--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Casting is really a black art. It's a…" description: "\"Casting is really a black art. It's a huge part of directing and it's the most invisible. It's one that people don't really think about or talk about. ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cef/david-cronenberg-8285_actor_casting-is-really-a-black-art-it-s-a-hug_2689787.jpg" --- # Casting is really a black art. It's a huge part of… ![“Casting is really a black art. It's a huge part of directing and it's the most invisible. It's one that people don't really think about or talk about. But you can really destroy your movie by casting it badly before you've shot a foot of film. And yet there are no guidebooks for it, there's no…” quote by David Cronenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cef/david-cronenberg-8285_actor_casting-is-really-a-black-art-it-s-a-hug_2689787.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cef/david-cronenberg-8285_actor_casting-is-really-a-black-art-it-s-a-hug_2689787.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cef/david-cronenberg-8285_actor_casting-is-really-a-black-art-it-s-a-hug_2689787.jpg) > “Casting is really a black art. It's a huge part of directing and it's the most invisible. It's one that people don't really think about or talk about. But you can really destroy your movie by casting it badly before you've shot a foot of film. And yet there are no guidebooks for it, there's no rule book to tell you how to do it. It's all your own experience and your own sensibility and your own intuition.” [David Cronenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cronenberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Casting is a crucial yet invisible part of directing; poor choices can ruin a film, yet there are no formal guides—only personal intuition and experience. **In simple terms:** Casting decisions are vital and often overlooked, relying on intuition. Key Takeaway Develop a thoughtful casting process and trust your instincts. Themes filmmaking casting creative decision‑making intuition industry practices Mood analytical pragmatic inspirational Type guidance reflection professional development When to use this quote - Film pre‑production - audition processes - director‑actor relationships - budget constraints - creative risk assessment Key Concepts Artistic intuition risk management collaborative creativity Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance intuition with systematic evaluation? - What criteria can you create to improve casting decisions? A Different Perspective Relying solely on intuition can lead to bias and missed opportunities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Black art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-art/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Intuition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intuition/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Sensibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sensibility/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [Everybody gets typecast in movies, but you have to make wise choices. I'd say around 90 percent of movie casting is about the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/famke-janssen/everybody-gets-typecast-in-movies-but-you-have-to-make-wise-choices-i/) [Famke Janssen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/famke-janssen/) > [You set up the look, the visual effects and the sets, and that's awesome, but I enjoy the casting most of all. That's where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mcginty-nichol/you-set-up-the-look-the-visual-effects-and-the-sets-and-that-s/) [Joseph McGinty Nichol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mcginty-nichol/) > [I always take kind of a zen view of casting and I really don't remember people who passed. I kind of turn it over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-farrelly/i-always-take-kind-of-a-zen-view-of-casting-and-i-really-don-t/) [Peter Farrelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-farrelly/) > [Suddenly, I realized how tough trying to structure a story like this is. It was a lot of work. The one big advantage that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/remi-aubuchon/suddenly-i-realized-how-tough-trying-to-structure-a-story-like-this/) [Remi Aubuchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/remi-aubuchon/) > [I really like iconoclastic casting. I really do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-lurie/i-really-like-iconoclastic-casting-i-really-do/) [Rod Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-lurie/) > [Making a movie is casting a spell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-anger/making-a-movie-is-casting-a-spell/) [Kenneth Anger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-anger/) > [Casting is really weird. Honestly, when Alan Ruck's name came up - and I've worked with Alan before - I went, "Yes, he's perfect."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/remi-aubuchon/casting-is-really-weird-honestly-when-alan-ruck-s-name-came-up-and-i/) [Remi Aubuchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/remi-aubuchon/) > [I think casting is really important. 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They kept me in the loop, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/casting-is-really-exciting-with-twilight-i-wasn-t-involved-at-all/) [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) > [My casting process was slightly different and slightly interesting insofar as I knew everybody could act. That's something you've seen. You know people can.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mazer/my-casting-process-was-slightly-different-and-slightly-interesting/) [Dan Mazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mazer/) > [Let's put it this way, when I was casting, I cast Viggo first and then found someone who could play his wife, rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cronenberg/let-s-put-it-this-way-when-i-was-casting-i-cast-viggo-first-and-then/) [David Cronenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cronenberg/) > [We need to think about encryption not as this sort of arcane, black art. It's a basic protection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/we-need-to-think-about-encryption-not-as-this-sort-of-arcane-black/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) ## More by David Cronenberg > [When I am creating art, I have absolutely no social responsibility. It's like dreaming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cronenberg/when-i-am-creating-art-i-have-absolutely-no-social-responsibility-it/) [David Cronenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cronenberg/) > [I don't mind writing so I didn't find that difficult, it's just a question of finding the time to do it. I kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cronenberg/i-don-t-mind-writing-so-i-didn-t-find-that-difficult-it-s-just-a/) [David Cronenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cronenberg/) > [It's impossible to make a movie out of 'Naked Lunch.' A literal translation just wouldn't work. 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