Sarah Halley Finn Explained

Nationality:American
Years Active:1997–present
Alma Mater:Yale University (BA)

Sarah Halley Finn is an American casting director and producer. With well over 100 feature films and multiple awards to her credit, she is best known for casting the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe – the most successful film franchise of all time.[1] [2] She also cast and co-produced[3] Oscar winning Best Picture Everything Everywhere All at Once, the most awarded film in movie history.[4] It won three out of four acting categories at the 95th Academy Awards: Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress – a feat only achieved twice before, and not since 1976. Other works include Oscar-winning films Black Panther; Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri; and Crash; all of which earned Finn the Casting Society of America’s highest honor, the Artios Award for Outstanding Achievement in Casting.[5] [6] [7] Those films also won the prestigious SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. In 2023 Finn was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Casting and won the Artios Zeitgeist award for her work on Everything Everywhere All At Once.[8] In 2022, she received two Primetime Emmy nominations for her work casting WandaVision and The Mandalorian.[9]

Career

Finn's collaboration with Marvel Studios includes 36 films and 16 shows to date.[10] In 2006, she was hired to cast the first Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film, Iron Man, and cast Robert Downey Jr. in the titular role. [11] President of Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige, said "For all of our success in all of the films, it comes down to characters... The reason you care about those characters is because of the actors who portray them, and the reason those actors portray them is because at some point, Sarah Finn brought them to our attention.”[12] Jac Schaeffer, who Finn collaborated with on Emmy nominated WandaVision, said, "[Sarah] has such incredible instincts... [She] is really great at internalizing the writer's intention and then finding a new flavor for that: something that's unexpected for the audience and will feel special or unique."[10] Finn fought for Chris Pratt to land the role of Peter Quill,[13] pushed for Chris Hemsworth as Thor after his initial audition was rejected by higher-ups,[12] and, after observing his powerful and king-like presence during a prior audition for Drax the Destroyer, knew to highlight Chadwick Boseman for the role of T'Challa in Black Panther.[14]

Finn is also accustomed to finding completely unknown actors to fill roles in the MCU. After a lengthy, nationwide search and several rounds of auditions to find a Pakistani-Muslim teenager to play Ms. Marvel, then high school senior Iman Vellani won the role.[10] When asked about her experience being cast Vellani said, "[Finn] looked out for me in a way that I didn't think was normal for most casting directors... She would literally call me and run lines with me and give me notes [before auditions]... Even after I got the part, I was dealing with so much imposter syndrome, and her advice is what grounded me and allowed me to trust my instincts.”[10] Similarly, Dominique Thorne (MCU's Ironheart) described Finn as an "advocate of mine, supporting me and what I was doing."[15]

Beyond Marvel, Finn cast and is consulting producer on the Star Wars series, The Mandalorian, created by Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni.[10] She also cast The Book of Boba Fett and is prepping other projects with LucasFilm for Disney+ including Ahsoka and more.[16]

Other upcoming projects include AGBO films Extraction 2 and The Electric State. Finn also cast and produced the upcoming independent film One True Loves, [17] based on the novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Recently released projects include Everything, Everywhere All at Once from The Daniels – which earned Finn a BAFTA nomination[8]The Gray Man from the Russo brothers, and the Lionsgate/Showtime series The First Lady, directed by Susanne Bier and for which Finn was also a co-producer.[16]

Some of Finn's past credits include: Jon Favreau's comedy, Chef; Oliver Stone's drama, ; Martin McDonagh’s Seven Psychopaths and Shane Black’s The Nice Guys; sports films Miracle, Coach Carter, She's the Man, and Blue Crush; animated films The Little Prince, The Jungle Book (2016), and The Lion King (2019); and action films such as Fast & Furious and Kick-Ass. [16]

A graduate of theater and history at Yale University[18] and member of AMPAS (Executive Committee, Casting Branch),[19] Sarah has served on the Executive Board of Women in Film (WIF) and is on the Board of Advisors for the Master Class educational series. [18] [20] She is also a member of the Ensemble Studio Theatre.[21]

Awards and nominations

Select
Wins:7
Nominations:23
Nocollapse:y

Finn garnered a 2023 BAFTA nomination for Best Casting in recognition of her work on Everything Everywhere All at Once. In 2021, Finn was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards: Outstanding Casting for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie (WandaVision) and Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series (The Mandalorian).[22] [23] She has also been nominated numerous times by the Casting Society of America, winning for The Lion King, Crash, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Black Panther, , and Everything Everywhere All At Once.[24] [25]

Since the addition of The Zeitgeist category at the Artios Awards in 2019, Finn has won 3 out of 4 times. [26]

Other awards include the Hollywood Critics Association Award for Best Casting (Everything Everywhere All At Once), and the Action Icon Special Achievement Award.[27]

