{"id":11436,"date":"2026-01-15T11:06:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T11:06:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/?p=11436"},"modified":"2026-01-28T16:16:33","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T16:16:33","slug":"casting-director-francine-maisler-on-sinners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/news-and-advice\/the-industry\/casting-director-francine-maisler-on-sinners\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the Casting Director: Francine Maisler on \u2018Sinners\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Casting director Francine Maisler shares her experience with \u2018Sinners\u2019, casting Miles Caton and her thoughts on the rest of the cast.<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Casting director Francine Maisler has long been a trusted creative partner for some of today\u2019s most distinctive filmmakers. Her collaborations span projects with Alejandro Gonz\u00e1lez I\u00f1\u00e1rritu, Denis Villeneuve and Ryan Coogler, including their work together on <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Creed<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She reunited with Coogler for his latest film, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sinners<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2013 a period drama set in 1932 Mississippi, starring Michael B. Jordan in dual roles of twin brothers, \u2018Smoke\u2019 and \u2018Stack\u2019, who return to their hometown after being gone several years. Together with their musician cousin, \u2018Sammie\u2019 (Miles Caton), they open a juke joint, but are confronted by a supernatural evil.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Francine\u2019s excellent work casting <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sinners<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> was recognised at the Critics Choice Awards 2026 with a win for \u2018Best Casting and Ensemble\u2019, and she has been shortlisted for the \u2018Best Casting\u2019 award for the 98th Academy Awards, which will be recognising the contribution of casting directors for the first time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this interview, Francine tells us about the international search for \u2018Sammie\u2019, how Jack O\u2019Connell almost had to bow out of the film, and the joys of working with a filmmaker multiple times.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>Key Insights:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Authenticity was the priority for the role of \u2018Sammie\u2019, leading Francine and Ryan Coogler on a global search that went beyond actors and into the blues\/music world.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ryan Coogler\u2019s unwavering commitment to casting choices \u2013 like holding out for Jack O\u2019Connell despite visa delays \u2013 demonstrates his belief in talent and creative intuition.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Long-standing relationships between directors and casting directors foster trust and collaboration, allowing deeper creative risks and richer performances.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Hi, Francine! You previously worked with Ryan Coogler on <i>Creed<\/i> in 2015. How did you come back together for <i>Sinners<\/i>?<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ryan called me to come on board a movie, but it wasn\u2019t written yet. He said it was a very personal story and very important to him, and would I help him with a search for a young man who could play guitar and sing the blues? That\u2019s how it started.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"actor-img\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"image-size aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Francine-Maisler-headshot.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Francine-Maisler-headshot.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Francine Maisler \/ Image credit: Sam Taylor-Johnson<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Did you cast a wide net to find him?<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The search for \u2018Sammie\u2019 was really worldwide. In addition to all the traditional casting avenues, we went to music schools, colleges, blues clubs in the South, New York, Chicago. There was a ton of outreach to find him. We put out breakdowns in London, and anywhere we thought there could be someone who could play an American. We got lots of self-tapes.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>What was it about Miles Caton that sealed the deal?<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There were a lot of wonderful young actors and non-actors who read for the part. Miles had never acted before. He was the opening act for H.E.R. (in 2022), so you can see how far and wide we looked beyond the acting community. Somewhere in the process, Miles\u2019 tape came in. He did it in a very dark room. I think he was 18. You heard a voice come out of him that took your breath away. You also got a sense of how authentic and soulful he was.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>What were the next steps?<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We flew Miles out to read with Michael B. [Jordan] and to work with Ryan. I remember thinking, \u2018Well, here\u2019s a young Ryan. They\u2019re both so soulful, so truthful in the moment\u2019. I really do believe with Miles I was seeing a young Ryan at 19. They may not be [in] the same [profession], but you understand the truthfulness in both of them.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>What happened in the room when the three of them came together?<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He read with Michael and there wasn\u2019t a false move, even though Miles had never done this before. I had him improvise with Michael, and Ryan gave direction, and then we had him sing. I\u2019m not a very religious person, but when Miles opened his mouth, I thought there\u2019s got to be something upstairs that gives us this voice that comes through this young man. It felt otherworldly and beautiful, and it touched me deeply.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>You also needed to find the older version of \u2018Sammie\u2019. How did Buddy Guy come into the picture?<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ryan was a fan of Buddy Guy. Someone in his family was his biggest fan \u2013 maybe his uncle or his mother. Ryan said it would be a dream to get Buddy in the film. We flew to Chicago, went to Buddy\u2019s bar, and then hung out with this legend. Then we read him. And because it mattered so much to Ryan to have Buddy in this movie, he made it work and come together.