Casting director Kate Rhodes James discusses her process for assembling the stellar cast we see on screen in ‘Gladiator II’ and answers Spotlight members’ questions.

On 16 December 2025, Spotlight hosted an exclusive private screening of Gladiator II for Spotlight members, followed by a Q&A with the film’s esteemed casting director, Kate Rhodes James.

The insightful session was conducted by Mel Brown, Spotlight’s Success Manager, who put forward a series of questions to Kate, curated from those submitted by our Spotlight members via social media. Participants at the event also seized the opportunity to ask their own questions, leading to an informative exchange on the casting intricacies of a blockbuster film.

Key takeaways:

• The responsibility for being a lead is enormous. Kate looks for the qualities that demonstrate the emotional intelligence, experience and desire to take on that responsibility.
• Push yourself to expand your horizons. Kate recalls an actress that took on a smaller role to try something new to change her career trajectory. That role helped her open doors for a major role.
• Open yourself up to all opportunities. Kate talks about taking every opportunity to gain experience and, perhaps more importantly, build relationships. Work begets work when you have the right attitude.

For those of you who could not join us, we recorded the session and you can watch it here:

 

Or, if you’d prefer, you can listen to the audio in this special episode of The Spotlight Podcast:

 

 

About Gladiator II:

Embark on a riveting journey back to the grandeur and peril of the Roman Empire in Gladiator II, the much-anticipated sequel from acclaimed filmmaker Ridley Scott. The cinematic masterpiece reawakens the ancient world’s drama, chronicling the tale of Lucius (Paul Mescal), who is propelled into the deadly arena of the Colosseum amid a quest for justice and redemption. 

Years have elapsed since the fall of the legendary Maximus, and with Rome under the clutches of despotic rulers, it falls upon Lucius to confront his lineage and challenge the oppressive forces that seek to crush the spirit of its citizens. Amidst the echoes of clashing steel and the roar of the crowd, Gladiator II invites audiences to witness the rebirth of a hero and the struggle to restore the honour of an empire.

Q&A Transcript

Edited for clarity.

How did you get into casting? What was your journey into the industry?

You’ll all be thrilled to hear that I went to drama school about 300 years ago. I always wanted to be a part of this world, I just wasn’t quite sure where I was going to fit in. I did go to drama school and I had three of the most amazing years, where I just knew that that wasn’t where I was meant to be. 

I acted for a couple of years. It’s pre-internet, so you can’t see anything, thank God. And I thought, “I’m equipped for nothing besides spending three years at drama school falling over expertly.” So I thought I’d either assist an agent or assist a casting director, and I realised that I wanted to be in a creative world.

I met somebody – a casting director who worked on the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, which was a phenomenal series that was set up here [in the UK and] filmed all around the world – and I never looked back. Five years going to drama school, treading the boards, waiting for someone to call me, no one ever calling me in. And then when I made that choice, my life started.

How did you choose your main cast for Gladiator II?

Every film that one does, any project, whatever it is, I start with a clean slate. I don’t come in with any preconceived ideas. I’ve been doing it long enough now for people to know what my taste is and what acting I like, acting that I’m not keen on, and therefore I’m already in a position whereby they’re going to more or less trust what I’m going to do.

With Ridley [Scott], he is an exceptional director in every way, and he’s entirely visual. So we talk in pictures. He watches everything so his knowledge is phenomenal. And if he hasn’t seen something, he’ll watch it there and then. He’ll go, “I haven’t seen that, I must go and see it.”

So I’m lucky that I’m in a position where I’m working with a director I’ve worked with multiple times. So we grow our relationship and we improve on it all the time. And what was exciting about Gladiator II is that no one was cast. When I did Napoleon, Joaquin was attached. When I did House of Gucci, [Lady] Gaga was attached. The Last Duel, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon. So you just build around them.

But this time, the slate was completely clean, which was really exciting. And when you’re doing a film like that, you can have anybody. Everybody wants to be in it and it’s weirdly overwhelming. 

‘Lucius’ is the illegitimate child of Maximus so that was my touchstone. Who would believably be the offspring of Russell Crowe? And actually, that list started to narrow down pretty quickly. 

