LOS ANGELES: Casting director Cassandra Kulukundis made history by becoming the first-ever winner of the Academy Award for Best Casting, a category introduced at the 98th Academy Awards held on March 15.
Kulukundis received the inaugural award for her work on the film One Battle After Another, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.
She beat four other first-time nominees: Francine Maisler for Sinners, Nina Gold for Hamnet, Jennifer Venditti for Marty Supreme, and Gabriel Domingues for The Secret Agent.
The introduction of the casting category marks the first addition to the Oscars since Best Animated Feature was created in 2002.
Star-studded presentation
The award was presented by actors representing the nominated films, including Paul Mescal, Gwyneth Paltrow, Chase Infiniti, Wagner Moura, and Delroy Lindo.
After each actor paid tribute to their respective casting directors, Paltrow opened the envelope and announced Kulukundis as the winner.
Kulukundis appeared visibly surprised as she made her way to the stage, celebrating briefly with Anderson before accepting the award.
Emotional acceptance speech
In her speech, Kulukundis dedicated the historic win to casting directors who had long advocated for recognition of their profession.
“I dedicate this to the casting directors who never had the chance to be nominated or even have their names recognised on films,” she said.
She also thanked Anderson, with whom she has collaborated on numerous films over the years, including Magnolia, There Will Be Blood, The Master, Phantom Thread, and Licorice Pizza.
Later in the ceremony, Anderson won Best Adapted Screenplay for One Battle After Another, marking the filmmaker’s first Oscar win.
The creation of the casting award follows years of advocacy within the Academy, which established a dedicated casting directors branch in 2013. With the new category debuting this year, casting professionals have finally received formal recognition at the Oscars.