The 11 Best Cast Films of 2024 According to Casting Directors

“All We Imagine As Light” — Romil Modi, KC Panav Rak, & Satchit Puranik

Luis Rosales, “Roma” — “All We Imagine As Light,” directed by Payal Kapadia, leaves a profound and lasting impression on everyone fortunate enough to experience it. From the very first frame, the film immerses us in the vibrant yet often contradictory life of Mumbai, which not only serves as a backdrop but evolves into an essential character within the narrative.

Casting directors Romil Modi, KC Panav Rak, and Satchit Puranik have brilliantly assembled a cast filled with talent and sensitivity. Led by the remarkable actresses Kani Kusruti (Prabha), Divya Prabha (Anu), and Chhaya Kadam (Parvaty), The team’s work supports Kapadia’s vision with meticulous attention to detail, allowing each performer to shine in their role and creating a palpable chemistry that feels both authentic and vibrant. At times, the intimacy of their performances is so profound that it feels as if we are witnessing a documentary unfolding before our eyes.

The performances of Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, and Chhaya Kadam are nothing short of exceptional. Each actress brings a unique depth to her character, skillfully conveying emotions in a way that resonates deeply. Their approach to acting emphasizes the essence of being and existing, drawing us into their world. They immerse themselves in their roles with such realism and intimacy that it creates a moving portrait of friendship among women who, despite their differences, find a bond in their shared solitude—a striking contrast to the bustling life of Mumbai.

It is both refreshing and moving to see cinematic works like this. Congratulations to everyone involved!

“Conclave” — Barbara Giordani, Nina Gold, Francesco Vedovati, & Martin Ware

Kate Rhodes James, “Gladiator II” — 2024 has been another year where there is an embarrassment of riches from the world of casting.  But for me, “Conclave” delivered on every level.  When a casting director does their job well — and I mean really well — you are unaware of the casting, and that’s what Nina Gold and her team do time and time again. The casting was seamless. It’s such a subtle combination of personalities bringing these characters to life. There isn’t one performance that does not warrant praise. I believe there was an extensive search for the role of Cardinal Benitez, and Carlos Dietz was a real discovery. Without giving anything away, there is something about him that you can’t quite comprehend and that was essential to the story. So clever and incredibly rewarding. I never felt I was watching actors giving a performance, I was entirely absorbed in the piece. I saw the film at the London Film Festival and the audience laughed and gasped; it was a truly visceral experience and a wonderful film. When a film is a success, the casting is an imperative part of that.

“Dune: Part Two” — Francine Maisler & Jina Jay

Fiona Weir, “Young Woman and the Sea” — Casting a sequel can be an underestimated skill. Each new cast member has to sit within the fabric of the existing world; they must provide a treat for the audience to discover but can’t scream, “I’m the new guy.” Francine Maisler and Jina Jay did an extraordinary job with “Dune: Part Two.” 

Of course, talking about the casting of “Dune: Part Two” has to start by celebrating the casting of “Dune: Part One.” Maisler’s and Jay’s casting has its own language and allows the audience to understand the complex web of the Dune worlds. 

The Fremen, including Zendaya, Javier Bardem in “Part One” and Souheila Yacoub in “Part Two,” work beautifully as key members of their tribe. The Harkonnen, led by Stellan Skarsgard and Dave Bautista, are joined in “Part Two” by Austin Butler; these three actors could never be mistaken for family members in real life, but their casting leans into qualities that make them very clear family members in the world of the film and gives us a deeper, intuitive understanding of all the different ways Harkonnens can be villains.

The “Dune” universe is an intricate mosaic and Francine extends this world seamlessly and ingeniously with great imagination and a true understanding of actors’ essential qualities.

“Emilia Pérez” — Christel Baras & Carla Hool

Rachel Tenner, “Wolfs” — One of the most memorable films and wonderful casts of 2024 was “Emilia Pérez.” It’s a film that not only presents four strong and passionate women fighting for what they want in their lives but deals with the subjects of love, poverty, violence, and visibility. And to top it all off, it’s an opera! Christel and Carla’s understanding of the film’s specific tone — and what these women would need to possess to accomplish it — is outstanding. From Zoe Saldana, who sings, dances, and does an entire feature in Spanish, to Karla Sofia Gascon, who you cannot take your eyes off of, there is not one wrong note in the casting. Selena Gomez gives a performance we had not yet seen from her, and Adriana Paz imbues her character with such a quiet kindness and strength that is necessary to complete the film. The casting directors’ talents allow viewers to meet an amazing group of new actors and to re-introduce us to ones we thought we already knew. Their instincts for how the performers would own these roles, combined with a writer/director like Jacque Audiard, can only give you “Emilia Pérez.” There is no doubt the Academy will recognize these performances. 

