Casting Director Francine Maisler on Texting Ryan Coogler Around the Clock to Find the Perfect Cast for ‘Sinners’

One of the misconceptions that casting directors frequently run into when it comes to their work is that their job is to take an existing list of big-name actors, make some suggestions to a director, and voila: That’s how a movie gets cast.

The reality couldn’t be more different, especially for veteran casting director Francine Maisler who, this year, is one of the nominees for the first Best Casting Oscar for her work on “Sinners.” She and her team are also behind the ensembles for “Ella McCay,” “The Running Man,” “The Lost Bus,” “Mountainhead,” and “The Studio,” among but a selection of her projects from 2025. 

The work of casting, according to Maisler, is a combination of relentless curiosity, exploration of new and niche communities for talent, and the ability to creatively imagine what actors might be able to do if given the chance. It takes really close collaboration with the director, knowing them and their vision well above and beyond what’s written down in the script.

And, depending on that director, a fair amount of late-night texting. 

“We’re texting around the clock. [‘Sinners’ director Ryan Coogler] and I used to have such a good time just thinking — and we’re probably going to start a new project. But for, say, the role of Sammy’s father, we’d be like, ‘What can we do?’ And one night I said to him, ‘What can we do that maybe we haven’t thought of before, or something different? What about a spoken word poet?,’” Maisler told IndieWire during a recent interview. 

Indeed, Verbal stylist Saul Williams ended up getting the role as the preacher father of hot-headed young singer Sammy (Miles Caton). The search for the young lead of Ryan Coogler’s Mississippi Delta Blues Gothic took Maisler and her team to Blues clubs and colleges all over the country. 

‘Sinners’©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection

“Even when you’re casting a name, a lot of those names aren’t available, and then sometimes the director has a different idea of what they’re looking for to fill out that canvas that they’re painting. They want different textures for that canvas,” Maisler said. “We cast everywhere. We look everywhere. We work even harder [since the pandemic] because we can be watching things, you know, when I can’t sleep at midnight.” 

The different textures that casting directors are looking everywhere to find doesn’t just mean assembling a diverse but complementary set of faces for the audience to look at. It applies to the actors’ skillsets, too. Maiser said that part of cracking the “Sinners” ensemble was about getting to see actors that haven’t gotten the chance to play certain types of roles and give them the chance to flex different muscles and — like brothers Smoke (Michael B. Jordan) and Stack (also Michael B. Jordan) plan for their juke joint in the film — fully express themselves in a different light. 

“My job is to know each of these actors and what is still waiting for them, how to show everyone their talent. You know, Jayme Lawson [who plays Pearline] had been cast a few times before, but who the hell knew she could sing and dance like that and she’s just — she’s fierce in this movie,” Maisler said. “Then there’s Delroy [Lindo, who plays Delta Slim] and Hailee [Steinfeld, who plays Mary], Yao [who plays Bo Chow] was in Juilliard, it goes on and on. I mean, Lola Kirk [who plays Joan], who’s this wonderful New York actress I’ve known forever, but now she’s becoming a big Nashville singer. This film is such a joy. I’m just glad people love it as much as I do.”

Finding the surprising and right choice for each role isn’t simply a question of what the casting director can imagine, though. Maisler also sees her work as the work of setting actors up for success — how to give them information, how to get them ready to take direction the way that a director likes to give direction, how to give them the confidence to bring their perspective and experiences to a role. 

‘Sinners’ ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection

For “Sinners,” she had a great partner in this work in Coogler. “I think Ryan, in meeting and casting each person, really spoke to them and saw them and allowed them to feel safe in the best possible way — so that they could take chances. They knew he’d catch them if they fell,” Maisler said. 

Setting actors up to win is different for every director that Maisler’s worked with, and she’s worked with an all-star ensemble of filmmakers — Alejandro González Iñárritu, Denis Villeneuve, Greta Gerwig, Steve McQueen, Michael Mann, Gus Van Sant, Sam Raimi, among many others. She recalls going to watch James L. Brooks films like “Terms of Endearment” and “Broadcast News” while still an assistant, and admiring Terrence Malick films while working early jobs casting “Reality Bites” and “The Larry Sanders Show.”

Now, she’s worked with both of those directors. 

“I’m just so fortunate to get to even say that I not only work with Terry Malick, but know him personally — those are words I didn’t think would come out of my mouth, you know? Or the great Miloš Forman. I mean, my God,” Maisler said. “I learned from each of them.” 

Learning is Maisler’s key to attacking every project with fresh eyes and curiosity. “At this point in my career, I just want to learn — whether it be from the subject of the movie or from a director. That’s the most exciting part for me,” Maisler said. “It’s really creatively satisfying.”