In the glitzy world of Hollywood, where stars and directors often take centre stage, there exists a lesser-known but equally vital cog in the machine – the casting director. This year, for the first time, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will honour these unsung heroes, and one of the frontrunners is Nina Gold, the woman who brought together the perfect pairing of Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal for the critically acclaimed film Hamnet.
As a gatekeeper to some of the biggest roles in film and television, Gold has encountered her fair share of egos, but it was the unassuming nature of her latest co-stars that she said made them the perfect choice. “I just really felt like it had to be Jessie Buckley from the very moment I started thinking about the characters seriously,” Gold said. “She has this quality of connectedness to the physical world that Agnes has, and she’s devoid of bullshit in the same way Agnes is.” Mescal, she added, was “celebrated and fancy” but modest enough to do a chemistry read. “He wasn’t egotistical,” she said. “He came to see if it was right – and it really was.”
Gold’s decision paid off, as Hamnet won the Golden Globe for best motion picture drama, while Buckley took home the award for best female actor in a drama film. Both are now favourites for the Oscar. Meanwhile, Gold herself has been shortlisted in the inaugural best casting category for Hamnet at the Academy Awards, alongside other films including Sinners, Frankenstein, Marty Supreme and One Battle After Another.
“I’m really thrilled, and slightly terrified,” Gold said. “It’s wonderful that casting directors are finally being recognised on the same playing field as our other creative colleagues in film-making. Because our tools are other human beings, it’s harder to pinpoint what the creative work actually is.”
Gold has cast for some of the biggest films and TV shows of the past three decades, including last year’s big award winner Conclave, as well as Game of Thrones, The Crown, Slow Horses, The Day of the Jackal and several Star Wars films. She cast for more than 10 projects in 2025 alone, and her accolades include multiple Emmys and a prestigious Bafta special award for her outstanding contribution to TV and film.
Despite her impressive resume, Gold remains grounded, acknowledging the barriers that still exist in the industry, particularly when it comes to diversity. “If you’re British, even if you think you’re not thinking about class, it’s still subliminally part of your thinking about character and people,” she said. “Drama schools aren’t as diverse as they used to be because of cost, but there are still brilliant working-class actors out there.” She recently cast a new BBC show, Waiting for the Out, featuring predominantly working-class performers.
As for her own success, Gold credits it to a combination of analytical thinking and instinct. “There’s an analytical side – shared qualities between actor and character – but ultimately it’s instinct. If you can get the actor and the character to intersect at exactly the right point, then it really is magic.”