“Good One” — Taylor Williams

Geraldine Barón, “I Saw The TV Glow” — I saw “Good One” at New Directors/New Films and have found myself wandering back to it over and over again. There’s a lot I love about this film. It embodies a kind of filmmaking spirit that feels rare these days, having filmed in just 12 days with a crew of 18 people. India Donaldson’s gift for storytelling, expansive in its restraint, is so intimate, precise, and full of feeling. The film’s overall qualities translate perfectly into the brilliant performances of a cast impeccably crafted by Taylor Williams.

The film follows 17-year-old Sam on a backpacking trip with her father and his oldest friend over the course of a weekend. It is through her eyes and inner experiences that we see the world of “Good One.” Embarking on the search for a young person to lead a story the way she does is a monumental casting undertaking. Lily Collias’s breakthrough lead performance is extraordinary. Her portrayal of Sam has the raw effervescence and vulnerability of real lived experience and the steadiness and aplomb needed to carry an entire film’s arc. The visual and emotional language of “Good One” builds on details and everyday tasks which are charged with unspoken emotions Collias needs to convey through body language, silence, glances, and gestures. They all unfold like quiet revelations. 

It can be challenging to recreate family dynamics that feel complex and authentic in film. Taylor Williams brings together the perfect family constellation with James Le Gros as Chris, Sam’s father, and Danny McCarthy as his friend Matt. The natural chemistry between the three feels like real family. The energy between the two friends brings layers of humor and tension and darkness, making the betrayal at the end of the film all the more heartbreaking.

“I’m Still Here” — Leticia Naveira

Susan Shopmaker, “La Cocina” — Leticia Naveira’s casting of Walter Salles’s “I’m Still Here” is an example of what I can only imagine is grinding work over a long period of time, eliciting a perfect outcome. The movie, of course, belongs to the performance of Fernanda Torres, but without her character’s family being pitch-perfect, the entire story would not have been as powerful to watch. We meet the Paiva family during dynamic times in the beginning of the 1970s. They are happy, carefree, and loving — but with political unrest lapping at their heels. The movie introduces us to a father, a mother, their children, the maid, and all their friends. It is from these personalities that the story forms. We feel more deeply about everything that happens because the casting is about as good as it gets.

When we watch the children, we believe they‘ve been together since birth. They know each other; they love each other. And then, later in the film when we see them as adults, played by different actors, we feel this same thing. At the very end, still photos appear, one after the other, of the real family that the movie is based on, and darn if they didn’t look just like the actors portraying them. What good casting directors can accomplish when given the chance is nothing short of breathtaking, and Leticia Naveria succeeds on every level.

Heidi Levitt, “Walk With Me” — Casting a family is always a tricky piece of alchemy. Even though everyone need not look the same, they need to belong together. Walter Salles’ “I’m Still Here” is a masterpiece of cinema by a filmmaker I have long admired. His films have a textured fabric that holds together stylistically and emotionally. 

In this film, Salles takes us back to 1970s Brazil with an ensemble of actors who fit so perfectly that it sometimes feels like we are watching a documentary and witnessing history. I loved the details in casting, from the journalists to the military types to the family of extras in the ice cream shop who remind us of the Paiva family. This story, based on a memoir, works so well because every single role feels authentic to that time and space. The children, played by the same young actors, age emotionally from when we first meet them in Rio before their father’s kidnapping to years later when they are forced to leave.

Fernanda Torres, playing Eunice Paiva, is the heart and soul of this film. She is steely and loving, elegant yet earthy. Above all, she is tenacious and forever in love with her husband, who may not have told her everything he could have. She is our North Star, showing us joy, sorrow, and has an inner strength that will never die. If Fernanda Torres is not nominated for an Oscar for this role, there is no justice.

What is truly remarkable about this casting is that we see the children in this family 25 years later, they still feel like the same family. The transition is seamless because of the fine casting, and the cameo of Fernanda Montenegro playing an older Fernanda Torres is another piece of perfection. It feels like a continuum of a steely matriarch who will never forget and will never give up.