There’s a massive pressure. This is a studio film with a massive budget and nobody wants a complete unknown carrying that film. He’s number one on the call sheet. That means everyone turns to that person on set, they set the tone, the work ethic, everything really. And it’s very rare that you can find that in somebody who was as brand new in many ways as Paul [Mescal] was.

Obviously he’d done Normal People and Aftersun, a film with Emily Watson and obviously, he was a successful actor, but not everyone’s a leading actor. I know everyone thinks they’re a leading actor, but trust me, the responsibility is enormous. And you have to really think long and hard about whether this person is going to be able to shoulder that responsibility.

So Ridley and I, we both were talking about Paul extensively. And I know Paul has got this wonderful story, which is true, that he had a Zoom with Ridley and Ridley offered him the job after half an hour. But that was after two months of us doing our research, watching everything, talking greatly about it. 

Also, is [he at the] point in his career where he’s going to go off and work to physically become that person? Because some actors at his age, who are already massively established, maybe they’re not going to have the same desire. What Paul did was astonishing. What he did to his physique was extraordinary and essential. And it wasn’t about going to the gym. He said, “I can’t go to the gym. I’ve got to look like someone of that period.” So he was already being so intelligent about it.

We were lucky that we all kind of went, “this is who we want” and Paramount were amazing. But we didn’t know that he [Paul] could do what he could do, because none of us do. That’s the beauty of what we do. We have instinct, we have knowledge, but none of us can guarantee a success or a hit, otherwise we’d all have successes and hits on our hands. So that’s really how it came about.

When did you start working on this film and how did you come to be involved?

When you work with Ridley, he’s incredibly loyal and you’re in the gang, and therefore everything just rolls. When we were finishing Napoleon, we were already talking about Gladiator II, and that’s how he works all the time. So it’s not a question of just sitting there and suddenly getting the call. The call is always there.

Over a period, you talk about other actors and then, this is the beauty of what we do, things evolve very quickly. I remember when we were first talking about Paul, I think the only thing any of us had seen was Normal People. A Streetcar Named Desire hadn’t come out yet, but it was the London Film Festival, so I gorged his film and I saw him being interviewed. That all filters back into the conversation because I have to be able to say to Ridley, or whoever the director is, “He can do this. He’s up to it. I know he’s up to it.” 

I can see a film, I can see an amazing performance on television and go, “That’s an incredible performance in that show.” But when I see someone on stage, you don’t have to play the lead, it doesn’t matter. I see you, I see your physicality. I see if you’re a generous actor, I see if you’re a selfish actor. I see everything I need from the stage. And then I really talk about authority about an actor. 

As casting directors, we don’t just know about what you can do, we also know a lot about you. We see how your career’s gone. We see where you are. If you’ve made a mistake, if you’re unhappy, you need this break. I remember an actress years ago, and she was doing really well, but she was doing the same thing again and again and again. I had a great role in a show, but it wasn’t the lead and I said, “Does she want to change her trajectory?” And the agent said, “Yes, she does.” So she did a smaller role, but completely changed her trajectory. Then I was casting another show and I suggested her, they said, “Oh, no, she’s never done this before.” I had the rushes and I showed them,” they went, “Oh, I’d never seen her like that before.” 

Some [actors] don’t want to change, and that’s fine. The most frustrating thing for me is I like to challenge. I think that part of my job is to challenge. And when you do bring in an actor and they go, “I don’t know why you brought me in for this job,” you think, “Well, thanks. Try something different. But clearly you don’t want to do it.”

Is there any difference between casting for television and film? And is there something that people auditioning for either format need to be aware of or bring to the casting?

There is, for me, very little difference between the formats. The result obviously is very different. So I cut my cloth accordingly before anybody comes into the room. Therefore, with Ridley, he needs to see their work. He’ll have a Zoom and then he’ll offer it to them. And that happens all the time because he trusts me to do my job well enough so that he knows that if he then responds to them instinctively, then he knows that he’s with somebody he wants to work with.

I think there’s a lot of conversation about actors who are suited for film, and actors who are suited for television. I try to avoid that conversation because I don’t think that’s particularly productive. Look at people like Olivia Colman. There are so many people that you could go, “No, no, she’s television.” Well, she’s not. If you’re a phenomenal actor and you can transcend to an extent that we believe you, as long as you do look right for the role and the piece and the period.

