Wouldn’t it be great if the Academy Awards finally included a category for casting directors?

The best actors are only able to perform at their best when working alongside a stellar cast and the best picture would rarely be the best if the whole cast wasn’t amazing.

Hence, as we do every year, we have created the following list so we can tip our hats and give kudos to the casting directors whose projects were nominated for Oscars in the acting, directing, or best picture categories at the 2021 Academy Awards.

Note: This list includes the local hire casting directors who often round out the tapestry of each picture with much of the supporting cast.

93rd Academy Awards™ - Honoring Movies Released in 2020 (Presented in 2021)

BEST PICTURE

Alexa L. Fogel, Donna Belajac (local) (Judas & The Black Messiah - Nominees: Shaka King, Charles D. King, Ryan Coogler)
Laray Mayfield (Mank - Nominees: Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, Emma Tillinger)
Julia Kim, Chris Freihofer (Czech Republic) (Minari - Nominee: Christina Oh)
Lindsay Graham, Mary Vernieu (Promising Young Woman - Nominees: Ben Browning, Ashley Fox, Emerald Fennell, Josey McNamara)
Susan Shopmaker, Celine De Waele (Belgium), Lisa Lobel (Location) (Sound Of Metal - Nominees: Bert Hamelinck, Sascha Ben Harroche)
Francine Maisler (Trial Of The Chicago 7 - Nominees: Marc Platt, Stuart Besser)
Hannah Peterson (Location), Nathan Harrison (Location) (Nomadland - Nominees: Frances McDormand, Peter Spears, Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey, Chloe Ahao)
No CD Credited (The Father - Nominees: David Parfitt, Jean-Louis Livi, Philippe Carcassonne)

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Susan Shopmaker, Celine De Waele (Belgium), Lisa Lobel (Location) (Sound Of Metal – Nominee: Riz Ahmed)
Avy Kaufman (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – Nominee: Chadwick Boseman)
Laray Mayfield (Mank - Nominee: Gary Oldman)
Julia Kim (Minari - Nominee: Steven Yeun)
No CD Credited (The Father - Nominee: Anthony Hopkins)

BEST ACTRESS IN LEADING ROLE

Avy Kaufman (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom - Nominee: Viola Davis)
Leah Daniels Butler, Billy Hopkins, Ashley Ingram, Kevin Scott (The United States vs. Billie Holiday - Nominee: Andra Day)
Jessica Kelly, Bruno Rosato, Kate Yablunovsky (Pieces of a Woman - Nominee: Vanessa Kirby)
Lindsay Graham, Mary Vernieu (Promising Young Woman - Nominee: Carey Mulligan)
Hannah Peterson (Location), Nathan Harrison (Location) (Nomadland - Nominee: Frances McDormand)

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Nancy Bishop, Kris Redding (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery Of Prodigious Bribe To American REgime For Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan - Nominee: Maria Bakalova)
Carmen Cuba (Hillbilly Elegy - Nominee: Glenn Close)
Laray Mayfield (Mank - Nominee: Amanda Seyfried)
Julia Kim (Minari - Yuh-Jung Youn)
No CD Credited (The Father - Nominee: Olivia Coleman)

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Francine Maisler (Trial Of The Chicago 7 - Nominee: Sacha Barren Cohen)
Alexa L. Fogel (Judas and the Black Messiah - Nominees: Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield)
Kim Hardin (One Night In Miami - Nominee: Leslie Odom ,Jr)
Susan Shopmaker (Sound of Metal – Nominee: Paul Raci)

BEST DIRECTOR

Tanja Grunwald, Jette Termann (Another Round - Nominee: Thomas Vinterberg)
Laray Mayfield (Mank - Nominee: David Fincher)
Julia Kim (Minari - Nominee: Lee Isaac Chung)
Lindsay Graham, Mary Vernieu (Promising Young Woman - Nominee: Emerald Fennell)
Hannah Peterson (Location), Nathan Harrison (Location) (Nomadland - Nominee: Chloe Zhao)

This list was compiled by the Secret Actor Society

We invite you to watch our free Casting Director Conversation Series with the CDs of many Emmy and Academy Award nominated films & TV series. Click HERE to sign up.

An old saying that always rings true to me is “where focus goes, energy flows”. This can be applied to many aspects of your acting career. Are you keeping aware of the projects currently casting? Are you attending film festivals and other networking events? Do you know which casting directors are working on each film and series you are targeting?

Increasing the degree to which you have your finger on the pulse of the industry has long been known to help manifest jobs, coincidental meetings, and unexpected opportunities. The consistent success of vision boards is a perfect example of this.

Though, I’m sure you’ve already heard all that jazz… it’s pretty common knowledge.

Now, I’d like to introduce the possibility that the PEOPLE you are interacting with in the industry are a direct result of your focus. What I mean is, if you feel the film industry is filled with a certain type of person – sleazy, closed off, rude, snobby, ego driven, scammy – it is because that is what YOU are choosing to focus on when out and about in the industry.

I would guess that for every one egotistical actor you meet, you’re also likely meeting ten really cool ones who just love their craft and love what they do. For every one sleazy director you meet, I’m sure you also meet twenty who just want to make great movies.

Yet some actors choose to focus on the tiny minority of negative people they meet, as opposed to the vast majority who are actually pretty awesome. It’s like they’re deciding in advance that ‘everyone’ is a certain way, then finding proof of their ‘story’ at every opportunity, ignoring any evidence that contradicts it.

Take a moment to think of how you perceive the industry and your fellow industry members. Is it negative, or positive? Do you feel filmmakers are open to new talent, or not? Do you feel successful actors are supportive of each other, or not? Does it feel open, or closed off? I guarantee, whatever you are finding, is exactly what you are choosing to see.

With this in mind, I’d like to ask you to try a little exercise and write down the following:

Seven filmmakers or CDs who have been nice to you or been open to watching your demo
Ten times an actor helped you with something you needed a hand on
Twelve times someone in the industry supported you, helped you or complimented you

Really take the time to think about this and write the list. As I’m sure you know, law of attraction will bring to you more of what you focus on. By finding and focusing on the great things, more great things will come to you.

Now that you have this list, wouldn’t it be nice to shoot a little note to each of them? Not asking if they have any projects casting or whether they’re working on anything and not bragging about your recent work. Just asking how they are, as a fellow human and perhaps thanking them for that time they did something above and beyond that made your journey a little easier. Maybe you could even ask if there’s anything you could help them with too?

A thank you is a wonderful way to reach out to a person you may have lost touch with, and reciprocation is so important in an industry like ours.

I’m going to leave it at that… I think you get the idea. Lets work to see the industry community as being filled with more love than we imagined. Then lets do a little something like this… just to make sure it is.

Sending love from the madness of pilot season in Hollywood ;)

- Kym Jackson (IMDB)

Learn how to succeed in your acting career today at: HollywoodsGuide.com