“Kneecap” — Carla Stronge

Nina Gold, “Blitz” — I very much admire the casting of “Kneecap.” Not only is it a completely brilliant film, but the path between the casting of real actual people, playing somewhat fictionalized and dramatized versions of themselves, and other actors playing their roles in a more conventional sense, is trodden with perfect balance. Carla Stronge’s casting complements and creates the completely original, fresh, hilarious, moving atmosphere of this unique film. And people speak Irish! It’s amazing, and she did a wonderful job.

Kahleen Crawford, “The Outrun” — While “Kneecap” originated with the members of the Kneecap — Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap, and DJ Próvaí — themselves, who also play the three leading roles, the work of the casting director Carla Stronge can’t be underestimated in creating an environment where they could develop and thrive. I can only guess at the journey she and director Rich Peppiatt would have gone on with them in the prep period and with the rest of the film’s casting to get the mix with them right! Casting first-time performers doesn’t always work as you hope, but it does here.

Meeting the Irish-speaking performers in the professional acting community who have fluency in — or could master — the correct Irish dialect, will have been an exciting process, but that’s a tight pool and would have necessitated an open search too. Not only does that make the work involved in casting the project much more labor-intensive than some “traditional” casting processes, more crucially, blending first-time performances — or those of actors less experienced onscreen — with established talent like Michael Fassbender, Simone Kirby, and Josie Walker, is a delicate balancing act. The freshness of the performances brought much to the film’s visceral and raw tone. You believe the characters and invest in them and their stories. 

The band themselves are incredibly watchable and charismatic, and they deliver. It’s also wonderful to see some of the established actors in roles I haven’t seen them get to play before; newcomers like Jessica Reynolds go to town; and fantastic theater actors like Adam Best step onto the screen. Carla has covered the breadth of where casting directors can source talent. The legwork pays off, and it’s crafted together brilliantly. “Kneecap” is an energetic and relevant cry for indigenous languages that punches above its budget weight.

“On Becoming a Guinea Fowl” — Isabella Odoffin

Abby Harri, “I Saw The TV Glow” — “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl” is a brilliant study of the women of a family coping with an uncle’s death over the course of a days-long mourning process in Zambia. Casting director Isabella Odoffin assembles a mix of professional actors and first-timers, and each is exquisitely selected. There is an unreal level of realism, eye for talent, and care taken with each role in Rungano Nyoni’s film.

There needs to be. How each character reveals their relationship to the deceased Uncle Fred (and therefore his true nature) is a reflection of their generation, circumstances, and relationship to tradition and family, so each performer must perfectly embody their function in the weave of complex relationships. Susan Chardy is fantastic as protagonist Shula, whose silent, heavy stoicism is the mask she’s learned to don after years of repression. She has one foot in the world of Zoom calls and business slacks, while the other gets yanked back by her aunties. Chardy, a Zambian-born Londoner, expertly navigates the tension between the two worlds in her performance. 

It would take a whole article to properly praise all of the film’s performers. The aunties are all excellent — and were cast before Chardy, who auditioned by improvising with them over Zoom. Charisma beams out of Elizabeth Chisela as the drunken, sharp-witted cousin Nsansa, who provides not just comic relief but a wrenching emotional disturbance that lies just under the surface of her character’s self-medication. Uncle Fred’s widow played by Norah Mwansa is clearly quite young, meek, powerless, and yet Mwansa is stunning. Her casting and performance does more to create our understanding of their relationship than words ever could.

I can only imagine how much of a monumental undertaking it would have been to cast this film. These are large, complicated scenes made to look effortless. Every single person, from speaking role to extra, is an incredible performer, so cinematic, and uniquely suited to their role. I’m in awe. Bravo!

“Saturday Night” — John Papsidera

Angelique Midthunder, “Rez Ball” — We cannot possibly have a conversation about the best cast films of 2024 without discussing what John Papsidera did with the cast of “Saturday Night.” The film aims to recreate “Saturday Night Live” at its iconic beginning, which comes with a lot of audience expectations — “Saturday Night Live” was not just my introduction to comedy as an adolescent; it has defined comedy throughout my lifetime. To find actors that not only look right for the roles they portray but to bring the same energy and embody the essence of such well-known comedians is a tremendous task. 

