Artios-Nominated Casting Directors Liz Ludwitzke and Jordana Sapiurka Reflect on Their Careers, Working With Denise Chamian

Liz Ludwitzke and Jordana Sapiurka have two of the best jobs in Hollywood. They’re valued associates of Denise Chamian, one of the biggest and most successful casting directors in the business.

Ludwitzke has been working with Chamian for 15 years, and Sapiurka for nine. In that time, they’ve both become brilliant casting directors in their own right, each nominated this year alongside their boss for an Artios Award. 

Ludwitzke’s nomination is for her work on The Spiderwick Chronicles, while Sapiurka’s is for Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and it’s the third nomination for each. They’re also branching out on their own, having just cast their first feature as a team. The sci-fi flick UAP, starring Celeste O’Connor and Joel Courtney, is currently in production. Though they generally work in Chamian’s office, they spoke to us from their respective home offices in LA.

Insights: Lessons from Liz Ludwitzke and Jordana Sapiurka

• Gain industry insight through internship experiences to build a foundational understanding of casting and acting.
• Foster collaborative relationships with casting directors and industry professionals to enhance opportunities and career growth.
• Focus on delivering excellent performances rather than solely pursuing accolades; recognition is a byproduct of dedication to the craft.

How did you both get into casting in the first place?

Liz Ludwitzke: I’ve been always interested in theater since I was little. I went to a theater middle school and the Baltimore School for the Arts for high school, studied theater and directing in college, and sort of had my first taste of the casting process during my year abroad. After I graduated, the first internship I had was for April Webster and I learned everything from her.

I decided to stay in LA for a year rather than move back to the East Coast. My very supportive mom said, “It’s a year lease, just see if you like it.” I was looking around for temp work and just got a call from April’s office to see if I wanted to come to answer phones and get paid under the table, as all interns and beginning assistants used to. I worked on Fringe as the casting assistant, and when the show ended, another associate said they knew someone looking for an assistant and was I interested. That ended up being with Ania O’Hare, who was working for Denise Chamian, and I’ve been here ever since.

Jordana?

Jordana Sapiurka: Similar to Liz, I went to USC for acting and I pretty quickly figured out when I was there that the lifestyle of an actor was not something that my constitution could handle. I was looking around me and seeing all the amazing actors in my class and knowing, “I love doing this, but I don’t think I’m the best one here.”

At the same time, I also did some theater directing, and the casting process was my favorite part of the whole thing. I just felt I had really strong instincts in that realm. I don’t think it had occurred to me that casting in itself could be a career until a friend was interning in casting and I thought, oh, that’s great. 

How did that turn into a career?

JS: I interned at VH-1, then CBS while I was still in school, then worked there after I graduated and I loved it. I knew pretty quickly I wanted to work in independent casting because I wanted to be more boots on the ground, working with the creatives, talking to directors and producers, and being the one to help bring the vision to life, as opposed to being on the corporate side of things.

A job came up with Francine Maisler and I worked there for about a year and a half, and then I had planned to move to New York. At the time Francine was only doing films and I wanted to get some TV experience. I did a little stint at Schiff/Audino, which was fantastic, and then as I was gearing up to move to New York, a former associate I had worked with at Francine’s office had also worked with Denise and put me up for a job with Denise without telling me. 

LL: Yeah, we were looking for an assistant and I was talking to everyone I knew saying, “Do you know anyone, please?”

JS: All of a sudden I got a message, “Hey, you got an interview with Denise Chamian,” and I said, “That’s amazing, but I’m moving to New York.” They said, “Oh, just meet with her. It’s good to make connections.” That was nearly nine years ago.

Denise Chamian is one of the biggest names in casting. The education you get daily must be insane.

JS: Absolutely. 

LL: Even as a baby assistant, just listening to the phone calls that she’s having, being privy to those conversations behind the scenes was an incredible education in, how are you handling the producer, how is something getting translated from a note the director gave you about what you’re seeing for the role and how do you give that to someone’s agent based on who that agent is, who the actor is for them to then get you the best performance possible. And negotiating deals, which I certainly had no idea that that was part of what a casting director did before working there. That’s an art in and of itself. 

How much does she let you take the reins for the projects you’re working on, where you’re not an associate, but an actual full casting director?

JS: It depends. It’s all very collaborative. It also changes over time. In the beginning, it was a lot more hand-holding. Liz and I also create these relationships with the showrunners and with the directors, and they very much speak to us and Denise as equals. She’s always been very encouraging of us to speak our minds, from the time we were assistants through being associates, and then as co-CDs. She values everyone’s ideas and has kept that open dialogue the whole time that I’ve been with her. 

LL: It’s a real privilege to work for someone so generous. She has created an atmosphere where me being a baby assistant and afraid to speak up, she was very supportive and encouraging of me to be more vocal, and that there’s merit in having a quote-unquote bad idea, because bringing up someone who then is not at all what the character is, then helps you to adjust how you see the part.

It’s a team effort for sure, but knowing that you have a security blanket there to go, “what’s your advice?” she’s got a real open door policy and she’s in the office every day and It’s just so accessible. I think that’s what’s made it a successful work atmosphere. 

You’re both nominated but for two different shows. Is there any cross-pollination? Or do your projects exist in different silos?

JS: We’re separate on our shows, in terms of we’re running point, but Liz and I are very much partners. We’re still very much open to input from each other, bouncing ideas off of each other. Even though we aren’t working on the shows together, for the most part, it’s still collaborative in that we’re sitting three feet away from each other and we always know what’s happening with the other person. 

What do you do when you hear that you’ve been nominated for a major award like this?

JS: It’s exciting. We feel very honored. It’s always so interesting in casting, being so far in pre-production. For Percy, from the time we started working on it, searching for Percy Jackson himself to when it premiered, was almost two years. It was a long process, so it feels really special to have our work recognized, especially as a part of this product that we’re proud of.

LL: I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a thrill. To be nominated is not the end goal, but it’s nice to have that recognition. Especially since tons of great casting directors don’t get nominated, who deserves to?

No, they don’t! If they deserved it, they’d be nominated!

(Both laugh) 

LL: All of my family’s back in Baltimore. That’s who it’s for, and it makes me excited for my mom. We lost our fucking minds when Denise won the BAFTA for Elvis. I was so proud and crying because it was so exciting. 

JS: Also, particularly with the Artios, some of these people that are nominated are our idols, so just to be a part of it, for it to be a product of the casting community, is also really special. It’s nice to feel respected in the community that you’ve devoted your life to a hundred percent. 

You’re competing in the same category. What if one of you wins and the other doesn’t? Is that it? Business partnership over?

JS: It’s the Sharks and the Jets. (laughs)

If one wins, does the other come running up and try to grab the trophy?

LL: Oh, that’s a funny bit.

JS: That would be funny. Maybe we should talk about doing that. (Laughs) No, honestly, even though they’re separate projects, it feels like we’re nominated twice. I am Liz. Liz is me. It’s twice as many reasons to be excited. 

That is very nice, although I will remind you that if one of you wins and the other doesn’t, only one of you gets a trophy.

JS: Well, we do share an office. 

LL: We share an office, so the trophy would sit between us. As business partners, it’s the same resume.

Artios winners. Plural.

JS: Correct. 

(Both laugh)

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