Cassandra Kulukundis has won the Oscar for Best Casting for "One Battle after Another" at the 2026 Academy Awards.
In her acceptance speech, Kulukundis dedicated her award to all the casting directors who "never got a chance to get up here, who didn't even get a chance to get their name on the movie."
Cassandra Kulukundis has won the inaugural Oscar for Best Casting for "One Battle after Another" at the 2026 Academy Awards.
This was a first, in the history of the Oscars, that a statuette was handed out not only to the stars but also to the person who casts them.
The inaugural casting Oscar doesn't recognize the performance of the actors, unlike the Actor Awards' best cast prize, which "Sinners" won earlier this month, and other comparable accolades. This award, by contrast, recognizes the behind-the-scenes creative process and collaboration by a casting director with the filmmakers to select the actors for their roles and craft a cohesive ensemble.
The other nominees included Nina Gold ("Hamnet"), Jennifer Venditti ("Marty Supreme"), Gabriel Domingues ("The Secret Agent") and Francine Maisler ("Sinners"). Each of the films they worked on are also up for best picture.
The Associated Press and ABC News contributed to this report.