\n\n
While several nominees deliver memorable performances, the competition ultimately centers on two standout turns with very different strengths.
\n\n\n\n
Amy Madigan\u2019s chilling and sustained performance in Weapons may ultimately give her the edge in one of the season\u2019s closest acting races.
\n",
"content_text": "After covering predictions for the first-ever Oscar for casting, we begin with the acting awards. I really do enjoy doing this a few times a year because it lets me talk about actors and their work and why they are being recognized. It also allows me to wax rhapsodic a bit, and you know how much I enjoy doing that.\n\n\n\nKey Insights\n\n\n\n\nMomentum has shifted late in the awards season as Teyana Taylor\u2019s early-film tour de force gains traction among voters.\n\n\n\nNarrative factors, including career recognition and performance impact across an entire film, could tip the Oscar race in Amy Madigan\u2019s favor.\n\n\n\nBreakout performances from international and emerging actors show how globally diverse the supporting actress field has become.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n Get access to thousands of high-quality roles.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n JOIN FREE TODAY \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThere was a time this fall when it seemed like this was going to be one of the easiest categories to predict, in that it was essentially a runaway for one actress. That has changed markedly in the last number of weeks, though, as another actress has not just become a serious contender, she might just walk away with the award herself. Who am I talking about? Well, let\u2019s see.\n\n\n\nThe nominees for Best Actress in a Supporting Role are Amy Madigan, Weapons, Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another, Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas and Elle Fanning, Sentimental Value.\n\n\n\nWunmi Mosaku is excellent in Sinners, as is everyone in the film, and she deserves to be here as much as anyone else. But her nomination is her award this year. Same can be said for the two actresses from Sentimental Value. I had never seen Lilleaas before, but was totally knocked out by her performance as the less damaged, but still melancholy, daughter of Stellan Skarsg\u00e5rd\u2019s narcissistic filmmaker. Lilleaas\u2019 character is a former child actress, a woman who so badly tried to please her distant director father that she acted in one of his movies before realizing it wasn\u2019t going to do her any good in the long run. Now, she\u2019s got a child of her own and a husband/partner who\u2019s something of a pushover, but she at least has some control over her own life, unlike her big sister, Renate Reinsve, who is a walking exposed nerve. \n\n\n\nThere\u2019s a moment, toward the end of the movie, when the two sisters are talking about how they survived their childhood, and Lilleaas\u2019 Agnes looks with admiration at her sister and says, \u201cIt was easier for me. I had you.\u201d It\u2019s one of the most powerful moments in a powerful movie, and Lilleaas makes it her own by just saying it. Not milking it, not trying to make it into something bigger, just saying it in a conversation with the big sister she loves so dearly. It\u2019s quite an announcement of arrival for the Norwegian actress, who won\u2019t win this award, but will certainly be back.\n\n\n\nElle Fanning, on the other hand, has been on our screens for almost her entire life. She has always been good and has been rewarded for that work with numerous Emmy, Golden Globe and Actor Award nominations over the years, most recently for the Hulu series The Great (a fun show that also starred Nicholas Hoult), in which she played Catherine the Great. So it\u2019s not like this performance is any kind of surprise. She\u2019s a talented actress, and this role seemed to be tailor-made for her: an up-and-coming actress, well known, but not yet a true movie star, offered the role of a lifetime that she might have to walk away from because she\u2019s not sure it\u2019s a great fit. Fanning is really wonderful in the movie, but just like with her co-star, I don\u2019t see a reality in which she wins.\n\n\n\nReally, this is between Teyana Taylor and Amy Madigan. I honestly thought there was no chance anyone was going to challenge Madigan for this award, but Taylor is clearly making a run at her, peaking at just the right time. Make no mistake, Taylor gives a tour de force in One Battle After Another\u2019s first 40 minutes, taking the movie entirely away from its star, Leonardo DiCaprio. Her appeal is undeniable, as is the power she brings to the movie. \n\n\n\nAs good as it is, though, I don\u2019t think it compares to what Madigan does in Weapons. Remember yesterday when I said Stellan Skarsg\u00e5rd and Renate Reinsve gave two of the three best performances I saw this past year? Well, Madigan\u2019s was the third. I understand Taylor\u2019s appeal here, but for me, it comes down to a couple of things. The first is that Madigan\u2019s villainous Aunt Gladys is a genuinely terrifying figure, one of the best horror movie characters of the 21st century. The second is that, while Taylor disappears after her movie\u2019s first act, Madigan is a consistent factor throughout hers, and directly plays into the film\u2019s climax, whereas Taylor is nowhere to be found in the finale of One Battle After Another. There\u2019s also the fact that Madigan is a beloved professional who has put in more than four decades of great work, and if there\u2019s a tiebreaker, I think that\u2019s it.\n\n\n\nI am not as confident in this category as I am in the one I wrote about yesterday, but I\u2019m still going to stick with my gut and say that Madigan takes it.\n\n\n\nWHO SHOULD WIN: Amy Madigan\n\n\n\nWHO WILL WIN: Amy Madigan\n\n\n\nKey Takeaways\n\n\n\n\nThe Best Supporting Actress race has tightened considerably, with Amy Madigan and Teyana Taylor emerging as the clear front-runners.\n\n\n\nWhile several nominees deliver memorable performances, the competition ultimately centers on two standout turns with very different strengths.\n\n\n\nAmy Madigan\u2019s chilling and sustained performance in Weapons may ultimately give her the edge in one of the season\u2019s closest acting races.\n\nThe post Inside the Best Supporting Actress Oscar Race: Five Standout Performances and One Likely Winner appeared first on Casting Networks.",
"date_published": "2026-03-10T09:43:16-07:00",
"date_modified": "2026-05-22T12:14:39-07:00",
"authors": [
{
"name": "Neil Turitz",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/author/neil-turitz/",
"avatar": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/wphb-cache/gravatar/824/824ad122ece0f64119671fbf606465d3x512.jpg"
}
],
"author": {
"name": "Neil Turitz",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/author/neil-turitz/",
"avatar": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/wphb-cache/gravatar/824/824ad122ece0f64119671fbf606465d3x512.jpg"
},
"image": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/shutterstock_1961783890-e1773161112194.jpg",
"tags": [
"News and Trends"
]
},
{
"id": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/?p=307174",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/oscar-casting-predictions-who-will-win-2026/",
"title": "Breaking Down the First Oscar for Casting: Who Should and Will Win",
"content_html": "\n
If it seems like only a few days since I was writing about the Actor Awards, well, this is awards season for you. But now that we\u2019re on to the main event, the Academy Awards themselves, it\u2019s time to get into the real nitty-gritty and delve into the five categories that matter to the readers of this site. For the first time ever, there\u2019s a Casting Oscar category, which is something to be celebrated. We\u2019ll start with this one, and then take a turn with each of the acting categories, which means you can settle in, because it\u2019s going to be a fun week together.