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>What was the process of casting Jack O\u2019Connell for Irish immigrant vampire \u2018Remmick\u2019?<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jack O\u2019Connell was someone that we discussed for that role early on in the process. I had worked with Jack on <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unbroken, <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and just love him. He was having difficulty getting a visa in time, so we started thinking of other actors. But if not for Ryan, it never would\u2019ve been Jack. Ryan held out until three weeks before production. That is highly unusual to wait that long to see if somebody\u2019s going to get their visa or not. I\u2019ve worked on a movie where we were six, seven weeks out, and we had to move on. Ryan\u2019s conviction about Jack doing this, and his belief that we would get him\u2026 he didn\u2019t compromise.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>There\u2019s a real depth and emotional charge in the ensemble. What do you think shaped that?<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I think there were uniformly incredible performances in this movie. Ryan brings out the best in people. He really sees the actors. For example, I\u2019ve been a big fan of Jayme Lawson. She\u2019s done some small parts, and bigger parts, but she auditioned for this (as \u2018Sammie\u2019s\u2019 love interest) and later told me it was the first time a director had <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">really <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">seen her, and saw all she could do. Ryan brought out the sensuality in her. She was incredible in this movie.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>I don\u2019t think we\u2019ve ever seen Hailee Steinfeld in such an adult role either!<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hailee has been acting since she was a child. Then she became a woman and no one had seen that side of her except with her singing. She came in and auditioned and she just wowed the room.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Omar Benson Miller has also been acting for a long time, but his role as the doorman of the juke joint turns into something way more than what the audience was expecting.<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I can\u2019t tell you the number of people that tell me how much they love him in this movie. Ryan brought out the best in everyone. They were so devoted to him. It\u2019s like he gives them the wings to fly. I can\u2019t say enough about working with Ryan or the film.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Were there any performances that stayed with you personally?<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wunmi Mosaku is just incredible. I\u2019m doing another film now with Aaron Sorkin, and I told him, \u201cYou have to hire her. You have no other choice.\u201d I\u2019ve been lucky to work on a lot of projects, so I have that wealth of information to be able to say, \u201cYou\u2019ve got to see this person.\u201d All the work I do informs the next project.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>You\u2019ve also worked on a lot of projects with the same filmmakers multiple times.<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019ve been very fortunate to have amazing directors want to work with me time and time again, this year alone, from Scott Cooper (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) to James L. Brooks (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ella McCay<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) to Edgar Wright (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Running Man<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) to Paul Greengrass (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Lost Bus<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You go through a lot during the casting process. I become great friends with most of my directors. I\u2019m able to argue with them a bit more and don\u2019t have to be so worried. They know me. It truly is a collaboration between the filmmaker and the casting director. When the creative process works, there\u2019s nothing better.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>Key Takeaways:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Raw talent and emotional truth can outweigh traditional acting experience in landing major roles.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Great directing includes championing actors and trusting the casting process, even under production pressure.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Strong creative partnerships help casting directors advocate boldly for performers and shape powerful ensembles.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thank you, Francine, for sharing your experience on \u2018Sinners\u2019 with us!<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Take a look at our website for <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/news-and-advice\/?tag=interview\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">more interviews<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/news-and-advice\/?tag=casting+directors\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">advice from casting directors<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Casting director Francine Maisler shares her experience with \u2018Sinners\u2019, casting Miles Caton and her thoughts on the rest of the cast. Casting director Francine Maisler has long been a trusted creative partner for some of today\u2019s most distinctive filmmakers. Her collaborations span projects with Alejandro Gonz\u00e1lez I\u00f1\u00e1rritu, Denis Villeneuve and Ryan Coogler, including their work [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54,"featured_media":11459,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[36,64,49,95],"class_list":["post-11436","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-industry","tag-awards","tag-casting-directors","tag-film","tag-interview"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Meet the Casting Director: Francine Maisler on \u2018Sinners\u2019 | Spotlight<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Casting director Francine Maisler on reuniting with Ryan Coogler for &#039;Sinners&#039; and discovering Miles Caton.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.castingnetworks.com\/news\/inside-sinners-casting-director-francine-maisler\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Meet the Casting Director: Francine Maisler on \u2018Sinners\u2019 | Spotlight\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Casting director Francine Maisler on reuniting with Ryan Coogler for &#039;Sinners&#039; 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