Nina Gold has long been one of the most quietly influential forces in modern film and television. For decades, her work has shaped the faces — and therefore the emotional architecture — of some of the most culturally dominant projects of the 21st century. From discovering and assembling sprawling ensembles to identifying irreplaceable performers who become stars.
Her résumé reads less like a list of credits and more like a map of contemporary screen culture. She cast the phenomenon that was Game of Thrones, helping turn unknown actors into global stars. She has been a crucial collaborator on multiple Star Wars: The Force Awakens-era projects, navigating the near-impossible task of balancing legacy iconography with new talent. Across richly appointed literary adaptations, and her work in prestige film and television has consistently demonstrated a rare ability: casting not simply for type, but for chemistry, texture, and emotional intelligence.
With Emmys, a BAFTA win, and a slew of other industry awards to her name, and now, with her Oscar nomination for Hamnet, Gold stands at the center of a historic shift. The Academy’s long-overdue introduction of a competitive casting category acknowledges what industry insiders have always known — that casting is not administrative, not auxiliary, but foundational authorship. And Gold’s nomination doesn’t just honor a single film; it affirms a career spent shaping the way stories look, feel, and resonate.
In this conversation with Awards Buzz’s Shadan Larki, Gold discusses the delicate process of casting Hamnet, the intuition behind assembling ensembles that feel both inevitable and surprising, and what it means to see her craft finally recognized on the industry’s biggest stage.