\n\n\n\n
Key Insights
\n\n\n\n
\n
The new Oscar category highlights how casting directors influence a film\u2019s authenticity, chemistry and awards success.
\n\n\n\n
Films with multiple acting nominations often signal strong casting work, giving those casting directors a natural advantage during awards voting.
\n\n\n\n
Innovative casting, such as blending professional and non-professional actors, continues to shape how audiences experience realism on screen.
The nominees for the very first Academy Award for Casting are Nina Gold, Hamnet, Jennifer Venditti, Marty Supreme, Cassandra Kulukundis, One Battle After Another, Gabriel Domingues, The Secret Agent and Francine Maisler, Sinners.
\n\n\n\n
Wow. What a fabulous conflagration of talent here. Dozens of Emmy and Artios nominations between them, with at least two genuine legends in Gold and Maisler, two more on their way in Kulukundis and Venditti, and a brilliantly talented newcomer in Domingues. Each has more than earned their spot here, and it\u2019s a genuine pleasure to write about them. Full disclosure, I have interviewed three of them (Gold, Venditti and Domingues), and thoroughly enjoyed each conversation. It pains me to some extent that I can\u2019t give an award to each of them, nor can I try to sell the notion that they all deserve this award equally. I mean, they do, but that\u2019s not why we\u2019re here.\u00a0
\n\n\n\n
So with that in mind, and with apologies to those who aren\u2019t going to get the hoped-for \u201cShould Win\u201d credit, let\u2019s talk about it.
\n\n\n\n
First and foremost, as much of a fan as I am of Gold, I sort of think the nomination for Hamnet is as much about the film itself as it is about her work on it. This is the first time this week, but not the last, that I\u2019m going to admit that I didn\u2019t care for Hamnet. Yes, the ending packs a big emotional punch, but I found the journey to get there excruciatingly dull. The movie feels like awards-bait nonsense to me, which makes sense considering its eight Oscar nods, but then, I\u2019m not really the target audience. Still, with all that said, it\u2019s not Nina Gold\u2019s fault I didn\u2019t like the movie, and the cast she put together is impressive, starting with probable Best Actress winner Jessie Buckley.
\n\n\n\n
But as another legendary casting director, Kim Coleman, told me recently, \u201cSpike Lee said to me, \u2018I\u2019m not hiring you so you can tell me to cast Denzel Washington. I\u2019m hiring you to help me with everything else.\u201d The rest of the cast is strong, for sure, but when you put it up against a couple of others, it doesn\u2019t quite add up. The same goes, really, for One Battle After Another. Great cast (four acting nominations, and there could have been one or two more), but when compared to the depth and variety of the other three? I don\u2019t think so.
\n\n\n\n
Venditti peopled Josh Safdie\u2019s Marty Supreme with an incredible array of non-actors, a Safdie specialty. Aside from finding the fantastic Luke Manley, who had never acted in anything before, she brought in Abel Ferrara, found Shark Tank regular Kevin O\u2019Leary a major role, put Tyler, the Creator in the cast, and peppered the rest of it with remarkable-looking people who fit the film\u2019s 1950s New York setting. Honestly, it was one of my favorite pieces of casting work this year, but I don\u2019t ultimately think it\u2019s going to win.
\n\n\n\n
To me, this is a two-horse race. It\u2019s between Maisler\u2019s amazing work on Sinners and Domingues\u2019 on The Secret Agent. Maisler found Miles Caton, which is a big deal, considering he very nearly earned a Supporting Actor nomination himself, and when there are multiple acting nods for a single film (Sinners has three), that\u2019s credit to the casting director. The cast of Sinners is, indeed, incredibly deep, and that doesn\u2019t even count the dual roles played by Best Actor nominee Michael B. Jordan. I actually think Maisler is going to win, at least partially because I think the Academy hands out consolation prizes, and since One Battle After Another is probably going to win Best Picture, this is one of them.
\n\n\n\n
But that doesn\u2019t mean it would be my pick. Have you seen The Secret Agent? I mean, every single face in it feels like it belongs in 1970s Brazil. Like Marty Supreme, it\u2019s a mix of professional and non-professional actors, and the seamlessness of it all is a remarkable feat, one that I think only fellow casting directors would have noticed. For that reason, I would be shocked if the rest of the academy picks Domingues over Maisler, but I\u2019m hoping it does. I won\u2019t be upset if Maisler takes it, mind you, and part of me is actually hoping for a Venditti upset, but overall, my heart is in Brazil.
\n\n\n\n
WHO SHOULD WIN: Gabriel Domingues
\n\n\n\n
WHO WILL WIN: Francine Maisler
\n\n\n\n
Key Takeaways
\n\n\n\n
\n
The Academy Awards introduced a casting category for the first time, spotlighting the work of top casting directors shaping today\u2019s most acclaimed films.
\n\n\n\n
While Francine Maisler\u2019s deep ensemble for Sinners may be the likely winner, Gabriel Domingues\u2019 immersive casting for The Secret Agent stands out creatively.
\n\n\n\n
This year\u2019s nominees reflect the wide range of casting approaches\u2014from non-actors and newcomers to carefully constructed ensemble performances.
