Oscars 2026: 'One Battle After Another' wins Best Casting

Oscars 2026: 'One Battle After Another' wins Best Casting

Cassandra Kulukundis, the casting director of One Battle After Another, has won the inaugural Oscar for Best Casting.

She beat Nina Gold (Hamnet), Jennifer Venditti (Marty Supreme), Francine Maisler (Sinners), and Gabriel Domingues (The Secret Agent) to clinch this honor.

This is the first new category introduced by the Academy since 2001's Best Animated Feature Film category.

The five nominees were part of a shortlist of 10 casting directors revealed in December.

Kulukundis on casting director's role

Kulukundis, known for her frequent work with Paul Thomas Anderson, previously shared her thoughts on the often misunderstood role of a casting director.

She had told Variety, "The truth is, no one knows what we do. They don't understand it."

"We're in this weird dungeon all by ourselves. It is an art, and it's also a science, because we have to deal with DNA, and I take it super seriously."

Kulukundis's street casting for 'One Battle After Another'

In a previous interview with Variety, Kulukundis revealed her strategy for casting Willa in One Battle After Another.

"We know her DNA. She's mixed race, so she's got a white parent and a Black parent. She's a warrior and she kicks ass."

"I attacked people on the streets. If you are a living human being, breathing, I might consider you."

The role eventually went to Chase Infiniti who impressed Kulukundis with her dancing skills and martial arts knowledge.

Kulukundis on Infiniti's performance

Kulukundis was thrilled with Infiniti's performance in One Battle After Another. She called Infiniti "a completely unique human being."

"She is 'A Star Is Born,' that's what they made the phrase for."

In the film, Willa is the teenage daughter of Bob Ferguson (Leonardo DiCaprio), a former revolutionary. When she gets kidnapped by an old nemesis, Bob sets out to rescue her.