Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Legendary casting director Carmen Cuba joins Perri Nemiroff for a Collider Ladies Night interview to discuss the art of discovering talent and building some of film and television's most unforgettable ensembles.
During this conversation, Cuba reflects on her unconventional path from journalism and reality television to becoming one of Hollywood's most respected casting directors. She discusses her work on Stranger Things, Now You See Me, The Martian, Logan Lucky, Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen, and the upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter.
Cuba also reveals how the Stranger Things kids were cast, explains why Sebastian Stan continues to impress her, casting Donald Glover and Riley Keough in their first film roles, stories from The Real World and Road Rules era, and breaks down the challenge of finding the perfect young lead for Star Wars: Starfighter.
Thank you for watching this edition of Collider Ladies Night! Be sure to like, comment, subscribe, and let us know which casting story surprised you the most.
00:00 Carmen Cuba Celebrates Nina Gold
01:05 Carmen’s Favorite Scary Movies
02:33 “I’m Not Right For Everything and Everything Is Not Right For Me”
03:11 Legendary Casting Director Carmen Cuba Is on Collider Ladies Night!
03:50 Discovering She Wanted to Get Into Casting
05:28 The Best Part of the Casting Process
08:32 Why Carmen Studied Journalism
13:02 Working on Real World and Road Rules
16:44 What She Looked for When Casting Road Rules
18:06 Iconic Stars Who Didn’t Make the Cut on Real World
19:42 Casting Kids
21:51 How Steven Soderbergh’s “Retirement” Changed Her Career
23:44 Now You See Me
24:23 Becoming a Film AND Television Casting Director
25:15 Casting for Steven Soderbergh and Ridley Scott
27:27 Why She Loves Casting Sebastian Stan
28:53 Working with JT Mollner on Skeletons
31:01 Casting Hudson Williams After Heated Rivalry’s Success
32:56 Donald Glover and Riley Keough
35:13 Casting Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen
37:52 Jennifer Jason Leigh & The Cunningham Family
40:42 Casting Stranger Things and Changing Lives
44:14 Auditioning with Stand By Me
45:50 When Famous Actors Want to Join Stranger Things
49:50 Recasting Holly With Nell Fisher
52:16 Casting Derek Turnbow: Jake Connelly
55:21 Why Social Media Followers Don’t Matter
57:36 The Value of Casting In Person
59:08 Carmen’s Question for Jamie Campbell Bower
1:00:03 Star Wars: Starfighter
#strangerthings #starwars #netflix #casting #fyc
BREAKING NEWS, REVIEWS & MORE: collider.com
SUBSCRIBE: youtube.com/collider
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL
twitter.com/collider
instagram.com/collider
facebook.com/collider
Legendary casting director Carmen Cuba joins Perri Nemiroff for a Collider Ladies Night interview to discuss the art of discovering talent and building some of film and television's most unforgettable ensembles.
During this conversation, Cuba reflects on her unconventional path from journalism and reality television to becoming one of Hollywood's most respected casting directors. She discusses her work on Stranger Things, Now You See Me, The Martian, Logan Lucky, Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen, and the upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter.
Cuba also reveals how the Stranger Things kids were cast, explains why Sebastian Stan continues to impress her, casting Donald Glover and Riley Keough in their first film roles, stories from The Real World and Road Rules era, and breaks down the challenge of finding the perfect young lead for Star Wars: Starfighter.
Thank you for watching this edition of Collider Ladies Night! Be sure to like, comment, subscribe, and let us know which casting story surprised you the most.
00:00 Carmen Cuba Celebrates Nina Gold
01:05 Carmen’s Favorite Scary Movies
02:33 “I’m Not Right For Everything and Everything Is Not Right For Me”
03:11 Legendary Casting Director Carmen Cuba Is on Collider Ladies Night!
03:50 Discovering She Wanted to Get Into Casting
05:28 The Best Part of the Casting Process
08:32 Why Carmen Studied Journalism
13:02 Working on Real World and Road Rules
16:44 What She Looked for When Casting Road Rules
18:06 Iconic Stars Who Didn’t Make the Cut on Real World
19:42 Casting Kids
21:51 How Steven Soderbergh’s “Retirement” Changed Her Career
23:44 Now You See Me
24:23 Becoming a Film AND Television Casting Director
25:15 Casting for Steven Soderbergh and Ridley Scott
27:27 Why She Loves Casting Sebastian Stan
28:53 Working with JT Mollner on Skeletons
31:01 Casting Hudson Williams After Heated Rivalry’s Success
32:56 Donald Glover and Riley Keough
35:13 Casting Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen
37:52 Jennifer Jason Leigh & The Cunningham Family
40:42 Casting Stranger Things and Changing Lives
44:14 Auditioning with Stand By Me
45:50 When Famous Actors Want to Join Stranger Things
49:50 Recasting Holly With Nell Fisher
52:16 Casting Derek Turnbow: Jake Connelly
55:21 Why Social Media Followers Don’t Matter
57:36 The Value of Casting In Person
59:08 Carmen’s Question for Jamie Campbell Bower
1:00:03 Star Wars: Starfighter
#strangerthings #starwars #netflix #casting #fyc
BREAKING NEWS, REVIEWS & MORE: collider.com
SUBSCRIBE: youtube.com/collider
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL
twitter.com/collider
instagram.com/collider
facebook.com/collider
