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This year, the Academy Awards added the first new awards category in over 20 years, and now we have its first winner. Cassandra Kulukundis, the casting director of One Battle After Another, took home the first prize for Best Casting; it was the first win so far for Paul Thomas Anderson‘s film, which garnered 13 nominations.
Kulukundis is a frequent collaborator with Anderson, starting out as an intern on his first feature, Hard Eight. She made her debut as a casting director on his 1999 film Magnolia, and has cast his subsequent features, including The Master, There Will Be Blood, and Phantom Thread. Other notable films she has served as casting director for include Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, Shattered Glass, Vox Lux, and The Brutalist.
Best Casting is the first new Academy Award category to be added to the ceremony since Best Animated Feature was added in 2001. This brings the number of competitive Oscars up to 24; in the near future, a 25th will be added when Best Stunt Design will be awarded starting in 2027.
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