The ‘Pieces of a Woman’ CDs on Building an Oscar-Worthy Cast Outside a Major Market

Netflix’s “Pieces of a Woman” lands one emotional gut punch after another, thanks almost entirely to its pitch-perfect cast. And while the film’s call sheet features international stars all giving awards-caliber (and, for SAG and Oscars 2021, awards-contending) performances, it was the handiwork of Montreal-based casting team Bruno Rosato and Kate Yablunovsky that brought them all together. The Vanessa Kirby–starring film from director Kornél Mundruczó and screenwriter Kata Wéber heartbreakingly explores marriage, motherhood, and loss. Oscar winner Ellen Burstyn, Emmy nominee Sarah Snook, Iliza Shlesinger, and a slate of lesser-known and local actors round out the cast. Recruiting this wide-ranging talent slate is nothing new for Rosato and Yablunovsky; the two multilingual CDs take on work at home and all over the world, bringing knowledge of actors in different markets with them from one project to the next. 

Describe the search to build the cast for “Pieces of a Woman.” 
Bruno Rosato: The team went worldwide. Luckily for us, we have really good talent here, so a major part of the cast came from Montreal, and some from Toronto. Of course, we had Ellen Burstyn from the U.S. and Sarah Snook from Australia. Jessica Kelly was part of the casting team in the U.S. Then we have associates in Toronto and in Vancouver. But we always do an international search.

What kind of research and preparation did you do before casting the film? 
BR: We were lucky that it was a husband-and-wife team— the director, Kornél Mundruczó, and the writer, Kata Wéber, are married. Since they work together, it was very easy to sit down with them and access the perspective of what the writer’s original intent was and mix that with the director’s. We really tried to dig into their present story and what the world was about and who they were trying to find to interpret it. 

Kate Yablunovsky: We watched their films to see what they do. We tried to understand what kind of stories they like to tell, what feeling they like to give lot of conversations with them together. They gave us so much to work with.

How did the subject matter of the story affect your search for the cast?
BR: In Montreal, you’re still finding the first generations; there are a lot of cultures here, so there’s already a platform of understanding of these dramas, maybe in their own families and their own experiences and the Montreal culture. Montreal actors are pros. They’ve been around a long time, and we’ve had big films shoot here and they’ve been involved, so they’re seasoned actors. Their job is to interpret those lines. It really wasn’t a challenge to find people to do great work for the story, especially when you’re telling somebody who they’re going to be working with in the cast and creative team and producers.

What should actors know about casting and working in Montreal? 
BR: We’re very privileged in Montreal. The actors have a very good relationship with casting directors. We have a union that’s very homey and really tries to build the relationship with the casting directors. The actors and our unions do a phenomenal job in building a stage where actors can be comfortable. They can be respected, can have proper timing and proper diligence, and have the time to prepare. Here, I think the process makes actors feel safer and less rushed than in a city with a larger acting or production market.

Where do you look for new talent? 
KY: Depending on the project, we go anywhere we need to go. If there’s something in the story that’s very particular, like a special skill or someone from a particular community, we call the communities or those businesses or associations or schools. We’re really open to looking anywhere possible for actors.