Cassandra Kulukundis Wins Best Casting Oscar for ‘One Battle After Another’

At the 2026 Academy Awards, casting director Cassandra Kulukundis won the Oscar for best casting.  The win marked a historic moment for the Academy, as 2026 was the first year the Oscars introduced a category specifically recognized casting directors since 2001. A craft long considered essential but overlooked in award lineup

The Award highlights Kulukundis’ role in assembling the ensemble for this film. The Film features a large and varied cast, including Leonardo Dicaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, and Teyana Taylor, along with emerging performers. The Casting process was widely praised for balance and starts with new talent. This creates an ensemble that helps drive the film’s success and award season momentum.

With the collaboration with Paul Thomas Anderson for many decades, she has worked on many of his films such as There Will Be Blood and The Master. She originally began her career as an intern with Anderson’s early on before becoming one of Hollywood’s most respected casting directors.

One Battle After Another has been one of the major award contenders of the year.  Having earned numerous nominations and wins across multiple film awards. The project blends a large ensemble with character driven narrative. This makes the casting process critical in shaping the story and their chemistry between performers.

Kulukundis’ win represents a larger shift in Hollywood recognizing behind the scene creative work. The addition of the category signals growing acknowledgement that casting directories play a major role in shaping a film’s success. By finally honoring the profession, the Academy has expanded its recognition to one the key responsibility for bringing stories and their performers to the screen.