\n",
"content_text": "If it seems like only a few days since I was writing about the Actor Awards, well, this is awards season for you. But now that we\u2019re on to the main event, the Academy Awards themselves, it\u2019s time to get into the real nitty-gritty and delve into the five categories that matter to the readers of this site. For the first time ever, there\u2019s a Casting Oscar category, which is something to be celebrated. We\u2019ll start with this one, and then take a turn with each of the acting categories, which means you can settle in, because it\u2019s going to be a fun week together.\n\n\n\nKey Insights\n\n\n\n\nThe new Oscar category highlights how casting directors influence a film\u2019s authenticity, chemistry and awards success.\n\n\n\nFilms with multiple acting nominations often signal strong casting work, giving those casting directors a natural advantage during awards voting.\n\n\n\nInnovative casting, such as blending professional and non-professional actors, continues to shape how audiences experience realism on screen.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n Get access to thousands of high-quality roles.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n JOIN FREE TODAY \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe nominees for the very first Academy Award for Casting are Nina Gold, Hamnet, Jennifer Venditti, Marty Supreme, Cassandra Kulukundis, One Battle After Another, Gabriel Domingues, The Secret Agent and Francine Maisler, Sinners.\n\n\n\nWow. What a fabulous conflagration of talent here. Dozens of Emmy and Artios nominations between them, with at least two genuine legends in Gold and Maisler, two more on their way in Kulukundis and Venditti, and a brilliantly talented newcomer in Domingues. Each has more than earned their spot here, and it\u2019s a genuine pleasure to write about them. Full disclosure, I have interviewed three of them (Gold, Venditti and Domingues), and thoroughly enjoyed each conversation. It pains me to some extent that I can\u2019t give an award to each of them, nor can I try to sell the notion that they all deserve this award equally. I mean, they do, but that\u2019s not why we\u2019re here.\u00a0\n\n\n\nSo with that in mind, and with apologies to those who aren\u2019t going to get the hoped-for \u201cShould Win\u201d credit, let\u2019s talk about it.\n\n\n\nFirst and foremost, as much of a fan as I am of Gold, I sort of think the nomination for Hamnet is as much about the film itself as it is about her work on it. This is the first time this week, but not the last, that I\u2019m going to admit that I didn\u2019t care for Hamnet. Yes, the ending packs a big emotional punch, but I found the journey to get there excruciatingly dull. The movie feels like awards-bait nonsense to me, which makes sense considering its eight Oscar nods, but then, I\u2019m not really the target audience. Still, with all that said, it\u2019s not Nina Gold\u2019s fault I didn\u2019t like the movie, and the cast she put together is impressive, starting with probable Best Actress winner Jessie Buckley. \n\n\n\nBut as another legendary casting director, Kim Coleman, told me recently, \u201cSpike Lee said to me, \u2018I\u2019m not hiring you so you can tell me to cast Denzel Washington. I\u2019m hiring you to help me with everything else.\u201d The rest of the cast is strong, for sure, but when you put it up against a couple of others, it doesn\u2019t quite add up. The same goes, really, for One Battle After Another. Great cast (four acting nominations, and there could have been one or two more), but when compared to the depth and variety of the other three? I don\u2019t think so.\n\n\n\nVenditti peopled Josh Safdie\u2019s Marty Supreme with an incredible array of non-actors, a Safdie specialty. Aside from finding the fantastic Luke Manley, who had never acted in anything before, she brought in Abel Ferrara, found Shark Tank regular Kevin O\u2019Leary a major role, put Tyler, the Creator in the cast, and peppered the rest of it with remarkable-looking people who fit the film\u2019s 1950s New York setting. Honestly, it was one of my favorite pieces of casting work this year, but I don\u2019t ultimately think it\u2019s going to win.\n\n\n\nTo me, this is a two-horse race. It\u2019s between Maisler\u2019s amazing work on Sinners and Domingues\u2019 on The Secret Agent. Maisler found Miles Caton, which is a big deal, considering he very nearly earned a Supporting Actor nomination himself, and when there are multiple acting nods for a single film (Sinners has three), that\u2019s credit to the casting director. The cast of Sinners is, indeed, incredibly deep, and that doesn\u2019t even count the dual roles played by Best Actor nominee Michael B. Jordan. I actually think Maisler is going to win, at least partially because I think the Academy hands out consolation prizes, and since One Battle After Another is probably going to win Best Picture, this is one of them.\n\n\n\nBut that doesn\u2019t mean it would be my pick. Have you seen The Secret Agent? I mean, every single face in it feels like it belongs in 1970s Brazil. Like Marty Supreme, it\u2019s a mix of professional and non-professional actors, and the seamlessness of it all is a remarkable feat, one that I think only fellow casting directors would have noticed. For that reason, I would be shocked if the rest of the academy picks Domingues over Maisler, but I\u2019m hoping it does. I won\u2019t be upset if Maisler takes it, mind you, and part of me is actually hoping for a Venditti upset, but overall, my heart is in Brazil.\n\n\n\nWHO SHOULD WIN: Gabriel Domingues\n\n\n\nWHO WILL WIN: Francine Maisler\n\n\n\nKey Takeaways\n\n\n\n\nThe Academy Awards introduced a casting category for the first time, spotlighting the work of top casting directors shaping today\u2019s most acclaimed films.\n\n\n\nWhile Francine Maisler\u2019s deep ensemble for Sinners may be the likely winner, Gabriel Domingues\u2019 immersive casting for The Secret Agent stands out creatively.\n\n\n\nThis year\u2019s nominees reflect the wide range of casting approaches\u2014from non-actors and newcomers to carefully constructed ensemble performances.\n\nThe post Breaking Down the First Oscar for Casting: Who Should and Will Win appeared first on Casting Networks.",
"date_published": "2026-03-09T09:33:43-07:00",
"date_modified": "2026-05-22T12:14:54-07:00",
"authors": [
{
"name": "Neil Turitz",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/author/neil-turitz/",
"avatar": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/wphb-cache/gravatar/824/824ad122ece0f64119671fbf606465d3x512.jpg"
}
],
"author": {
"name": "Neil Turitz",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/author/neil-turitz/",
"avatar": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/wphb-cache/gravatar/824/824ad122ece0f64119671fbf606465d3x512.jpg"
},
"image": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/oscars_statue.jpg",
"tags": [
"News and Trends"
]
},
{
"id": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/?p=305006",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/the-32nd-annual-actor-awards-2026-recap/",
"title": "The 32nd Annual Actor Awards: 2026 Recap",
"content_html": "\n
The 32nd Annual Actor Awards were held last night at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in Los Angeles. This year marked a significant rebranding, as the ceremony transitioned from the “SAG Awards” to The Actor Awards to better reflect its focus on peer-to-peer recognition.
\n\n\n\n
Seth Rogen accepted the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series on behalf of the late Catherine O\u2019Hara. Rogen, her co-star in The Studio, delivered a brief tribute to her legacy. Later in the evening, Woody Harrelson presented Harrison Ford with the Life Achievement Award, honoring Ford’s sixty-year career in film.
\n\n\n\n
The night’s top film honors went to Ryan Coogler\u2019s Sinners. While accepting the award for Outstanding Cast, the actors credited casting director Francine Maisler for her role in assembling the ensemble.
In the film categories, Ryan Coogler\u2019s vampire epic Sinners was the undisputed heavyweight of the night. During the ensemble acceptance speech, the cast made sure to give a special nod to their casting director, Francine Maisler, highlighting how crucial casting is to the success of an ensemble-driven story.
\n\n\n\n
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
\n\n\n\n
\n
Winner: The Ensemble of Sinners
\n
\n\n\n\n
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
\n\n\n\n
\n
Winner: Michael B. Jordan, Sinners
\n
\n\n\n\n
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
\n\n\n\n
\n
Winner: Jessie Buckley, Hamnet
\n
\n\n\n\n
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
\n\n\n\n
\n
Winner: The Ensemble of The Studio
\n
\n\n\n\n
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
\n\n\n\n
\n
Winner: The Ensemble of The Pitt
\n
\n\n\n\n
Life Achievement Award
\n\n\n\n
\n
Recipient: Harrison Ford
\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
With Sinners gaining massive momentum, all eyes now turn to the Oscars on March 15.
