Casting Director Sarah Finn on Malkovich, Rockwell and a Boseman Tape She Can't Forget

By Daniel Okafor

Sarah Finn has cast every film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2008's "Iron Man." Now she has reunited with Martin McDonagh, the writer-director of "Seven Psychopaths," on Searchlight's "Wild Horse Nine," now in theaters.

The film sends John Malkovich's Chris and Sam Rockwell's Lee, two CIA agents, from Santiago to Easter Island under bureau chief MJ, played by Steve Buscemi. Chris's bond with two rebellious students unsettles everyone's trust on the island. Finn spoke to Variety about how she built the cast.

How do you assemble a film around pre-attached stars?

Relationships first, then curation. "Sam and Martin go back to 'Seven Psychopaths,' and before that, Sam had done one of Martin's plays," Finn said. She and her team spent months digging into Chilean history and the Chilean talent pool before active casting began, working two tracks at once: local discovery and role-by-role discussion, from Buscemi's part down.

Every role was "its own journey to put the pieces together in a thoughtful and careful way for maximum impact," she said.

Why Malkovich as a CIA agent?

His whole career argued for it. Finn cited his founding of the Steppenwolf Theater Company as evidence of his ethos, and called the role one "he was uniquely suited to play at this moment in his life and sometimes that just arrives."

His effortless style lets him shift facets of the character in a moment. "As much as we've seen from Malkovich. I don't think we've seen this kind of performance from him before," Finn said. Malkovich and McDonagh met and discussed the character together before shooting. The story carries regret and atonement, and the audience, in Finn's view, has to care for him.

Rockwell was the chemistry pivot. "If that chemistry didn't work, the film wouldn't have worked," she said of the Arkansas moment. Known for kinetic performances, Rockwell here is subtle. "He carries so much emotion in the silences," Finn said, and helps the audience understand what Malkovich's character is going through.

What about the Chilean casting?

Finn met Mariana di Girolamo in 2019, after Pablo Larraín's "Ema." Hundreds of actresses were seen, but di Girolamo stayed top of mind for her range and her warmth — the idealism, purity and hopefulness the character needs. The language was the hurdle: specific, demanding, and it had to be mastered. "I was thrilled that she won the part," Finn said.

Parker Posey, cast as Rockwell's wife, flew to Easter Island just to read lines off camera for a phone scene with him. "That is not something that happens that often in this world anymore," Finn noted. High praise, in dry industry terms.

What's the key to working with McDonagh?

"You just fall in love with the writing and his vision and the world," she said. "There was not one part that didn't feel special. There was not one character that didn't have its place."

How does Marvel secrecy feel from inside?

The D23 reveal of Sadie Sink's casting drew massive attention, and Finn defends the secrecy: it protects actors and filmmakers and serves the fans. "D23 was an exciting rollout this year and we'll keep going. That's the biggest cast we've put together," she said, adding, "I definitely slept better because fan expectations were really high and I feel the pressure. I can't not."

Which audition still stays with her?

Chadwick Boseman's. Finn met him in 2005; he later auditioned for Drax the Destroyer in "Guardians of the Galaxy." "He missed the humor in Drax, but he played him like a king," she said. "It was really from that moment that I think I started tracing that for Black Panther."

That tape is, in her words, "very emotionally loaded for me."

What does the public still get wrong about casting?

That it's easy. "It's hours of painstaking work: getting out there, covering ground and reading as many people as we can," Finn said. When a choice lands perfectly, it looks obvious — which is precisely the misconception.

With "Wild Horse Nine" in theaters and Marvel's largest assembled cast ahead, Finn's painstaking method will keep getting tested at scale.