A group of casting directors working across Apple TV’s scripted series have revealed their tricks of the trade when it comes to selecting the right stars to cast.
Shrinking’s Debby Romano, Pluribus’ Russell Scott, Margo’s Got Money Troubles’ David Rubin, The Morning Show’s Vickie Thomas and Stick’s Rachel Tenner convened at the Apple TV + Deadline session to talk about how the world of casting has changed over the last few years and what they look for when it comes to casting these dramas and comedies.
Check out the panel conversation in the video below and scroll down for photos from the event.
Tenner said the biggest challenge in Stick, which stars Owen Wilson as a former professional golfer who takes a young prodigy under his wing to turn his life around, was finding a young actor who could work well with Wilson.
She added that another important role was Mitts, a friend and former caddy to Wilson’s Pryce Cahill. “Someone that we were very passionate about casting right from the get go was Marc Maron,” she said. “We loved him. It just seemed so right and elevating for that part, and their chemistry is so great together. That was someone that was super joyful to [cast].”
The Morning Show, which stars Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, added a number of stars for Season 4 including Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons, Aaron Pierre, William Jackson Harper and Boyd Holbrook.
But Thomas thinks the most impactful castings on the show were Billy Crudup, who plays Cory Ellison, and Greta Lee, who plays Stella Bak.
“In terms of the series in general, not necessarily this year, maybe Billy … because he adds a sort of extra something. He gives the show a little bit more and he’s just delightful to watch, and has his own rhythms,” she added. “The next one would have been Greta, because just she sort of has her own rhythms as well.”
Margo’s Got Money Troubles, which comes from David E. Kelley and just landed a Season 2 pickup, stars Elle Fanning, Michelle Pfeiffer and Nicole Kidman. But Rubin said that one of the key roles was that of Jinx, Margo’s father, a former professional wrestler.
“I think it really was initially the role of Jinx played by Nick Offerman. It’s an incredibly nuanced performance, different from things he’s done before. When we began this process, while we absolutely had Nick in our minds, we also ended up reading a lot of professional wrestlers for the role. That process was fascinating and ultimately, I think it became just helpful to know what the elements that we needed from Nick’s performance. It’s deeply moving and a funny performance,” he said. “He actually trained considerably before he showed up for the first day.”
Russell Scott at the Apple X Deadline Casting Directors Panel held at PMC Lumen Theater on May 09, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
JC Olivera for Deadline
Debby Romano at the Apple X Deadline Casting Directors Panel held at PMC Lumen Theater on May 09, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
JC Olivera for Deadline
Rachel Tenner at the Apple X Deadline Casting Directors Panel held at PMC Lumen Theater on May 09, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
JC Olivera for Deadline
Victoria Thomas at the Apple X Deadline Casting Directors Panel held at PMC Lumen Theater on May 09, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
JC Olivera for Deadline
David Rubin at the Apple X Deadline Casting Directors Panel held at PMC Lumen Theater on May 09, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
JC Olivera for Deadline
David Rubin, Victoria Thomas, Rachel Tenner, Debby Romano, Russell Scott and Tamara Hunter at the Apple X Deadline Casting Directors Panel held at PMC Lumen Theater on May 09, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
JC Olivera for Deadline
Victoria Thomas at the Apple X Deadline Casting Directors Panel held at PMC Lumen Theater on May 09, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
Russell Scott at the Apple X Deadline Casting Directors Panel held at PMC Lumen Theater on May 09, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
Debby Romano at the Apple X Deadline Casting Directors Panel held at PMC Lumen Theater on May 09, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
Debby Romano and Peter White at the Apple X Deadline Casting Directors Panel held at PMC Lumen Theater on May 09, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
Rachel Tenner, Victoria Thomas, David Rubin, Russell Scott, Debby Romano and Peter White at the Apple X Deadline Casting Directors Panel held at PMC Lumen Theater on May 09, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
David Rubin at the Apple X Deadline Casting Directors Panel held at PMC Lumen Theater on May 09, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
Vince Gilligan’s Pluribus‘ most impactful casting actually came from his previous show, Better Call Saul. That series starred Rhea Seehorn alongside Bob Odenkirk. “The most impactful casting decision for this show was when we cast Rhea Seehorn on Better Call Saul. She had mostly done sitcoms before, and we had been a fan of hers forever. Better Call Saul gave her the opportunity to show everybody her range, and she’s in every scene of [Pluribus],” said Scott.
Shrinking, which stars Jason Segel and Harrison Ford, had a laundry list of big guest stars in Season 3. Michael J. Fox joined as Gerry, a Parkinson’s patient Ford’s Paul meets at the doctor’s office, and Jeff Daniels plays Segel’s father.
Romano said the Fox casting came directly from co-creator Bill Lawrence.
“I’m gonna go with Sherry Cola. That was a role we started early, and it was very important. We went through the traditional casting process with her. We had over 2500 submissions, and we were looking specifically AAPI. We have a limited budget, so anyone who came in really wanted to be a part of the show. She specifically Zoomed with us and explained how important it was, because … she wanted to do something deeper and be able to show that side of herself. She just did it so beautifully,” said Romano.
Cola plays a patient of Gaby Evans, played by Jessica Williams.
