Here’s a fun fact about this year’s nominees for Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series: only one of them was nominated last year (and it’s probably not for the reason you might think). Before we get into the details, let’s look at the nominees.
What You’ll Find in This Article
- Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series: The Nominees
- The How and the Why of This Year’s Emmy Race
- The Cases for The White Lotus and Slow Horses
- Severance vs. The Last of Us
- The Pitt‘s Potential
- The Verdict
Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series: The Nominees
The nominees are:
- The Last of Us (Mary Vernieu, Lindsay Graham Ahanonu, Sydney Shircliff, Corinne Clark, Jennifer Page)
- The Pitt (Cathy Sandrich Gelfond, Erica Berger)
- Severance (Rachel Tenner, Bess Fifer)
- Slow Horses (Nina Gold, Melissa Gethin Clarke)
- The White Lotus (Meredith Tucker, Non Jungmeier)
The How and the Why of This Year’s Emmy Race
Now that we’ve covered the who, here’s the how and the why.
Slow Horses is the only returning nominee, and while the show’s fourth season very much deserves it (as did the third season, which was the first time the show’s casting team was recognized), it’s the only returning nominee because none of the other four aired shows last year. That becomes even more surprising when you realize that The Pitt is the only one in its first season.
That means that The Last of Us, Severance and The White Lotus all took so much time between seasons, they each missed a whole year of Emmy eligibility — two years in Severance’s case. That said, they’re here now, and that makes for an exciting competition.
The Cases for The White Lotus and Slow Horses
The White Lotus won this two years ago. While this was arguably the weakest year of the show’s three seasons, the fact that it earned seven nominations should tell you how much people revere the work that Meredith Tucker and location casting director Non Jungmeier did in assembling the primary cast.
Story or script weaknesses don’t reflect on the casting director unless they have the opposite effect, where people think the job done was even more impressive. I tend to think this is one of those years, but that doesn’t mean this is a foregone conclusion.
Nina Gold’s work in Slow Horses has always been top-notch, and it’s nice to see her nominated for a second straight year (between us, it’s my favorite show currently on the air). However, Jack Lowden not receiving a repeat nomination for Supporting Actor suggests that this nomination is her reward.
Severance vs. The Last of Us
Rachel Tenner and Bess Fifer’s work on Severance is similarly amazing, and that show’s six nominations reflect that, but that cast also goes so deep that it’s hard to stop naming the talent. The show’s first season lost to season 3 of Succession, which, of course, is no longer on the air.
The Last of Us team — of which location casting directors Corinne Clark and Jennifer Page are the only returning nominees — lost to the last season of The White Lotus, and as good as the video game adaptation’s casting is, I think that’s a genuine possibility again. That is, if it weren’t for Severance being a frontrunner over both of them.
The Pitt‘s Potential
Or it would be, if not for The Pitt’s entry into the conversation. The breadth of that cast, with not a single false note, was one of the most stunning things on television this year.
Forget that only Noah Wyle (doing the best work of his career), Katherine LaNasa (ditto) and Shawn Hatosy (ditto again) were nominated. The show’s unrelenting pace and the fact that every role is well developed and acted to perfection make this the year’s best casting work.
The Verdict
That said, I don’t think it’s going to win. I think it’s going to come down to The White Lotus and Severance, with the former getting the tiniest edge.
Who Should Win: The Pitt
Who Will Win: The White Lotus
Final Takeaways
Breaking into the industry can feel as complex as navigating an Emmy race, but there are clear steps actors can take to stand out. Like casting directors who carefully assemble the perfect ensemble, you need to build your skills and network strategically. Here are some actionable tips to help you get noticed and land your breakthrough role:
- Hone your craft consistently through classes, workshops and scene study to stay sharp and adaptable.
- Build genuine relationships with casting directors, agents and fellow actors.
- Seek out diverse roles, including smaller projects, to build your reel and demonstrate range.
- Stay patient and persistent; gaps between seasons or projects are normal, so keep preparing.
- Showcase professionalism and reliability on set.
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