Kulukundis Wins First Best Casting Oscar

At the 98th Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 15, 2026, casting director Cassandra Kulukundis won the first-ever Oscar for Best Casting for her work on the action thriller "One Battle After Another." The new category, introduced by the Academy after a 25-year hiatus since the creation of Best Animated Feature in 2001, honors the behind-the-scenes artistry of selecting actors and building ensembles.

Kulukundis, who has collaborated with director Paul Thomas Anderson on all 10 of his feature films since interning on his 1996 debut "Hard Eight," accepted the award with a heartfelt speech. "I dedicate this to the casting directors who never got the chance to get up here," she said, after thanking the Academy for establishing the category and acknowledging the efforts of those who advocated for it. She also praised Anderson, with whom she has worked for over 30 years on projects including Oscar-nominated films like "There Will Be Blood" and "The Brutalist." "I got one before you," she joked. "I hope you get one tonight." Before speaking, Kulukundis hugged Chase Infiniti, the newcomer who made her feature film debut in the film as Willa, the teenage daughter of...