The Academy Museum Podcast

So far in this season of the Academy Museum Podcast we've heard a lot about casting a lead or finding the right star for a project. What goes into piecing together a group with incredible chemistry? Everything Everywhere All At Once was originally written for Jackie Chan and Awkwafina, but it’s now impossible to imagine without Michelle Yeoh and Stephanie Hsu. In this season finale, we hear from the film’s casting director Sarah Finn who breaks down the art of casting an ensemble. Guests: Sarah Finn, casting director Academy Museum digital engagement platforms, including this podcast, are sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies. Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

The casting of Robin Williams as The Genie in Aladdin (1992) is often talked about as a turning point — when animated films began to focus on casting big-name actors. But is that true? This episode looks at the history of casting for animation. What’s the role of a casting director for finding the right voices? And how is it different from casting for live action? Guests: Eric Goldberg, animator, director and voice actor; Mary Hidalgo, casting director Academy Museum digital engagement platforms, including this podcast, are sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies. Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

A look at contemporary typecasting, and the potential audience backlash to an actor taking on a new kind of role, through the lens of Jane Campion’s 2003 erotic thriller In the Cut, starring rom-com queen Meg Ryan. Guests: David Rubin, casting director and former Academy President; Laurie Parker, film producer Academy Museum digital engagement platforms, including this podcast, are sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies. Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

A conversation with Reuben Cannon, the first Black casting director. How he got his start in casting, brought now-iconic talents to the screen, broke boundaries in the industry, and why he ultimately decided to shift into producing. Guests: Kim Taylor-Coleman, casting director; Reuben Cannon, casting director and producer. Academy Museum digital engagement platforms, including this podcast, are sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies. Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

How the first African American movie star created roles for himself in some of the earliest Black-produced films made for Black audiences. But he rose to mainstream notoriety playing characters of nearly every race but his own. Guests: Dara Jaffe, Associate Curator at the Academy Museum; Cara Caddoo, Associate Professor, Department of History and Media School, Indiana University Bloomington. Academy Museum digital engagement platforms, including this podcast, are sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies. Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

In this season of The Academy Museum Podcast, we’ll explore the history of the job of “casting director”: one of the most essential and under-appreciated roles in filmmaking. The biggest question around casting is: Who gets to play what role? It’s a question that has a huge influence - not just on a single film, but on actors’ career trajectories and on audiences’ ideas of who can be and do what. And while casting directors are gatekeepers, they are also people who can open a director’s eyes to a possibility they hadn’t considered before, or help an actor realize their potential in a way they wouldn’t have on their own. Throughout this season we’ll explore how casting directors have answered the question of who gets to play what role in different ways over time.

Academy Museum Podcast listeners, there's no new episode this week, but tune back into the feed on August 26th for our season finale and bonus episodes to follow. And as we get to work on our second season, we'd love to hear from you, our listeners. Please leave us a comment with your thoughts - and thanks for listening and subscribing! Academy Museum digital engagement platforms, including this podcast, are sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies. Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

The episode will look at the history of broadcasting the Oscars®, from radio to television, the rituals fans have created around the broadcast, and a discussion of the future of presenting the Academy Awards in the age of social media. Guests: Academy president David Rubin, ABC executive Rob Mills, comedy writer Bruce Vilanch, TCM host and entertainment expert Dave Karger Academy Museum digital engagement platforms, including this podcast, are sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies.Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

This episode will revisit the speech actor Sacheen Littlefeather delivered on Marlon Brando's behalf to explore Native American representation in cinema and controversies about using the Oscars stage as a platform for activism. Guests: Sacheen Littlefeather, activist/actress; Buffy Sainte-Marie, singer/songwriter Academy Museum digital engagement platforms, including this podcast, are sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies.Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

This episode will examine the history of blacklisting in Hollywood, looking at the treatment of writers including Dalton Trumbo (“Roman Holiday,” “The Brave One”) and Walter Bernstein (“The Front”). Guests: Mitzi Trumbo, daughter of screenwriter Dalton Trumbo; Howard Rodman, screenwriter, former president of the Writers Guild of America West; Randy Haberkamp, the Academy’s senior vice president of preservation and foundation programs; Irwin Winkler, film producer Academy Museum digital engagement platforms, including this podcast, are sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

This episode will look at how campaigning changed the Oscars game at the turn of the century and the long history of campaigning dating back to Louis B. Mayer. Guests: Mo’Nique, actress/comedian; Scott Feinberg, columnist, The Hollywood Reporter; Donna Gigliotti, film producer; Randy Haberkamp, the Academy’s senior vice president of preservation and foundation programs Academy Museum digital engagement platforms, including this podcast, are sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies. Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.