I can’t do films where it’s all about people being gorgeous. I’m not good at that. There are films that do that, and they do it brilliantly and I’m not taking anything away from that. 

From my point of view, it’s very much about telling a story and using the best people to tell the story.

Audience Questions

What’s your process for adapting when an actor changes during the audition process – due to a schedule conflict or whatever?

That’s my job. Every day, you’re recalibrating, all the time. We can sit down and drop lists and go, “This is the perfect person for these.” And then they don’t want to do it or they’re not available or whatever. So you can’t ever sit back and go, “That’s what we’re going to do.”

I’m on my toes all the time. I was just saying earlier that an actor has just pulled out of a film on Monday and I’m having to recast it now. And that happens all the time. And that’s down to the logistics but it does have a knock on effect. 

When we had to recast Jodie Comer in Napoleon, I had 10 days. There was a terrible mistake about Jodie Comer’s availability. Suddenly, the shutters come down and you become hyper-focused. You don’t search far and wide, you just go, “Okay, who’s going to fit into that world? Who’s going to work well with Joaquin?” Quite frankly, at that point, who’s going to fit into the costumes that have been made for Jodie Comer? The knock on effect is huge.

It [was about] finding an actress that I knew. I’ve known Vanessa [Kirby] for years through work, and she’s no nonsense. She’s brilliant, brilliantly articulate and intelligent, and doesn’t get overwhelmed by people because any actress could be overwhelmed by somebody as powerful as Joaquin. Of course it’s going to be intimidating.

That, for me, is when it’s, this is going to sound pretentious, an organic process. I don’t just ram in anyone. I will just let the dust settle. Like when this happened a week ago and I just said, “Everybody just breathe. Leave me alone for 24 hours. We’ll make this work.” And you do because you have to and you always do. I’m a big believer that these things happen for a very good reason. 

When it comes to self-taping, do you feel there’s been any addition in that process or something subtracted in it? 

All of that. It’s not going to go away. Self-taping is now an essential part of everyone’s lives, and we all just have to buck up and get on with it. What I found really fascinating this year is just saying, “I’m not going to do self-tapes anymore. Everyone’s going to come in.” I can’t tell you how many people said, “I don’t want to come in. I’d rather self-tape. Or could I do a Zoom?” Or when they did come in, they’d lost their confidence and I felt awful for them because I could see them unravel and the last thing I wanted to do was to make them feel worse.

That’s what affected me enormously, because I think from being at drama school, I’ll never forget what it’s like talking to an audition, and that was 40 years ago. I’ll never forget what that feeling is like. For me, an audition must be a safe space, for you to be your very best, you want to be vulnerable. To be vulnerable, you’ve got to feel safe. And if you don’t feel safe, it’s not going to work for anybody. So I was mortified that actually bringing people in was causing more distress.

So what we do now is self-tapes in the first instance, and then recalls must be in person. But a lot of directors are fighting it because they could be elsewhere, they could be doing locations. I would have to say, “Do you really want the first time you meet this actor to be when you’re on set?”  

I’ve now had, since this process – and actually I have to say only because of lockdown opposed to a choice, when we had to cast virtually – I’ve had three recastings. And it wasn’t because they were wrong, it’s because they realised that they weren’t their kind of person. I had the director calling me, going, “I do not want to work with this guy.” And we would’ve worked that out in the room. 

Now it’s all about money. It’s all about, “Oh, we don’t have to spend money at Spotlight to hire space. It’s much cheaper to get everyone to do it on self-tape.” So we’re constantly having to go, “Fine, but then this is going to be in person.” Then you’re trying to get the director to come in but “Oh, they’ve gone off on a recce”. So you become this sort of harridan, but it’s essential. 

I think most casting directors feel the same way that I do. 

The positive side is that before, I’d get a director for a day and you’d go, “Right, I’ve got to cover four characters in a day, which means I’ll probably only get three actors per role.” Well, now I can spread it far and wide.

What are your thoughts of the most vital or useful auxiliary skills for an actor to have when it comes to getting cast?