Filmography

Selected film credits

Year Title Casting director Producer Notes
1998 Paulie Yes No
1999 Varsity Blues Yes No
1999 200 Cigarettes Yes No
1999 Double Jeopardy Yes No
2000 Mission: Impossible II Yes No
2001 Yes No
2001 Life as a House Yes No Nominated – Artios Award for Best Casting for Feature Film, Drama
2001 Crazy/Beautiful Yes No Nominated – Artios Award for Best Casting for Feature Film, Drama
2002 The Scorpion King Yes No
2002 Blue Crush Yes No
2002 You Stupid Man Yes No
2003 Yes No
2003 S.W.A.T. Yes No
2004 Miracle Yes No
2004 Walking Tall Yes No
2004 A Cinderella Story Yes No
2004 Crash Yes Co-producer Won – Artios Award for Best Casting for Feature Film, Drama; Won – Black Reel Award for Best Ensemble
2005 Coach Carter Yes No
2005 Marilyn Hotchkiss’ Ballroom Dancing & Charm School Yes Co-producer Nominated – Artios Award for Best Independent Feature Film Casting
2005 Ice Princess Yes No
2005 Dreamer Yes No
2006 She's the Man Yes No
2006 Yes No
2006 The Guardian Yes No
2006 Home of the Brave Yes No
2007 In the Valley of Elah Yes No
2008 Quid Pro Quo Yes Co-producer
2008 Vantage Point Yes No
2008 Never Back Down Yes No
2008 Iron Man Yes No Nominated – Artios Award for Outstanding Achievement in Casting - Studio Feature - Drama
2008 W. Yes No
2009 Hotel for Dogs Yes No
2009 Race to Witch Mountain Yes No
2009 Fast & Furious Yes No
2009 Couples Retreat Yes No Nominated – Artios Award for Outstanding Achievement in Casting - Big Budget Feature - Comedy
2010 Kick-Ass Yes No Nominated – Artios Award for Outstanding Achievement in Casting - Feature - Studio or Independent Comedy
2010 Iron Man 2 Yes No
2010 Yes No
2010 Yes No
2011 Thor Yes No
2011 Yes No
2011 Cowboys & Aliens Yes No
2012 Safe House Yes No
2012 The Avengers Yes No
2012 Seven Psychopaths Yes No Nominated – Artios Award for Outstanding Achievement in Casting - Studio or Independent Feature - Comedy
2013 Iron Man 3 Yes No
2013 Yes No
2014 Chef Yes No Nominated – Artios Award for Outstanding Achievement in Casting - Studio or Independent Feature - Comedy
2014 Yes No
2014 Godzilla Yes No
2014 Guardians of the Galaxy Yes No Nominated – Artios Award for Outstanding Achievement in Casting - Big Budget Feature - Comedy
2014 As Above, So Below Yes No
2015 Yes No
2015 The Little Prince Yes No Nominated – Artios Award for Outstanding Achievement in Casting - Animation Feature
2015 Ant-Man Yes No
2016 The Jungle Book Yes No Nominated – Artios Award for Outstanding Achievement in Casting - Animation Feature
2016 Yes No
2016 The Nice Guys Yes No
2016 Doctor Strange Yes No
2017 Yes No
2017 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Yes No Nominated – Artios Award for Outstanding Achievement in Casting - Big Budget Feature - Comedy
2017 Yes No
2017 Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Yes No Won – Artios Award for Outstanding Achievement in Casting - Studio or Independent Feature - Drama; Nominated – British Independent Film Award for Best Casting
2017 Yes No
2018 Black Panther Yes No Won – Artios Zeitgeist Award
2018 Pacific Rim: Uprising Yes No
2018 Yes No
2018 Ant-Man and the Wasp Yes No
2018 Skyscraper Yes No
2018 The PredatorYes No
2019 Captain MarvelYes No
2019 Yes No
2019 Pokémon: Detective PikachuYes No
2019 Godzilla: King of the MonstersYes No
2019 Yes No
2019 The Lion KingYes No Won – Artios Award for Outstanding Achievement in Casting - Animation Feature
2019 Dora and the Lost City of GoldYes No
2019 MosulYes No
2021 Godzilla vs. KongYes No
2021 Black WidowYes No
2021 Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten RingsYes No Nominated – Artios Award for Outstanding Achievement in Casting - Big Budget Feature - Comedy
2021 EternalsYes No
2021 Yes No Won – Artios Zeitgeist Award
2022 Everything Everywhere All at OnceYes Co-producer Won – Artios Zeitgeist Award; Won – Hollywood Critics Association for Best Casting Director; Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Casting; Nominated – Black Reel Award for Outstanding Ensemble
2022 Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of MadnessYes No
2022 Yes No
2022 The Gray ManYes No
2022 Yes No Nominated – Artios Award for Outstanding Achievement in Casting - Big Budget Feature - Drama
2023 One True LovesYes Producer
2023 Yes No
2023 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3Yes No
2023 The MarvelsYes No
2024 Deadpool & WolverineYes No
2025 Yes No
2025 Thunderbolts*Yes No
2025 Yes No

