As the principal casting director behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Sarah Finn has spent nearly two decades assembling our favorite superhero ensembles. Now, she’s ushering in a new generation of “X-Men,” including casting “Obsession” breakout Inde Navarrette as Rogue. Through it all, her philosophy remains the same: Always bet on talent.
Here, Finn takes us inside the inner workings of her audition room, from the risks that help define the careers of stars like Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Holland to the choices that launch lesser-known actors into household names. Find out what it takes to catch her eye, and why, even in the era of self-tapes, nothing beats the magic of being in the room.
It’s been 20 years since you took a gamble on Robert Downey Jr. for “Iron Man.” What did that casting choice teach you about looking past an actor’s recent history to see their potential?
I think you always bet on talent. The whole process is collaborative—none of us do what we do alone. We depend on the actors to show up, to bring their heart, to bring their talent. We depend on our directors to articulate their vision and work alongside us to tell us what’s working and what’s not.
So I think it was an incredibly exciting discovery, and it really was a decision made by everyone, including Downey, who agreed to screen-test. And I’m not spilling any secrets because that’s well known by now. We had conversations about it: “Yes, he seems really right for this role.” But based on the fact that he hadn’t done an action movie and a lot of other factors, he was willing to just show up, and then it became undeniable.
“Iron Man 2” Courtesy Marvel Studios/MovieStillsDB
How does the excitement of starting something new with “Iron Man” compare to what you’re feeling now as Marvel enters a new “X-Men” era?
There is a lot of excitement and fresh energy around “X-Men,” and casting that has been invigorating. We know we’re going for talented actors, but we’re really open to unknowns, and it feels like there are opportunities for breakthroughs. There are opportunities for audiences to fall in love with these characters all over again and go on a new adventure and a new journey over time.
It’s also been interesting talking about “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” and thinking about that long journey with Tom and Zendaya, who were 18—you know, so young when we first cast them. I do love what I do. I love making discoveries. I love meeting actors. I love having the opportunity to find new talent. And so, I think it is a new era.
Looking at Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, these characters can evolve so much over time. When you’re auditioning actors, are you casting for who they are now or who you see them becoming in the future?
I hope I’m seeing both. I hope I’m smart enough to try to understand what the potential is. Where is the potential in this person? That’s about studying where they are right now, what they bring to their audition, and what they bring to that process. Also, having an understanding of what their work ethic is like, what their aspirations are, what their work style is like, how collaborative they are—we’re trying to glean all the details that we can and piece together a picture of the actor that we’re casting, even if it’s from limited experience with somebody.
With Tom, I was lucky to audition him many times over a few months, and then with the screen test. So there was time, but I had also known he had been a dancer. He had been working since he was young. He had that kind of discipline and mindset. And so I think that we’re trying to match both—understand what the current level of skill is and the appropriateness for the role, and try to look into the future and understand where this person could go over the long run with a character like Spider-Man or MJ.
“Obsession” breakout Inde Navarrette is joining the new “X-Men.” How early do young actors like her land on your radar for massive reboots?
Clearly she has had a wild year and an incredible breakthrough in that film, and we had auditioned her for other parts. We knew her past work. In the public eye she definitely became extremely visible very quickly and did a phenomenal job in that film. But our job is to see people before they break out and have them on our radar and be aware.
Credit: The Walt Disney Company/Image Group LA
Of all the Marvel projects you’ve cast, is there an audition that still sticks with you?
That is a very hard question. But I’m just going to go with the one that comes to mind because it’s a very special performance and a very special person: Chadwick Boseman. And not for “Black Panther.” He did not audition for “Black Panther.” He was much more established and was offered that role, but he had auditioned for other ones and always left an impression.
Has there been a time when an actor made a choice so unexpected that it changed how you and the director viewed the character?
Often, almost always. I would encourage actors to always make bold choices. In some of the parts that have been most open to interpretation, we’ve had some wild choices. When we were reading Mantis, for example, in “Guardians of the Galaxy,” there were so many directions you could take that character in. I do remember Pom [Klementieff]’s initial audition, wondering if I could even show it. It was so completely out there and inspired and unique, and I think that informed a lot of the way that she ended up playing the character that we all saw onscreen.
As auditions become more virtual, what’s your best advice for making a self-tape standout?
I’m gonna go on record and say I still think it’s best to be in the room if you can. If you have an opportunity to be in the room, get across town, go take a cab, whatever you need to do—get in the room. But this rise of self-tapes obviously has given us an incredible range of options, and people that are traveling, people that are working, people that don’t have the opportunity to be in person, we can see tapes from anywhere.
What I’m always looking for is, the level of skill, but also to get to know you a bit. And I miss that about this. Again, it’s great—we can see you from anywhere in the world, whatever you’re doing. But I do also want to know a bit about who you are and how you work, beyond just a great reading of the scene.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
This story originally appeared in the Oct. 19 issue of Backstage Magazine.
