DMF Episode 341 — Tiffany Little Canfield (Full Interview): Casting Wicked, Ariana Grande & Oscar Recognition for Casting Directors

Welcome to The DMF — Discovering Meaning in Film and Acting. I'm Justin Younts, and this is the complete interview with casting director Tiffany Little Canfield of Telsey Company — known for her work on Wicked, Mean Girls, and more. All three parts together.

Tiffany grew up in Sacramento, got serious about acting early, moved into directing, and eventually found her way to casting — where her background on both sides of the table changed how she reads actors and approaches every project. This conversation covers all of it.

We start with her path into the industry, the casting process, what actors consistently misunderstand about auditions, the impact of self-tapes, and why training never stops mattering. From there we get into the specific casting stories — A Most Violent Year, Miss Sloane, Margin Call, and Wicked. Tiffany gets into how Ariana Grande was cast as Glinda, the casting of The Wizard, Madame Morrible, and Bowen Yang, and what the process looked like on a production of that scale.

We also get into casting controversies, diversity in casting, and what Tiffany actually thinks about how those conversations play out in the industry. She talks about the Academy finally establishing a casting branch and what that recognition means for the profession. We close with upcoming projects, Inside the Actors Studio questions, what she's reading and watching, and her thoughts on The Lost Daughter.

In this episode we discuss:

Tiffany's path from acting to directing to castingThe casting process and what actors get wrongSelf-tapes and the reality of modern auditionsCasting Wicked — Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum & Bowen YangCasting A Most Violent Year, Miss Sloane & Margin CallCasting controversies and diversity in the industryThe Academy finally recognizing casting directorsUpcoming projects including Only Murders in the Building and Paradise

00:00:00 - Introduction 00:00:14 - Guest Introduction & Early Life 00:00:38 - Influence of Early Life on Career 00:02:23 - Transition from Acting to Directing 00:03:14 - Professional Training and Realization 00:04:26 - Decision to Shift from Acting 00:06:09 - Transition to Casting 00:06:21 - Casting Experience and Realization 00:09:04 - Getting into the Industry 00:09:29 - Similarities between Casting Directors and Actors 00:13:26 - Role of Directing Degree in Casting 00:13:26 - Understanding Actors 00:15:13 - Misconceptions about Acting 00:15:40 - The Art and Craft of Acting 00:17:26 - The Importance of Continuous Training 00:22:02 - The Shift to Self-Tapes 00:24:32 - Challenges in the Industry 00:26:52 - The Power of Subtle Acting 00:28:36 - Working with the Telsey Office 00:29:52 - Casting 'A Most Violent Year' 00:30:48 - Casting 'A Most Violent Year' Continued 00:36:26 - Casting 'Miss Sloan' 00:39:09 - Casting 'Margin Call' 00:41:30 - Casting 'Wicked' 00:46:19 - Casting 'Wicked' Continued: The Role of Glinda 00:49:54 - Casting 'Wicked' Continued: The Role of the Wizard and Madame Morrible 00:55:26 - Casting 'Wicked' Continued: The Role of Boq 00:57:04 - Recognition of Casting Directors at the Academy Awards 01:01:30 - Future Plans 01:01:42 - Upcoming Projects 01:02:15 - Daily Routines 01:03:09 - Physical Fitness and Meditation 01:03:48 - Current Readings 01:05:11 - Music Preferences 01:05:39 - Current TV Shows 01:06:42 - Recent Movies 01:08:34 - Contact Information 01:08:57 - Conclusion

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