Veteran Shaheen Baig is perhaps the most sought-after casting director in Hindi films today. She is newly celebrated for her impact in casting the grungy, meditative, and highly praised series Adolescence. The show has reinvigorated and refocused the spotlight on young actor Owen Cooper, who played spunky Jamie Miller. At just 14 years old during filming, Cooper’s performance has resonated with audiences, showcasing Baig’s keen eye for talent.
It’s this extraordinary work that has earned Baig her first-ever Emmy award. She has cast some award-winning productions such as A Thousand Blows, Toxic Town, Man Like Mobeen, The Death of Bunny Munro and Just Act Normal. Her impact in the industry and beyond goes far beyond the projects she spearheaded. These twisty recent developments underscore the rising clout and importance of casting professionals. BAFTA has only recently added casting to its awards ceremony, and the Oscars will add a casting category next year.
Baig looks back on her career and acknowledges, “I’ve been a workaholic my entire life. She says that the theme of Adolescence has made her work more visible. She began her career in the 1990s as a production assistant. Afterwards, she had the good fortune to work with Debbie McWilliams, the renowned casting director best known for her work on the James Bond franchise. By the early 2000s, Baig founded her own casting agency, becoming an industry mainstay herself.
To prepare for Adolescence Baig and her team were flooded with a staggering 600 audition videos. This intensive search was indicative of her commitment to finding the best possible fit for the project. We blasted it on social media and contacted everyone we had interviewed. Then we went out and street cast to find the rest of the talent,” she said. This method embodies Baig’s commitment to authenticity and nuance, even in her casting.
As she forges her way through the interesting challenges of casting, Baig is the first to highlight how team-oriented the casting position is. For Kaplan, the tone is everything. “It’s my job to discover the right tone of a project,” she explained. Each director brings a unique set of strengths to the collaborative team. Baig excels at working with them both to find a shared vision. After all, on occasion, we don’t agree on everything. I have to figure out how you make this work because I’m not the producer of this film,” she continued.
Baig points to Stephen Graham as an important influence and role model in her professional life. His talent for disappearing into each character connects with her ethos about casting. Directors have their own special gifts, and I love working in such intimate partnership with them,” she said, reiterating the casting and directing relationship’s essential alchemy.
The growing appreciation of casting as an essential aspect of filmmaking is a trend that Baig is encouraged by. “It’s so wonderful that the craft is being … at long last appreciated as a vital part of the film-making process,” she said. With this recognition, Baig’s hope is that when future generations look back at the art of casting, it will be recognized as essential to creating an evocative story.
Owen Cooper’s meteoric fame serves as a reminder of just how far the right break in casting can take you. His portrayal in Adolescence has led to numerous opportunities, with Baig commenting on his newfound prominence: “There are a lot of very fancy photoshoots with him at the moment.” Aoife’s talent for spotting and cultivating talent is witnessed in Cooper’s inspiring success story.
Baig’s energy and enthusiasm for her work comes through, despite her admitted bashfulness about being in front of the camera. I’d usually be a mile away from doing something like this interview. I’m really shy, and I think these are really challenging,” she confessed. Nevertheless, she recognizes the importance of discussing casting publicly: this is really great that we’re talking about casting, because it really shines a light on this profession.