About this Video
Director Karyn Kusama has worked with everyone from non-actors to Oscar winners. She discusses how she approaches casting and collaborating with actors to find the strongest character. This includes working with large ensemble casts for which she relied heavily on rehearsals to maximize performances and production time.
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Karyn Kusama
Director
Karyn Kusama most recently directed the first two episodes of AMC's horror anthology series, THE TERROR: THE DEVIL IN SILVER, of which she is also an executive producer. The show is set to premiere in 2026. Karyn was also an executive producer of Showtime’s coming-of-age survival drama, YELLOWJACKETS. The show has garnered ten Emmy nominations to date, including one for Karyn’s direction of the pilot episode.
Prior to that, Karyn helmed the Golden Globe-nominated film DESTROYER starring Nicole Kidman and written by her frequent collaborators, Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi. Her feature credits include indie thriller THE INVITATION, cult horror comedy JENNIFER'S BODY, sci-fi love story AEON FLUX, and her Cannes and Sundance-award winning debut, GIRLFIGHT. Karyn has also worked extensively in television, directing episodes for such series as THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY (for which she won a Children’s and Family Emmy Award), DEAD RINGERS, HALT AND CATCH FIRE, THE OUTSIDER, and THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE.
In 2018, Karyn launched Familystyle Film, her production company with Hay and Manfredi, where they produce for film and television across multiple genres.