Cassandra Kulukundis made history at the 98th Academy Awards, becoming the first person ever to win an Oscar for Casting Direction—a category introduced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize the craft of assembling a film’s cast.
With the win, the Greek-American casting director also became only the second Greek woman ever to receive an Academy Award, after legendary actress Katina Paxinou. Her victory also marked the seventh Oscar awarded to a Greek artist.
Kulukundis was honored for her work on One Battle After Another, the film that dominated the ceremony with six Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor.
The film, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, features a powerful ensemble cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn—who won his third Oscar for his performance—and Benicio del Toro. It also introduces new faces discovered through an extensive audition process.
What a Casting Director Actually Does
In Hollywood, casting is an essential but often invisible art.
During her acceptance speech, Kulukundis devoted part of her remarks to explaining the work she and her colleagues do: finding the right actors to bring a film’s characters to life.
Her award represents more than a personal achievement—it also signals long-awaited institutional recognition for a profession that has remained largely behind the scenes for decades.
Over a long career in Hollywood, Kulukundis has helped shape the casts of some of the most important American films of recent decades. The Greek-American casting director stands behind several of the most memorable ensembles in modern cinema.
A Long-Time Collaborator of Paul Thomas Anderson
Kouloukoundis’ career in film began in the early 1990s.
A graduate of college in the United States, she entered the film industry as an intern on Hard Eight, the debut feature by Paul Thomas Anderson.
That collaboration proved decisive. From then on, she became one of the director’s closest collaborators, responsible for casting in nearly all of his films.
Her work helped bring to life iconic characters such as Daniel Plainview, played by Daniel Day‑Lewis in There Will Be Blood, and Freddie Quell, portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix in The Master.
Beyond those films, she has collaborated with Anderson on Magnolia, Inherent Vice, Phantom Thread and Licorice Pizza.
Kouloukoundis has also worked on the casting of other well-known films such as Mid90s and Her—again starring Joaquin Phoenix—and has participated in film projects as a producer.
The Casting Challenge of One Battle After Another
For One Battle After Another, Kulukundis and her team faced one of the most demanding casting processes of their careers: blending established stars with new talent.
One of those discoveries was Chase Infiniti, who plays Willa, a central character in the film. Infiniti portrays the daughter of Leonardo DiCaprio’s character, an armed revolutionary.
“It’s the child of two revolutionaries, so she needed to look like she came from that world,” Kulukundis once explained.
To find the right performer, she visited every martial arts school in Los Angeles.
Infiniti turned out to be a kickboxing athlete who had already made a promising television debut.
“When I first met her, she was still in school,” Kulukundis recalled. Even so, extensive training and rehearsals were required before convincing Anderson she was right for the role.
The casting director is convinced Infiniti has the makings of a movie star.
Jokingly, she said: “After One Battle After Another, it’ll be impossible for me to cast her again—her fame will have exploded.”
Part of that prediction has already come true. Infiniti has since signed on to star in the TV series The Testaments, the sequel to the hit series The Handmaid’s Tale.
An Oscar for Every Casting Director
Kulukundis ’ win carries strong symbolism.
She dedicated the award to all casting directors who, as she said, “never had the chance to stand on this stage.”
She also joked with Anderson, telling him she had managed to win an Oscar before he did.
By the end of the evening, however, Anderson had collected not one but three Oscars—for Adapted Screenplay, Best Director and Best Picture—marking the first Academy Awards of his career.
The Greeks Who Have Won Oscars
Kulukundis now joins a small but notable group of Greek artists who have won Academy Awards.
- Katina Paxinou (1943) – Best Supporting Actress for For Whom the Bell Tolls
- Manos Hadjidakis (1960) – Best Original Song for “Never on Sunday” from Never on Sunday
- Vassilis Fotopoulos (1964) – Art Direction for Zorba the Greek
- Theo Papadakis (1970) – Best Visual Effects for Tora! Tora! Tora!
- Vangelis Papathanassiou (1981) – Best Original Score for Chariots of Fire
- George Migdalis (2010) – Best Makeup (as part of the team) for The Wolfman
Kulukundis ’ win marks Greece’s seventh Oscar and the first since 2010.
And while the list of Greek winners remains short, the list of Greek filmmakers nominated for Oscars—from directors like Costa‑Gavras to Yorgos Lanthimos—is far longer, reflecting the growing global influence of Greek talent in cinema.