\n",
"content_text": "The 32nd Annual Actor Awards were held last night at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in Los Angeles. This year marked a significant rebranding, as the ceremony transitioned from the “SAG Awards” to The Actor Awards to better reflect its focus on peer-to-peer recognition.\n\n\n\nSeth Rogen accepted the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series on behalf of the late Catherine O\u2019Hara. Rogen, her co-star in The Studio, delivered a brief tribute to her legacy. Later in the evening, Woody Harrelson presented Harrison Ford with the Life Achievement Award, honoring Ford’s sixty-year career in film.\n\n\n\nThe night’s top film honors went to Ryan Coogler\u2019s Sinners. While accepting the award for Outstanding Cast, the actors credited casting director Francine Maisler for her role in assembling the ensemble.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n Get access to thousands of high-quality roles.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n JOIN FREE TODAY \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Big Winners: ‘Sinners’ and ‘The Studio‘\n\n\n\nIn the film categories, Ryan Coogler\u2019s vampire epic Sinners was the undisputed heavyweight of the night. During the ensemble acceptance speech, the cast made sure to give a special nod to their casting director, Francine Maisler, highlighting how crucial casting is to the success of an ensemble-driven story.\n\n\n\nOutstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture\n\n\n\n\nWinner: The Ensemble of Sinners\n\n\n\n\nOutstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role\n\n\n\n\nWinner: Michael B. Jordan, Sinners\n\n\n\n\nOutstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role\n\n\n\n\nWinner: Jessie Buckley, Hamnet\n\n\n\n\nOutstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series\n\n\n\n\nWinner: The Ensemble of The Studio\n\n\n\n\nOutstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series\n\n\n\n\nWinner: The Ensemble of The Pitt\n\n\n\n\nLife Achievement Award\n\n\n\n\nRecipient: Harrison Ford\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWith Sinners gaining massive momentum, all eyes now turn to the Oscars on March 15. \nThe post The 32nd Annual Actor Awards: 2026 Recap appeared first on Casting Networks.",
"date_published": "2026-03-02T09:47:52-08:00",
"date_modified": "2026-05-22T12:17:50-07:00",
"authors": [
{
"name": "Casting Networks",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/author/casting-networks/",
"avatar": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/wphb-cache/gravatar/200/200444408742b2af675bc62d4765cbe4x512.jpg"
}
],
"author": {
"name": "Casting Networks",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/author/casting-networks/",
"avatar": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/wphb-cache/gravatar/200/200444408742b2af675bc62d4765cbe4x512.jpg"
},
"image": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/GettyImages-2264305709-1.webp",
"tags": [
"News and Trends"
]
},
{
"id": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/?p=303614",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/march-2026-activities-for-actors/",
"title": "March 2026: Activities for Every Day of The Month",
"content_html": "\n
March is a transition month. Winter isn\u2019t quite over, but things start moving again, both in the weather and in the industry. For actors, it\u2019s a good time to reset after the intensity of early-year activity and refocus on what comes next. The Spring Equinox offers a checkpoint to reassess goals and priorities, while The Oscars spotlight the performances and projects that are shaping the current landscape.
This calendar highlights key events, releases, and opportunities throughout the month so you can stay informed, engaged, and ready for whatever momentum the season brings.
\n\n\n\n
Advice & Inspiration:
\n\n\n\n
1. Audit Your \u201cType\u201d, Then Break It on Purpose \u2013 Submit for one role this month that casting would never assume you for. Surprise casting and perhaps even yourself!
\n\n\n\n
2. Refresh Your Cold-Read Muscles \u2013 Grab random pages from novels, plays, or even instruction manuals and read them aloud as if they\u2019re urgent scenes. Because sometimes auditions feel exactly like that.
\n\n\n\n
3. Create a \u201cMarch Momentum List\u201d \u2013 Not goals. Momentum. Tiny actions that keep the wheels turning even on low-energy days.
\n\n\n\n
4. Study a Performance You Don\u2019t Understand Yet \u2013 Watch something that confuses you instead of something you already admire. Growth often feels discomforting.
\n\n\n\n
5. Build a 30-Second \u201cAbout Me\u201d Story \u2013 Not a resume recitation. A memorable snapshot you could deliver anywhere from a networking event to an elevator that stops on every floor.
\n\n\n\n
6. Practice Recovery from a \u201cBad Take\u201d \u2013 Intentionally mess up, reset, and go again. Resilience is an audition skill.
\n\n\n\n
7. Move Your Body Like a Character Would \u2013 Walk around your home as a CEO, a sleep-deprived parent, a retired spy, a teenager late for curfew. Physicality unlocks psychology.
\n\n\n\n
8. Record a Scene on Location Instead of Your Usual Self-Tape Corner \u2013 A kitchen. A car. A hallway. New environments wake up different instincts.
\n\n\n\n
9. Plant a Long-Game Seed \u2013 Write the first page of something. Sign up for a class months away. Start a project no one asked for. March is for beginnings (the first day of Spring is usually March 20th!)
\n\n\n\n
10. Practice Saying Lines While Doing Something Mundane \u2013 Fold laundry, wash dishes, sort mail. Real scenes rarely happen in stillness. This builds ease, multitasking ability, and grounded delivery.
\n\n\n\n
11. \u201cMake Your Own Luck\u201d Inventory \u2013 Skip the idea that booking is luck. Instead, spend 30 focused minutes listing the things you control that increase your odds such as skills you\u2019ve improved this year and risks you took that your past self wouldn\u2019t. Wear something green while you do it. Not for superstition. For morale. Confidence sometimes arrives disguised as costume.
\n\n\n\n
12.This month\u2019s social media spotlight goes Anthony Meindl! Anthony gives you permission to be human on camera. As the founder of AMAW Studios, he helps actors develop a technique that feels like more freedom as opposed to rigid.
\n\n\n\n
Actors secretly love Anthony because he emphasizes authenticity over \u201cperforming\u201d, encourages play, spontaneity, and emotional truth, and counters perfectionism culture. Basically, he teaches you how to stop \u201cacting\u201d and start responding.
\n\n\n\n
What to watch:
\n\n\n\n
Films
\n\n\n\n
13. The Bride! (Gothic Horror / Romance, March 6) – A bold reimagining of the Bride of Frankenstein myth set in 1930s Chicago, focusing on identity, creation, and social upheaval. Directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal and starring Jessie Buckley, Christian Bale, Jake Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, Pen\u00e9lope Cruz, Julianne Hough and Annette Bening. Why actors care: It\u2019s a high-visibility performance study for \u201cmagnetism + menace.\u201d The lead characters combo is actor catnip: watch how charm, danger, and vulnerability share the same face without canceling each other.
