Artios Awards: Laura Dern Recalls Childhood Career, Being ‘Protected’ by Casting Directors
“I was in inappropriate rooms, and I was placed in hotel rooms. It is because of the casting director that I was a protected child in this industry. And even to the point of risking their own career, I have a couple of memories of the casting director saying, ‘No, I’m staying,'” Laura Dern said in her speech while accepting the Lynn Stalmaster Award for Career Achievement at the Casting Society of America’s 34th annual Artios Awards held on Thursday at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles.
Two ceremonies took place on opposite coasts. At Stage 48 in New York, Tina Fey and Jeff Richmond received the Marion Dougherty New York Apple Award. In L.A., festivities were hosted by June Diane Raphael of “Grace and Frankie” and “Black Monday” star Paul Scheer.
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“I’ve literally grown up with this community of amazing artists. They really have championed my career, so to get an opportunity to pay tribute to them means a lot to me,” Dern told Variety on the red carpet. “Lynn Stalmaster, who is named for the award I happen to be receiving, is the first person I ever auditioned for, and is a deep memory that really built my career in a very specific way.”
Ryan Murphy presented the Hoyt Bowers Award to Robert Ulrich, Eric Dawson, and Carol Kritzer.
“I’ve been working since Robert and Eric since, when was it? God, it was 2003 I think. I was just starting out on our second script in ‘Nip Tuck’ and it called for the lead Dylan Walsh to have sex with a rubber blow-up doll. And Eric called me and said, ‘Do you want me to cast the doll?’ And I knew they were the ones for me,” Murphy joked.
Other presenters included Pamela Adlon, Mayim Bialik, Betsy Brandt, Michael Campion, Tony Cavallaro, John Cho, Joel Courtney, Brandon Victor Dixon, Colman Domingo, Ron Funches, Keir Gilchrist, Dohn Norwood, and Baron Vaughn.
Former “Glee” stars Darren Criss and Amber Riley charmed the crowd with several musical numbers. Criss performed the songs he used to audition for “Glee,” beginning with Rodgers and Hart’s “Where or When” and transitioning into a rendition of Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More Time.” Riley brought the house down with a cover of “I Am Changing” from “Dreamgirls,” and then she and Criss finished with a duet of “Stand by Me.”
Other honorees included CSA founders Mike Fenton, Joe Reich, and Al Onorato, as well as Steven Tylor O’Connor, who was honored with the associate spotlight award.
See the full list of winners below.
NEW YORK BROADWAY THEATRE – COMEDY OR DRAMA
“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” – Jim Carnahan
NEW YORK BROADWAY THEATRE – MUSICAL
“Mean Girls” – Bethany Knox
NEW YORK BROADWAY THEATRE – REVIVAL, COMEDY OR DRAMA
“Angels in America” – Jim Carnahan
NEW YORK BROADWAY THEATRE – REVIVAL, MUSICAL
“Once on This Island” – Craig Burns
NEW YORK THEATRE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
School Girls: Or, the African Mean Girls Play – Adam Caldwell, Will Cantler, Karyn Casl
NEW YORK THEATRE – DRAMA
“Jesus Hopped the A Train” – David Caparelliotis, Lauren Port
REGIONAL THEATRE
“Angels in America” – Tara Rubin, Laura Schutzel, Amy Potozkin (Location
Casting)
LOS ANGELES THEATRE
“Henry IV” – Tracy Lilienfield, Emily Towler (Associate)
SPECIAL THEATRICAL PERFORMANCE
“Mamma Mia! “- Margery Simkin, Michael Donovan, Richie Ferris (Associate)
THEATRE TOURS
“Hamilton” – Bethany Knox
FEATURE BIG BUDGET – COMEDY
“Green Book” – Rick Montgomery, Meagan Lewis (Location Casting), Thomas
Sullivan (Associate)
FEATURE BIG BUDGET – DRAMA
“Vice” – Francine Maisler, Amber Wakefield (Additional Casting)
FEATURE STUDIO OR INDEPENDENT – COMEDY
“Crazy Rich Asians” – Terri Taylor, Sarah Domeier (Associate)
FEATURE STUDIO OR INDEPENDENT – DRAMA
“BlacKkKlansman” – Kim Taylor-Coleman
FEATURE LOW BUDGET – COMEDY or DRAMA
“The Kindergarten Teacher” – Stephanie Holbrook, Henry Russell Bergstein
FEATURE MICRO BUDGET – COMEDY or DRAMA
“Madeline’s Madeline” – Stephanie Holbrook
FEATURE ANIMATION
Isle of Dogs – Douglas Aibel
THE ZEITGEIST AWARD
Black Panther – Sarah Halley Finn, Meagan Lewis (Location Casting), Jason
Stamey (Associate), Nicholas Amick Mudd (Associate)
TELEVISION PILOT AND FIRST SEASON – COMEDY
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”- Jeanie Bacharach, Cindy Tolan, Anne Davison
(Associate), Betsy Fippinger (Associate)
TELEVISION PILOT AND FIRST SEASON – DRAMA
“Ozark”- Alexa L. Fogel, Tara Feldstein Bennett (Location Casting), Chase
Paris (Location Casting), John Ort (Associate)
TELEVISION SERIES COMEDY
“Atlanta”- Alexa L. Fogel, Tara Feldstein Bennett (Location Casting), Chase
Paris (Location Casting), Kathryn Zamora-Benson (Associate)
TELEVISION SERIES DRAMA
“The Crown”- Nina Gold, Robert Sterne
LIMITED SERIES
“Godless”- Ellen Lewis, Jo Edna Boldin (Location Casting), Rene Haynes
(Native American Casting), Helen Geier (Location Casting), Kate Sprance
(Associate), Marie A.K. McMaster (Location Associate)
FILM, NON-THEATRICAL RELEASE
Paterno – Ellen Chenoweth, Susanne Scheel (Associate)
LIVE TELEVISION PERFORMANCE, VARIETY OR SKETCH COMEDY
“Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert” – Bernard Telsey, Patrick Goodwin
CHILDREN’S PILOT AND SERIES (LIVE ACTION)
“A Series of Unfortunate Events” – David Rubin, Corinne Clark (Location
Casting), Jennifer Page (Location Casting), Andrea Bunker (Associate)
TELEVISION ANIMATION
“Rick and Morty” – Ruth Lambert, Robert McGee
REALITY SERIES
“Queer Eye” – Gretchen Palek, Danielle Gervais, Ally Capriotti Grant, Beyhan
Oguz
SHORT FILM
“The Lost” – Matthew Lessall
SHORT FORM SERIES
“Relationship Status” – Meg Morman, Sunday Boling
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