‘F1,’ ‘The Smashing Machine’: Casting Non

For the first time in the ceremony’s 98-year history, casting directors will be getting their close-up at the Academy Awards .

“Our work is just as important as any other head of department, and I’m so thrilled that there’s now a conversation about what casting actually is,” says Lucy Bevan, whose long list of credits includes the recent Brad Pitt-led F1: The Movie blockbuster.

Casting has always been an integral part of filmmaking. However, the intricate process of putting together an ensemble to fit a director’s creative vision has operated in a kind of black box, shielded from public input or knowledge. Yet like any art form, casting is far from an exact science and involves a little bit of alchemy.

For the first time in the ceremony’s 98-year history, casting directors wil