The Motion Picture Academy's Board of Governors announced a new award for the 2026 Academy Awards. The award, titled Best Casting, will spotlight casting directors at the 98th annual award show. This is the first new category since Best Animated Feature Film in 2001.
The Casting Directors branch has been a part of the Academy since 2013, and now, they are finally getting their flowers. Many movies from years past have been deserving of the Best Casting title. Here are just a few movies that may have won Best Casting:
"Everything Everywhere All at Once" (2022)
"Everything Everywhere All at Once" was perhaps one of the most talked about movies of 2022, and the seven Oscars the movie won proves it would have had every opportunity to have won an eighth.
Sarah Finn was the casting director for this movie, and she brought some breakout stars into the movie world. Stephanie Hsu's career was explored after her successful portrayal of Jobu Tupaki, and Ke Huy Quan made an amazing comeback to the movie scene after his successful childhood roles.
Each cast member worked hard on this film, and it is different from anything that has ever been on screen before because it is an original screenplay. "A24" consistently produces unique films, and the members of the cast did a phenomenal job portraying their roles for this one.
“Little Women” (2019)
"Little Women" is a beautiful coming-of-age story based on the 1868 novel by Louisa May Alcott. Greta Gerwig directed the retelling of the timeless tale, but the casting of the movie was done by Kathy Driscoll and Francine Maisler, and they put together a star-studded cast.
The film stars Florence Pugh, Emma Watson, Timothée Chalamet and Meryl Streep. Each star brought something unique to the role. Gerwig also had a large role in casting the movie. She turned to many of her friends who embodied the characters, while Driscoll and Maisler helped with the rest.
The chemistry between the cast, specifically Pugh and Chalamet, was unmatched throughout the entire movie, and they do a fantastic job of making Alcott's vision come to life.
“Bohemian Rhapsody” (2018)
2018 was a huge year for movies, but there was one consistency throughout the entire award season: Rami Malek's portrayal of Freddie Mercury was recognized as one of the year's best performances. Susie Figgis, "Bohemian Rhapsody's" casting director, paid great attention to detail when casting the band members.
Malek, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy and Joseph Mazzello all displayed characteristics of the Queen band members they played. From the banter to the mannerisms, Figgis could not have come up with a better cast.
The movie made younger generations fall in love with Queen all over again, and it set the tone for the rise of the biopic genre. This movie brought Queen back to life, and Mercury himself would be proud of Malek's portrayal of him.
"Little Miss Sunshine" (2006)
"Little Miss Sunshine" had some phenomenal casting. The movie, cast by Justine Arteta and Kim Davis-Wagner, creates a realistic family dynamic through its casting of the Hoover family. The comedy-drama taught a lesson about determination and family values, and the cast did a beautiful job displaying it.
Even the youngest cast member, Abigail Breslin, did a fantastic job in the movie. Playing a young, spunky girl like Olive takes a special personality, and Breslin was selected perfectly. She was even nominated for an Oscar for the role.
Other than Breslin, notable names include Alan Arkin, Steve Carell, Toni Collette and Paul Dano. The group does a great job of portraying the dynamics of a family.