\n\n\n\n
14. Hoppers (Animated / Family / Adventure, March 6) – When scientists discover a way to transform human consciousness into robotic animals, Mabel uses the new technology to uncover mysteries of the animal world that are beyond anything she could have ever imagined. Voiced by Piper Curda, Bobby Moynihan, Dave Franco, and Jon Hamm. Why actors care: Animated films like this show how emotional clarity, character, and comedic timing can be conveyed entirely through voice without physical presence. Because family films often dominate the box office and influence casting trends, the vocal style and tone of projects like this can shape what animation auditions sound like for years to come.
\n\n\n\n
15. Reminders of Him (Romance / Drama, March 13) – Colleen Hoover (the best-selling author of It Ends With Us) adaptation. After a perfect outing with her boyfriend, Kenna makes an unbearable mistake that sends her to prison. Years later, Kenna returns to her hometown in Wyoming, hoping to rebuild her life and earn the chance to reunite with her young daughter, whom she has never known. Starring Maika Monroe, Tyriq Withers and Rudy Pankow. Why actors care: Intimate romantic dramas demand raw emotional transparency, subtlety, and the ability to communicate complex inner life with very little external action. Adapted from a hugely popular novel, it also signals the kinds of character-driven roles and tone that casting directors may be seeking as book-to-screen projects continue to dominate.
\n\n\n\n
16. Project Hail Mary (Sci-Fi / Adventure, March 20) – Ryan Gosling stars as a middle-school teacher who wakes up alone on a spaceship with no memory and discovers he\u2019s humanity\u2019s last hope to stop the sun from dying. Why actors care: This kind of performance becomes reference material for \u201cisolated protagonist\u201d roles. It showcases the challenges of physical acting in confined spaces, where subtle behavior and inner life must keep the performance dynamic even when the environment barely changes.
\n\n\n\n
TV/Small Screen
\n\n\n\n
17. Marshals Season 1 (Crime / Procedural, March 1) – Luke Grimes stars as Kayce Dutton on CBS. After leaving the Yellowstone Ranch behind, a grieving Kayce joins an elite unit of U.S. Marshals to bring justice to Montana, combining his skills as a cowboy and a former Navy SEAL. Why actors care: New broadcast procedurals often generate a wide range of recurring and guest-star roles, making them valuable entry points into steady television work. It\u2019s also a chance to study grounded, authoritative performances and the specific pacing of network crime drama, a style that remains highly castable across the industry.
\n\n\n\n
18. Scarpetta Season 1 (Crime Thriller, March 11) – Prime Video brings us the series based on the best-selling novels by Patricia Cornwell. Starring Nicole Kidman and Jamie Lee Curtis, Dr. Kay Scarpetta tries to unmask a serial killer and prove that her career-making case from 28 years earlier isn’t also her undoing. Why actors care: Crime dramas led by A-list talent tend to set the tone for complex, psychologically rich roles across television. It also offers a chance to study how a seasoned actor anchors procedural storytelling with authority and star presence.
\n\n\n\n
19. The Madison (Neo-Western Family Drama, March 14) – Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell’s ‘Yellowstone’ spinoff, premiering on Paramount+. The new drama, also starring Matthew Fox and Patrick J. Adams, is a heartfelt study of grief and human connection following a New York City family in the Madison River Valley of Central Montana. Why actors care: High-profile ensemble dramas, especially those connected to an established franchise, often create a wide range of complex roles and long-term opportunities across multiple seasons. It\u2019s also a chance to study character-driven storytelling in a cinematic television style, where subtle performances and strong interpersonal dynamics carry as much weight as the plot.
\n\n\n\n
20. The Faithful: Women of the Bible (Biblical Series, March 22) – This Easter season on FOX, three generations of women discover how faith, destiny, and divine purpose are woven through their lives. Starring Minnie Driver, Jeffrey Donovan, Natacha Karam, and Tom Payne. Why actors care: Faith-based and historical dramas often create emotionally intense roles that require gravitas, restraint, and strong storytelling rooted in character rather than spectacle.
\n\n\n\n
Wellness Activities:
\n\n\n\n
21. Take a \u201cThaw Walk\u201d Without Headphones. Walk outdoors and listen to the world defrost. Dripping gutters, early birds, distant traffic. Treat it like a sensory warm-up for on-camera presence.
\n\n\n\n
22. Have a \u201cNo Mirrors, No Judgment\u201d Movement Session. Dance, stretch, or move without checking how you look. Actors spend so much time being watched. This is movement for sensation, not presentation.
\n\n\n\n
23. Plant Something That Requires Care. Herbs, flowers, even a stubborn little succulent. Tending to growth outside yourself can stabilize emotions during unpredictable booking cycles.
\n\n\n\n
24. Write a \u201cCharacter Letter\u201d You\u2019ll Never Send. From a role you\u2019ve played, want to play, or invented. Let the character talk about their fears, hopes, or annoyances. It\u2019s emotional cross-training disguised as journaling.
\n\n\n\n
25. Watch Something Beautiful Instead of Useful. Nature documentary, dance performance, visually stunning film. No note-taking, no analysis. Let your creative brain relax for once.
\n\n\n\n
26. Create a \u201cGentle Ambition Day\u201d. Choose one day this month where productivity is measured by care, not output. Rest, stretch, hydrate, read, nap, wander. Ironically, these days often refuel your strongest work.
\n\n\n\n
Live / Virtual Events:
\n\n\n\n
27. Rolling Loud Australia – (March 7-8 in Sydney & Melbourne) – Massive global hip-hop festival featuring top international artists.
\n\n\n\n
28. The Oscars (Live Event, March 15) – ABC will air the 98th Oscars which this year includes awards for achievements in casting. Conan O’Brien hosts. The Oscars are the industry\u2019s most visible showcase of what kinds of performances, films, and career narratives are being celebrated at the highest level. Beyond the trophies, it\u2019s a live masterclass in acceptance speeches, star presence, and networking optics.
\n\n\n\n
29. Miami Open Tennis Tournament – (Sports Event, March 15-29) – Premier international tennis event blending sport, celebrity sightings, and entertainment.
\n\n\n\n
30. Dirty Dancing in Concert – (March 19, Syracuse, NY) – Relive the film that stole the hearts of generations with Dirty Dancing in Concert. This unique live-to-film concert event features the original film projected in full, accompanied by a live band and singers performing every unforgettable song from the soundtrack.
\n\n\n\n
31. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band – \u201cLand of Hope and Dreams\u201d Tour Kickoff on March 31. Springsteen launches a major U.S. arena tour spanning multiple cities through May.
\n\n\n\n
Actors with March Birthdays
\n\n\n\n
Watch their performances for inspiration. Read interviews or biographies of these actors for insight. Post a tribute on social media about the actors below to spark conversation.
