“We ran out right away and got champagne.” That’s how casting director Sarah Finn, who has worked on everything from Varsity Blues to Everything Everywhere All at Once, describes her reaction to last week’s announcement that there will now be an Oscar for casting. Casting directors have long been part of the Academy, but until now there was no award for their work, despite years of lobbying and a 2012 documentary specifically arguing for it. 

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Speaking to Vanity Fair’s Kara Warner last week, Finn called the new award a tribute to all casting directors throughout Hollywood history: “This extends into the past as well as our future. We’re so used to advocating for other people, so this is very touching.” But now there are a lot of questions to answer. What kind of films will a casting category honor? Will it turn into a de facto ensemble award, like what the SAG Awards hand out? Or will the casting directors who vote on nominees — people who watch almost everything as part of their work — make thrilling, unexpected choices? And given reports about the Academy’s contract with broadcast partner ABC, could a new casting Oscar be part of the televised ceremony? 

On this week’s Little Gold Men podcast we discuss all of the possibilities, with a bit of speculation on which of this year’s contenders might have been most likely to be nominated. Kara and David Canfield also share insight from the awards season events they’ve been busy attending this week, including the DGA Awards and the Oscar nominees luncheon.