[This story contains mild spoilers from The Studio season finale.]
You’re watching The Studio, and every minute pretty much seems to bring another A-lister who either makes a two-minute appearance or has a multiple-episode arc.
While the star caliber is massive, there was one clear “white whale” that co-creators Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg were going for — and actually got.
“I feel like they got their white whale, which was Martin Scorsese,” casting director Melissa Kostenbauder tells THR.
It was just finding the ones who fit best.” For Kostenbauder, having this caliber and this amount of guest stars was crucial to the success of the show.
[This story contains minor season finale spoilers from The Studio. [].
Almost every minute of The Studio seems to introduce a new A-list celebrity who either has a multi-episode arc or makes a two-minute appearance. Beginning with Bryan Cranston, who plays Continental Studios CEO Griffin Mill, the first season features a long list of guest stars, including Zoë Kravitz, Dave Franco, Olivia Wilde, Adam Scott, Charlize Theron, Ron Howard, Zac Efron, Steve Buscemi, Quinta Brunson, Greta Lee, Anthony Mackie, Ted Sarandos, and more (see the complete guest star list in the attachment).
Despite the enormous star caliber, co-creators Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg were specifically aiming for and landed one “white whale.”.
Casting director Melissa Kostenbauder tells THR, “I think they picked Martin Scorsese as their white whale.”. “I am aware that they are huge Marty fans, and in fact, everyone is. Once they acquired him and Ron Howard, it really began to show people the kind of level they were seeking.”. “.”.
Rogen plays Matt Remick, a recently hired (fictitious) head of the troubled Continental Studios, in the season finale of The Studio, which was released early Tuesday. Remick is constantly arguing and arguing with his fellow creatives and demanding actors about whether art and business can coexist in Hollywood. Additionally starring are Catherine O’Hara, Ike Barinholtz, Kathryn Hahn, and Chase Sui Wonders.
With credits that include Tokyo Vice and Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, Kostenbauder says Apple TV, which frequently distributes Scorsese’s films, including the most recent Killers of the Flower Moon, and has a first-look agreement with his Sikelia Productions banner, was a huge help in land the renowned director.
When they first sent out the offer to the talent, Kostenbauder remembers a very “unusual casting process” in which they didn’t send scripts. “We would propose a meeting with Seth and Evan, and they were excellent at finding time to speak with each of those individuals in order to win them over, explain the character, address any queries, and make them feel at ease—since their goal was never to make fun of anyone. “.”.
Scripts were distributed to the talent after the meeting to ensure complete transparency: “It was a matter of getting everybody on the same page and communicating ahead of time.”. “”.
Regarding the storylines of some of the characters, Kostenbauder states, “Some were game, and some weren’t.”. And some people really wanted to lean more into making fun of themselves; I’m not sure if that was Olivia Wilde or Dave Franco. “”.
“Rogen and Goldberg came up with the idea to have Cranston play Griffin Mill,” Kostenbauder says. “I’ve known his agent for a long time, and we just talked it out and gauged interest. Then he met with the guys, and fortunately, he was game, because he’s so, so good.” Bryan had been vocal during the [2023 actors’ and writers’] strikes and with the studios. “”.
More and more people signed up after hearing that Scorsese and Howard were taking part in The Studio, she says. Because all of the episodes were shot in close proximity to one another, Kostenbauder says, “we really approached a lot of them simultaneously.”. Since we’re discussing highly sought-after actors, many of them expressed interest but were unable to perform. “”.
The casting of all the guest actors began prior to Kostenbauer’s official involvement in the project. Francine Maisler was the project’s initial casting director and had begun the pilot prior to the strikes. Production had to be halted in 2023 due to the actors’ and writers’ strikes, and Maisler was unavailable months later when they were supposed to return to the set.
“I jumped right in to complete the pilot and the remaining series.”. However, it was immediately apparent what kind of world they were living in and building. “There are a lot of celebrities in there, and they actually wrote a lot of them into the script, so when you read the script, it has so and so’s name in this situation,” Kostenbauder says. For this kind of thing to succeed, it was fairly obvious what kind of people they would need to hire. “”.
Also ingrained in the script and having a significant influence on the casting process were the continuous tracking shots, or “oners,” that have come to represent The Studio.
“We always take care when casting and make sure they are comfortable on set, but this one was a little heavy-handed in that you’re going to be in this one shot for an hour with some of these really high-level people who are at the top of their game,” the casting director says. We took great care to ensure that they were capable of handling it, prepared for it, and able to complete it. It was simply identifying the most suitable ones. “.”.
For Kostenbauder, the show’s success depended on having this number and quality of guest stars.
“I think it really depended on having these really high-level actors, directors, and writers participating for it to be believable,” she says.