\n\n\n\n
\n
March 1 \u2014 Javier Bardem (1969) – Known for:No Country for Old Men, Skyfall, Dune Actor takeaway: Bold choices and stillness can be more intimidating than volume. Quiet power reads huge on camera.
\n\n\n\n
March 2 \u2014 Daniel Craig (1968) –Known for:James Bond films, Knives Out Actor takeaway: Reinvention matters. He reshaped an iconic role by grounding it emotionally.
\n
\n\n\n\n
\n
March 3 \u2014 Jessica Biel (1982) –Known for:7th Heaven, The Sinner Actor takeaway: Transitioning from teen roles to darker adult material requires patience and strategic role selection.
\n\n\n\n
Catherine O\u2019Hara (1954, RIP 2026) – Known for:Schitt\u2019s Creek, Home Alone, Beetlejuice Actor takeaway: Fearless specificity makes comedy unforgettable. Big choices can still feel truthful.\u00a0
\n\n\n\n
March 5 \u2014 Eva Mendes (1974) –Known for:Hitch, Training Day, The Place Beyond the Pines Actor takeaway: Screen presence often comes from confidence and restraint rather than constant motion.
\n\n\n\n
March 7 \u2014 Bryan Cranston (1956) –Known for:Breaking Bad, Malcolm in the Middle Actor takeaway: Career-defining roles can arrive late. Consistency beats timing anxiety.
\n\n\n\n
March 8 \u2014 Freddie Prinze Jr. (1976) – Known for:She\u2019s All That, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Star Wars Rebels (voice) Actor takeaway: Versatility across genres and mediums extends longevity.
\n\n\n\n
March 9 \u2014 Juliette Binoche (1964) – Known for:The English Patient, Chocolat Actor takeaway: International work broadens range and artistic credibility.
\n\n\n\n
March 10 \u2014 Sharon Stone (1958) – Known for:Basic Instinct, Casino Actor takeaway: Star power often comes from unapologetic commitment to character.
\n\n\n\n
March 11 \u2014 Terrence Howard (1969) –Known for:Empire, Iron Man Actor takeaway: Charisma plus vulnerability creates compelling authority figures.
\n\n\n\n
March 12 \u2014 Aaron Eckhart (1968) – Known for:The Dark Knight, Thank You for Smoking Actor takeaway: Antagonists work best when they believe they\u2019re the hero.
\n\n\n\n
March 13 \u2014 William H. Macy (1950) – Known for:Shameless, Fargo Actor takeaway: Character actors build careers on specificity, not vanity.
\n\n\n\n
March 14 \u2014 Simone Ashley (1995) –Known for:Bridgerton, Sex Education Actor takeaway: Breakout roles often come from global streaming hits, not just traditional TV.
\n\n\n\n
March 15 \u2014 Eva Longoria (1975) – Known for:Desperate Housewives Actor takeaway: Comedy and drama skills together create leading-role durability.
\n\n\n\n
March 17 \u2014 Rob Lowe (1964) – Known for:Parks and Recreation, The West Wing Actor takeaway: Reinvention through humor can refresh a career.
\n\n\n\n
March 19 \u2014 Bruce Willis (1955) – Known for:Die Hard, Pulp Fiction Actor takeaway: Ordinary-guy relatability can anchor blockbuster action.
\n\n\n\n
March 20 \u2014 Spike Lee (1957) – Known for:Do the Right Thing (director/actor) Actor takeaway: Creating your own projects can be as powerful as booking them.
\n\n\n\n
March 22 \u2014 Reese Witherspoon (1976) – Known for:Legally Blonde, Big Little Lies, The Morning Show Actor takeaway: Producing your own material can generate better roles.
\n\n\n\n
March 25 \u2014 Sarah Jessica Parker (1965) – Known for:Sex and the City Actor takeaway: A single iconic role can sustain decades of relevance.
\n\n\n\n
March 27 \u2014 Mariah Carey (1970) – Known for: Singer/actress appearances, Precious Actor takeaway: Cross-disciplinary talent expands opportunities.
\n\n\n\n
March 28 \u2014 Lady Gaga (1986) – Known for:A Star Is Born, House of Gucci Actor takeaway: Bold transformation and vulnerability can redefine public perception.
\n\n\n\n
March 30 \u2014 Celine Dion (1968) – Known for: Performer appearances, voice roles, biographical portrayals Actor takeaway: Authentic emotion connects across mediums.
\n",
"content_text": "March is a transition month. Winter isn\u2019t quite over, but things start moving again, both in the weather and in the industry. For actors, it\u2019s a good time to reset after the intensity of early-year activity and refocus on what comes next. The Spring Equinox offers a checkpoint to reassess goals and priorities, while The Oscars spotlight the performances and projects that are shaping the current landscape.This calendar highlights key events, releases, and opportunities throughout the month so you can stay informed, engaged, and ready for whatever momentum the season brings.\n\n\n\nAdvice & Inspiration:\n\n\n\n1. Audit Your \u201cType\u201d, Then Break It on Purpose \u2013 Submit for one role this month that casting would never assume you for. Surprise casting and perhaps even yourself!\n\n\n\n2. Refresh Your Cold-Read Muscles \u2013 Grab random pages from novels, plays, or even instruction manuals and read them aloud as if they\u2019re urgent scenes. Because sometimes auditions feel exactly like that.\n\n\n\n3. Create a \u201cMarch Momentum List\u201d \u2013 Not goals. Momentum. Tiny actions that keep the wheels turning even on low-energy days.\n\n\n\n4. Study a Performance You Don\u2019t Understand Yet \u2013 Watch something that confuses you instead of something you already admire. Growth often feels discomforting.\n\n\n\n5. Build a 30-Second \u201cAbout Me\u201d Story \u2013 Not a resume recitation. A memorable snapshot you could deliver anywhere from a networking event to an elevator that stops on every floor. \n\n\n\n6. Practice Recovery from a \u201cBad Take\u201d \u2013 Intentionally mess up, reset, and go again. Resilience is an audition skill.\n\n\n\n7. Move Your Body Like a Character Would \u2013 Walk around your home as a CEO, a sleep-deprived parent, a retired spy, a teenager late for curfew. Physicality unlocks psychology. \n\n\n\n8. Record a Scene on Location Instead of Your Usual Self-Tape Corner \u2013 A kitchen. A car. A hallway. New environments wake up different instincts.\n\n\n\n9. Plant a Long-Game Seed \u2013 Write the first page of something. Sign up for a class months away. Start a project no one asked for. March is for beginnings (the first day of Spring is usually March 20th!)\n\n\n\n10. Practice Saying Lines While Doing Something Mundane \u2013 Fold laundry, wash dishes, sort mail. Real scenes rarely happen in stillness. This builds ease, multitasking ability, and grounded delivery.\n\n\n\n11. \u201cMake Your Own Luck\u201d Inventory \u2013 Skip the idea that booking is luck. Instead, spend 30 focused minutes listing the things you control that increase your odds such as skills you\u2019ve improved this year and risks you took that your past self wouldn\u2019t. Wear something green while you do it. Not for superstition. For morale. Confidence sometimes arrives disguised as costume.