Selected television credits

Year Title Casting director Producer No. of episodes Notes
2015 Agent Carter Yes No 8 episodes
2018 Deadly Class Yes No 1 episode
2019 – 2020 Emergence Yes No 9 episodes
2013 – 2020 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Yes No 100 episodes
2021 WandaVision Yes Consulting Producer 9 episodes Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Casting for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie; Nominated – Artios Award for Outstanding Achievement in Casting - Limited Series
2021 The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Yes Consulting Producer 6 episodes
2021 Hawkeye Yes Consulting Producer 6 episodes
2021 What If...? Yes Consulting Producer 8 episodes (as CD), 9 episodes (as consulting producer)
2021 – 2022 The Book of Boba Fett Yes Consulting Producer 7 episodes
2022 Moon Knight Yes Consulting Producer 6 episodes (as CD), 3 episodes (as consulting producer)
2019 – 2022 The Mandalorian Yes Consulting Producer 16 episodes Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series; Nominated – Artios Award for Outstanding Achievement in Casting - Television Pilot and First Season - Drama; Nominated – Artios Award for Outstanding Achievement in Casting - Television Series - Drama
2022 The First Lady Yes Co-producer 5 episodes
2022Ms. Marvel Yes No 6 episodes
2022 Yes No 9 episodes
2022Werewolf by Night Yes Consulting Producer TV special
2022The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special Yes Consulting Producer TV special
2023Secret Invasion Yes No 6 episodes
2021 – 2023 Loki Yes Consulting Producer 12 episodes (as CD), 12 episodes (as consulting producer)
2024Echo Yes No 5 episodes
2024Agatha All Along Yes No 9 episodes
2025Ironheart Yes No 6 episodes

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Anderson . Brian . 10 Highest-Grossing Movie Franchises Of All Time . CBR . 20 March 2023.
  2. Web site: Top Lifetime Grosses. Box Office Mojo.
  3. Web site: Everything Everywhere All at Once: Full Cast & Crew . IMDb . IMDb.
  4. Web site: Zee . Michaela . Everything Everywhere All at Once Passes Return of the King as Most-Awarded Movie Ever . IGN.
  5. Web site: 2005 Artios Awards . Casting Society . The Casting Society of America.
  6. Web site: 34th Artios Award Winners . Casting Society . The Casting Society of America.
  7. Web site: 33rd Artios Award Winners . Casting Society . The Casting Society of America.
  8. Web site: 2023 EE BAFTA Film Awards: The Nominations . BAFTA.
  9. Web site: Awards Nominees and Winners 2021 .
  10. Web site: Goldstein . Jessica M. . Holding Out For A Hero . Marie Claire.
  11. Web site: Kemp . Sam . See Robert Downey Jr's first audition tape for 'Iron Man' . Far Out Mag.
  12. Web site: Sarah Finn Assembled the Avengers in Real Life — and the Entirety of the MCU Kevin Feige shares how the casting director's vision has shaped cinema's biggest franchise. . IndieWire . 21 March 2023.
  13. Web site: MCU: 5 Roles That Were Perfectly Cast (& 5 Actors Who Almost Played Them).
  14. Web site: Why Chadwick Boseman Was Always the ‘Unanimous’ Choice for Black Panther .
  15. Web site: Before She Was Ironheart, She Was Almost Shuri. Meet Dominique Thorne, Marvel’s Newest Hero.
  16. Web site: Sarah Finn IMDb Page . IMDb.
  17. Web site: One True Loves IMDb Page . IMDb.
  18. Web site: From Yale to Hollywood: A Fireside Chat with Casting Director Sarah Finn . Alumni.Yale.
  19. Web site: Kilday . Gregg . AMPAS adds to its roster . The Hollywood Reporter.
  20. Web site: Ep. 20: Sarah Finn: Superhero of Casting . The BGB Studio.
  21. Web site: Ensemble Studio Theatre Member Artists . Ensemble Studio Theatre . 21 March 2023.
  22. Web site: Grobar . Matt . September 11, 2021 . 'WandaVision' Wins First Emmys For Marvel Studios . November 19, 2022 . Deadline Hollywood.
  23. Web site: Emmy.
  24. Web site: Artios Awards: ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,’ ‘Jojo Rabbit’ Among Casting Society Winners.
  25. Web site: Casting Society Artios Awards: ‘Encanto,’ ‘Don’t Look Up,’ ‘CODA’ and ‘Zola’ Among Winners.
  26. Web site: Artios Award Archives . CSA . 21 March 2023.
  27. Web site: Action Icon 2022 Honorees . Action Icon Awards.