Papsidera pulls it off masterfully, creating a cast that is a combination of well-known actors and fresher faces; the impressive blending of talent allows everyone to truly embody their roles. The familiar faces, such as JK Simmons, Willem Dafoe, Rachel Sennott, Tracy Letts, Dylan O’Brien, Gabriel LaBelle, and Ella Hunt, fully became their characters to the extent that they were nearly unrecognizable; meanwhile Finn Wolfhard, Lamorne Morris, Taylor Gray, Corey Michael Smith, Nicholas Braun, and Matt Wood… also all completely disappeared into their roles. 

But the cast isn’t just visually right; every performer maintains the pacing and stylization of the film and it takes a lot of work to find actors who are going to not just intuitively understand the comedy but elevate it. Even with such a large cast, the audience never loses its grip on the visceral feel of the chemistry, tension, and camaraderie between the “SNL” cast members. The audience feels like they know each and every one of the characters, even if only for a fleeting moment. This is Papsidera at his finest doing what he does best! 

Carmen Cuba, “Blink Twice” — There are obvious challenges that John Papsidera faced in the casting of “Saturday Night.” Each actor needed to personify an iconic character that one generation is very familiar with (we grew up on John Belushi) while a younger audience has no idea who these people are. That means these characters have to stand out and be just as exciting as the original “SNL” players to make the younger generation fall in love — but their performances still need to be in keeping with the older generation’s expectations.

That in itself is a feat, which Papsidera accomplished brilliantly by overcoming another potential obstacle: Using mostly unknown young talent who not only felt like stars in the making themselves but also like brand-new ideas. When I watched this impressive ensemble, I was struck by just how hard this must’ve been on a practical level. To build an ensemble like this you must go out and cast all at once, but as yes’s come in it changes the shape of the thing you’re building and you have to keep reimagining it and thinking how each individual will fit with the whole.

This means chemistry tests for various pairings, which means juggling not only logistics but many auditions prior to getting to the chemistry stage. It takes a lot of imagination and a certain kind of brain (I’m looking at you, Allison Jones). Papsidera had to build the ship while flying it, as they say. The pivots that have to be made when one actor is attached before others are found, for example, become just as big of a part of the process as finding the right actors. I felt the mastery of all of these things and it made “Saturday Night” particularly impressive to me.

“Small Things Like These” — Maureen Hughes

Jamie Ember, “Thelma” — Maureen Hughes casting of Cillian Murphy and Emily Watson in Tim Meilant’s “Small Things Like These” tells you almost immediately the kind of movie it is going to be. Upon my first viewing of the trailer, I thought “That looks like it’s going to be a tough watch, emotionally.” And it was — in the best possible way a movie can be. 

As can be intuited from the title, “Small Things Like These” is intrinsically small and quiet, so it is imperative that the actors are able to tell an entire story in a small, quiet way. Both these actors thrive in that environment of taking the audience on an intensely emotional journey with only a few words. 

Surrounded by a more boisterous supporting cast, especially the family at the heart of the story, nobody but Cillian could carve out the space for the silence that the film needed, and nobody but Emily Watson could take what, on the surface, seems like an innocuous fireside conversation between a nice nun and a young girl and make it menacing and threatening through just a simple eye movement or a small gesture.

Maureen took the scale of the story and expertly fleshed it out with a cast that not only gives haunting, intense performances but also gives you the space and silence to process what you just saw. The story is small; the acting is small; but boy, is it powerful.

“The Substance” — Laure Cochener & Lea Moszkowicz

Kharmel Cochrane, “Nosferatu” — The casting of “The Substance” is truly inspired. I admire the craftsmanship that went into this film and found myself wondering quite how Laure Cochener and Lea Moszkowicz did it. Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley side by side, old vs new, better versions of each other, are a perfect duo. I let out a tiny gasp when we are introduced to Harvey (Dennis Quaid) — the character is so unlike the parts we recognize Quaid from. Fargeat is clearly a bold filmmaker, but I marveled at how, with a script so bonkers, Cochener and Moszkowicz were able to lay out such a bold and beautiful cast. For me, the markers of exceptional skill within our job are shown when you can’t imagine a better cast and I truly think that Laure and Lea achieved this here. The smaller parts were beautifully selected — Christian Erickson, Jiselee Henderkott, and Gore Abrams; beautiful, interesting faces that really made this world feel small. “The Substance” also has a deceptively huge cast, over 100, which would have been a mammoth task. Yet each and every one feels like the perfect piece of a jigsaw puzzle. For me, this film is a true testament to the spirit of casting for indie films.