\n\n\n\n12.This month\u2019s social media spotlight goes Anthony Meindl! Anthony gives you permission to be human on camera. As the founder of AMAW Studios, he helps actors develop a technique that feels like more freedom as opposed to rigid.\n\n\n\nActors secretly love Anthony because he emphasizes authenticity over \u201cperforming\u201d, encourages play, spontaneity, and emotional truth, and counters perfectionism culture. Basically, he teaches you how to stop \u201cacting\u201d and start responding.\n\n\n\nWhat to watch:\n\n\n\nFilms\n\n\n\n13. The Bride! (Gothic Horror / Romance, March 6) – A bold reimagining of the Bride of Frankenstein myth set in 1930s Chicago, focusing on identity, creation, and social upheaval. Directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal and starring Jessie Buckley, Christian Bale, Jake Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, Pen\u00e9lope Cruz, Julianne Hough and Annette Bening. Why actors care: It\u2019s a high-visibility performance study for \u201cmagnetism + menace.\u201d The lead characters combo is actor catnip: watch how charm, danger, and vulnerability share the same face without canceling each other.\n\n\n\n14. Hoppers (Animated / Family / Adventure, March 6) – When scientists discover a way to transform human consciousness into robotic animals, Mabel uses the new technology to uncover mysteries of the animal world that are beyond anything she could have ever imagined. Voiced by Piper Curda, Bobby Moynihan, Dave Franco, and Jon Hamm. Why actors care: Animated films like this show how emotional clarity, character, and comedic timing can be conveyed entirely through voice without physical presence. Because family films often dominate the box office and influence casting trends, the vocal style and tone of projects like this can shape what animation auditions sound like for years to come.\n\n\n\n15. Reminders of Him (Romance / Drama, March 13) – Colleen Hoover (the best-selling author of It Ends With Us) adaptation. After a perfect outing with her boyfriend, Kenna makes an unbearable mistake that sends her to prison. Years later, Kenna returns to her hometown in Wyoming, hoping to rebuild her life and earn the chance to reunite with her young daughter, whom she has never known. Starring Maika Monroe, Tyriq Withers and Rudy Pankow. Why actors care: Intimate romantic dramas demand raw emotional transparency, subtlety, and the ability to communicate complex inner life with very little external action. Adapted from a hugely popular novel, it also signals the kinds of character-driven roles and tone that casting directors may be seeking as book-to-screen projects continue to dominate.\n\n\n\n16. Project Hail Mary (Sci-Fi / Adventure, March 20) – Ryan Gosling stars as a middle-school teacher who wakes up alone on a spaceship with no memory and discovers he\u2019s humanity\u2019s last hope to stop the sun from dying. Why actors care: This kind of performance becomes reference material for \u201cisolated protagonist\u201d roles. It showcases the challenges of physical acting in confined spaces, where subtle behavior and inner life must keep the performance dynamic even when the environment barely changes. \n\n\n\nTV/Small Screen\n\n\n\n17. Marshals Season 1 (Crime / Procedural, March 1) – Luke Grimes stars as Kayce Dutton on CBS. After leaving the Yellowstone Ranch behind, a grieving Kayce joins an elite unit of U.S. Marshals to bring justice to Montana, combining his skills as a cowboy and a former Navy SEAL. Why actors care: New broadcast procedurals often generate a wide range of recurring and guest-star roles, making them valuable entry points into steady television work. It\u2019s also a chance to study grounded, authoritative performances and the specific pacing of network crime drama, a style that remains highly castable across the industry.\n\n\n\n18. Scarpetta Season 1 (Crime Thriller, March 11) – Prime Video brings us the series based on the best-selling novels by Patricia Cornwell. Starring Nicole Kidman and Jamie Lee Curtis, Dr. Kay Scarpetta tries to unmask a serial killer and prove that her career-making case from 28 years earlier isn’t also her undoing. Why actors care: Crime dramas led by A-list talent tend to set the tone for complex, psychologically rich roles across television. It also offers a chance to study how a seasoned actor anchors procedural storytelling with authority and star presence.\n\n\n\n19. The Madison (Neo-Western Family Drama, March 14) – Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell’s ‘Yellowstone’ spinoff, premiering on Paramount+. The new drama, also starring Matthew Fox and Patrick J. Adams, is a heartfelt study of grief and human connection following a New York City family in the Madison River Valley of Central Montana. Why actors care: High-profile ensemble dramas, especially those connected to an established franchise, often create a wide range of complex roles and long-term opportunities across multiple seasons. It\u2019s also a chance to study character-driven storytelling in a cinematic television style, where subtle performances and strong interpersonal dynamics carry as much weight as the plot.\n\n\n\n20. The Faithful: Women of the Bible (Biblical Series, March 22) – This Easter season on FOX, three generations of women discover how faith, destiny, and divine purpose are woven through their lives. Starring Minnie Driver, Jeffrey Donovan, Natacha Karam, and Tom Payne. Why actors care: Faith-based and historical dramas often create emotionally intense roles that require gravitas, restraint, and strong storytelling rooted in character rather than spectacle.\n\n\n\nWellness Activities:\n\n\n\n21. Take a \u201cThaw Walk\u201d Without Headphones. Walk outdoors and listen to the world defrost. Dripping gutters, early birds, distant traffic. Treat it like a sensory warm-up for on-camera presence. \n\n\n\n22. Have a \u201cNo Mirrors, No Judgment\u201d Movement Session. Dance, stretch, or move without checking how you look. Actors spend so much time being watched. This is movement for sensation, not presentation. \n\n\n\n23. Plant Something That Requires Care. Herbs, flowers, even a stubborn little succulent. Tending to growth outside yourself can stabilize emotions during unpredictable booking cycles. \n\n\n\n24. Write a \u201cCharacter Letter\u201d You\u2019ll Never Send. From a role you\u2019ve played, want to play, or invented. Let the character talk about their fears, hopes, or annoyances. It\u2019s emotional cross-training disguised as journaling. \n\n\n\n25. Watch Something Beautiful Instead of Useful. Nature documentary, dance performance, visually stunning film. No note-taking, no analysis. Let your creative brain relax for once. \n\n\n\n26. Create a \u201cGentle Ambition Day\u201d. Choose one day this month where productivity is measured by care, not output. Rest, stretch, hydrate, read, nap, wander. Ironically, these days often refuel your strongest work. \n\n\n\nLive / Virtual Events:\n\n\n\n27. Rolling Loud Australia – (March 7-8 in Sydney & Melbourne) – Massive global hip-hop festival featuring top international artists.