The mood at Wednesday’s 40th anniversary Artios Awards may have been celebratory, but several casting directors acknowledged that Hollywood’s ongoing contraction is continuing to have a negative impact on their profession.
Before the awards show at the Beverly Hilton that paid tribute to the casting work on Wicked, A Complete Unknown, Emilia Pérez and Conclave, CDs privately lamented about the state of production in Los Angeles and how opportunities remain scarce.
“It’s been a hard time for a lot of folks in our industry,” Casting Society President Destiny Lilly (The Color Purple, Only Murders in the Building) tells Deadline. “There was the strikes and the recent fires which have been really devastating for people in this community. And there are still ripples from the pandemic. I think across the industry we’ve heard that there are fewer jobs and that affects casting professionals as well.”