Honestly, I don’t really think about any of that. It’s got to be the right actor, and I don’t want to have ‘he’s an incredible horseman, but he’s a shit actor’. We’re not interested in that. We have enough amazing people like Paul (Mescal). I was on set that day when he runs by the horse and leaps onto it. He trained for months to do it, and on the day, it was really, really hot and they were talking about not doing it, and I could see Paul going, “Please, I have to do it.” It was an amazing shot, but he trained to do it.

And that’s where I go back to knowing whether an actor is up to it because i know a lot of really good actors who are really lazy. And I know a lot of actors who are really amazing, but they’re not supportive actors, they’re not ensemble actors so I can’t send them off to Bangkok and stick them in a studio for six months, because I know they’ll go crazy and they’ll make it miserable for everyone else.

I think there becomes a real worry that your CV’s got to have ballet, tap, blah, blah, blah. We all know you’ve only done a few classes in it, otherwise you’d say ‘proficient tap dancer’, ‘Olympic skier’. So I really wouldn’t worry about that. The most important thing is to be part of life. Be vital. Watch the news, read, go to the cinema. It drives me crazy when actors go, “Oh no, I don’t watch television.” Well, who the hell are you then? It’s so arrogant and stupid. This is your medium. 

Knowledge is power. The more you know about everyone, the more you know about me. When I’m bringing you into a room, you’re 50% there, because I’ve already spoken about you to the director. I’ve said why I think you’re right, what I’ve seen you in, all these things. So they’re looking forward to meeting you. Then it’s about the director going, “Is this the vision I’ve got? Will that work with the other actor I’ve also got in mind? And do I want to spend the next six months on set with this person?” because that’s also a massive part of it.  So I really wouldn’t worry about auxiliary skills. I don’t think Al Pacino’s got any.

Invest in yourself so that you become more interesting in life.

If you’re doing a big project in another country, and you’re casting locally, will self-tapes be sent to the local casting director or to you?

Always, yeah. Particularly for Ridley, because I even have to keep an eye on the featured extras, which I wouldn’t normally do, because he’s an artist. I very much want to be across all of that.

On any of the other shows that I do where we use a local casting director, everything comes to me. Because sometimes they get the wrong message, and they certainly won’t have access to the conversations I’ve had. I also know the sort of people that the director isn’t going to particularly respond to.

Have you ever had a creative difference between yourself and the director regarding who you wanted to cast in a project? How would you tackle that?

It happens, I’m afraid. When you’re working with someone who’s smart, which I luckily do, you’ll have a healthy debate. And if you’re open to it, we both will listen to each other’s case, and that’s the most you can ever ask for. I’m here to facilitate and help tell the story in the vision that the director has, but it’s up to them to make the final decision.

I think there’s only one time when I’ve said, “If you go down this road, I’m out.” Because it was just so shockingly wrong and it was done on the basis of someone being good-looking and not being right for the role. 

A difference of opinion, taste or style, you have to go with. You can’t say, “How dare you.” That’s not what a director wants. But, equally, you get into trouble if you don’t stop something from happening that you instinctively know isn’t right, because then they see it in the edit. At least I’ve said it, and it’s lodged, and then they carry on. That’s their choice.

What are the common traits that you find amongst people who tend to be lead actors? Or does every lead actor surprise you and is very different?

There’s obviously a difference between film, television and theatre. I think there are a lot more leading actors in theatre. It’s a very different muscle. I can’t begin to reiterate the pressure it is on someone’s sanity to be a leading person in a film, because if this film doesn’t work, it’s on your head. And that’s what I’m talking about.

It’s not about talent. My god, there’s so many amazing people that should be [lead actors], but that’s why you tend to see the same people, because they take on the responsibility and they will deliver and they take responsibility for the other cast. It’s having someone smart enough to know that, if they’re working with children, they will call me and say, “I’d really like to be able to speak to the parents.” And then they’ll hang out with the children. They’ll take them to Nando’s or something. They’ll get to know them before they’re on set. That’s taking responsibility – a lot of people don’t do that.

I remember doing an ill-fated piece about the Titanic. We were doing it from four points of view. It was a great idea, but sadly, it didn’t work out. We had this one actor coming in for a lead role, and the director said to him, “Once we’ve finished your storyline, you’re going to be okay about the fact that then you’ll be in the background and everything will be on the reverse?” And he went, “No.” And we were like, “What?” He went, “I’m really sorry. No, I can’t do that.” And we’re like, “Okay, that’s fine. I don’t mind, and I’m really pleased you said that.” He said, “I will not fare well in that situation.” It’s really smart to know what your limitations are. You can’t do everything, otherwise I wouldn’t have a job!