\n\n\n\n28. The Oscars (Live Event, March 15) – ABC will air the 98th Oscars which this year includes awards for achievements in casting. Conan O’Brien hosts. The Oscars are the industry\u2019s most visible showcase of what kinds of performances, films, and career narratives are being celebrated at the highest level. Beyond the trophies, it\u2019s a live masterclass in acceptance speeches, star presence, and networking optics.\n\n\n\n29. Miami Open Tennis Tournament – (Sports Event, March 15-29) – Premier international tennis event blending sport, celebrity sightings, and entertainment. \n\n\n\n30. Dirty Dancing in Concert – (March 19, Syracuse, NY) – Relive the film that stole the hearts of generations with Dirty Dancing in Concert. This unique live-to-film concert event features the original film projected in full, accompanied by a live band and singers performing every unforgettable song from the soundtrack.\n\n\n\n31. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band – \u201cLand of Hope and Dreams\u201d Tour Kickoff on March 31. Springsteen launches a major U.S. arena tour spanning multiple cities through May.\n\n\n\nActors with March Birthdays\n\n\n\nWatch their performances for inspiration. Read interviews or biographies of these actors for insight. Post a tribute on social media about the actors below to spark conversation.\n\n\n\n\nMarch 1 \u2014 Javier Bardem (1969) – Known for: No Country for Old Men, Skyfall, DuneActor takeaway: Bold choices and stillness can be more intimidating than volume. Quiet power reads huge on camera.\n\n\n\nMarch 2 \u2014 Daniel Craig (1968) – Known for: James Bond films, Knives OutActor takeaway: Reinvention matters. He reshaped an iconic role by grounding it emotionally.\n\n\n\n\n\nMarch 3 \u2014 Jessica Biel (1982) – Known for: 7th Heaven, The SinnerActor takeaway: Transitioning from teen roles to darker adult material requires patience and strategic role selection.\n\n\n\nCatherine O\u2019Hara (1954, RIP 2026) – Known for: Schitt\u2019s Creek, Home Alone, BeetlejuiceActor takeaway: Fearless specificity makes comedy unforgettable. Big choices can still feel truthful.\u00a0\n\n\n\nMarch 5 \u2014 Eva Mendes (1974) – Known for: Hitch, Training Day, The Place Beyond the PinesActor takeaway: Screen presence often comes from confidence and restraint rather than constant motion.\n\n\n\nMarch 7 \u2014 Bryan Cranston (1956) – Known for: Breaking Bad, Malcolm in the MiddleActor takeaway: Career-defining roles can arrive late. Consistency beats timing anxiety.\n\n\n\nMarch 8 \u2014 Freddie Prinze Jr. (1976) – Known for: She\u2019s All That, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Star Wars Rebels (voice)Actor takeaway: Versatility across genres and mediums extends longevity.\n\n\n\nMarch 9 \u2014 Juliette Binoche (1964) – Known for: The English Patient, ChocolatActor takeaway: International work broadens range and artistic credibility.\n\n\n\nMarch 10 \u2014 Sharon Stone (1958) – Known for: Basic Instinct, CasinoActor takeaway: Star power often comes from unapologetic commitment to character.\n\n\n\nMarch 11 \u2014 Terrence Howard (1969) –Known for: Empire, Iron ManActor takeaway: Charisma plus vulnerability creates compelling authority figures.\n\n\n\nMarch 12 \u2014 Aaron Eckhart (1968) – Known for: The Dark Knight, Thank You for SmokingActor takeaway: Antagonists work best when they believe they\u2019re the hero.\n\n\n\nMarch 13 \u2014 William H. Macy (1950) – Known for: Shameless, FargoActor takeaway: Character actors build careers on specificity, not vanity.\n\n\n\nMarch 14 \u2014 Simone Ashley (1995) – Known for: Bridgerton, Sex EducationActor takeaway: Breakout roles often come from global streaming hits, not just traditional TV.\n\n\n\nMarch 15 \u2014 Eva Longoria (1975) – Known for: Desperate HousewivesActor takeaway: Comedy and drama skills together create leading-role durability.\n\n\n\nMarch 17 \u2014 Rob Lowe (1964) – Known for: Parks and Recreation, The West WingActor takeaway: Reinvention through humor can refresh a career.\n\n\n\nMarch 19 \u2014 Bruce Willis (1955) – Known for: Die Hard, Pulp FictionActor takeaway: Ordinary-guy relatability can anchor blockbuster action.\n\n\n\nMarch 20 \u2014 Spike Lee (1957) – Known for: Do the Right Thing (director/actor)Actor takeaway: Creating your own projects can be as powerful as booking them.\n\n\n\nMarch 22 \u2014 Reese Witherspoon (1976) – Known for: Legally Blonde, Big Little Lies, The Morning ShowActor takeaway: Producing your own material can generate better roles.\n\n\n\nMarch 25 \u2014 Sarah Jessica Parker (1965) – Known for: Sex and the CityActor takeaway: A single iconic role can sustain decades of relevance.\n\n\n\nMarch 27 \u2014 Mariah Carey (1970) – Known for: Singer/actress appearances, PreciousActor takeaway: Cross-disciplinary talent expands opportunities.\n\n\n\nMarch 28 \u2014 Lady Gaga (1986) – Known for: A Star Is Born, House of GucciActor takeaway: Bold transformation and vulnerability can redefine public perception.\n\n\n\nMarch 30 \u2014 Celine Dion (1968) – Known for: Performer appearances, voice roles, biographical portrayalsActor takeaway: Authentic emotion connects across mediums.\n\n\n\n\n\nThe post March 2026: Activities for Every Day of The Month appeared first on Casting Networks.",
"date_published": "2026-02-25T09:59:27-08:00",
"date_modified": "2026-02-25T09:59:28-08:00",
"authors": [
{
"name": "Ilana Rapp",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/author/ilana-rapp/",
"avatar": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/wphb-cache/gravatar/07d/07dc58967567c577ff8552ea9636ee65x512.jpg"
}
],
"author": {
"name": "Ilana Rapp",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/author/ilana-rapp/",
"avatar": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/wphb-cache/gravatar/07d/07dc58967567c577ff8552ea9636ee65x512.jpg"
},
"image": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/iStock-1707473684.jpg",
"tags": [
"News and Trends"
]
}
]
}
![\"Banner](\"https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Group-32.webp\")
\n ![\"Banner](\"https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/PHONE-MOCK-2-mobile.webp\")
\n