In a film of this magnitude, what sort of things, beyond talent, do you look for in an actor that you’d like to work with?

I like funny. I like quirky. I like anyone that’s going to challenge any preconception. The worst sort of director I’ve worked with, and I worked with him years and years ago, will say, “But he doesn’t look like a policeman.” And I’m like, “Good, let’s challenge what a policeman looks like because they don’t all look like that.”

But actually, in Gladiator II, it’s not dissimilar to the original. So I thought we need to embrace many aspects of it. There was a lot of wit and humour in the casting of Oliver Reed and David Hemmings, and I thought, “We haven’t got that at that point in the process,” so I went down the Tim McInnerny and Matt Lucas route. I just thought, “We need that, because otherwise it’s just men pounding their chests.”

I think Tim McInnerny is so joyful. He’s the conduit for the audience, because he’s sort of overwhelmed and trying to be obsequious and then just in total panic all the time. It was a very stressful time to be in the Senate at that time in Rome. You barely got through a day if you were lucky.

I love people that have an ability to be funny. People like Matthew McFadyen, Rory Kinnear, Olivia Colman – these are all astonishing dramatic actors. My god, they’re funny! And I think that’s the magic. Glenda Jackson as well. Glenda Jackson to the American audience in the ’70s was at a comedy double act with George Segal. They were hilarious, they were brilliant, but here she was intense.

When it comes to immersing yourself in art, do you have any good recommendations for things to see?

There’s a play that’s going to transfer to the West End, which I cannot recommend enough. She’s a French writer, Annie Ernaux, and it’s called The Years. And I’ve actually bought all her books since.

There’s something so powerful and moving about her writing, and I’m thrilled it’s transferring to the West End. When brilliant writing and performances come together, that’s what you need, really. I cannot wait to see it again. I’ve been telling everyone, “You must go and see it. You must go and see it.”

It’s all ensemble, and it’s five actresses playing five different aspects of a woman’s life from World War II up until the ’90s. It’s incredibly funny, incredibly moving. I went to a matinee with your classic matinee audience, and they all gave a standing ovation, crying. It was astonishing. That’s the joy of theatre, when it’s like that. So that spurred me into reading all of her literature.

I have adult children now. There was a period where I knew nothing outside of Teletubbies and stuff like that. They introduced me to loads of actresses actually. They would say, “Mum, I’ve seen this girl.” In fact, there’s one girl that I cast loads and loads from Tracy Beaker.

I go to museums much more than I used to, particularly the National Portrait Gallery. If I’ve got time between castings, that’s where you’ll find me. 

Everything leads to something, that’s what I always say to actors when they panic about not wanting to do a job that they don’t think is going to be good enough for them. I say, “But what are you doing [in the role]? Are you literally going, ‘Do you want two sugars or milk?’ Is that it? Or do you have something to contribute?” And they go, “Well, I’ve got a couple of scenes.” I go, “Okay, it’s not about what you’re going to be doing on set. It’s about all the connections you’re going to be meeting.”

When I started, I was a single parent and I said yes to everything. There’s a pile of stuff on my CV that is no longer there, but it led me to meet people that then took me onto the next project. Work begets work every time. Never get too grand, and don’t overthink it too much. It is just down to, “Is this a beautiful story? Is it being beautifully told?”

Was there anybody you wanted in Gladiator II that you could not get?

Everyone I wanted to be in it is in it. Particularly Fred (Hechinger) and Joseph (Quinn), who I’d been working with for years. I’d been putting Fred in front of Ridley Scott for quite a few years. So I was thrilled he got there.

Is there a future for casting to get a story credit? 

Well, it’s taken us years to get the casting credits, so I think we’re quite happy with that. But we’re like producers. I’m working on three independent films at the moment and they’re not going to happen until I get them cast, which means I’m producing the film.

The fact that recognition is happening is phenomenal because, until a year ago, no one would even think to invite us to the premieres or the screenings or anything. It was very debilitating. We never thought that credit would happen at the Academy Awards – not this soon anyway. That’s made a huge difference. 

 

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