{"id":44925,"date":"2026-01-27T14:13:22","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T19:13:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=44925"},"modified":"2026-02-03T10:03:36","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T15:03:36","slug":"casting-a-house-of-dynamite","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/articles\/casting-a-house-of-dynamite\/","title":{"rendered":"Casting A House of Dynamite"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin test-block-editorial-leadin is-style-side-by-side has-media has-wider has-flip has-box has-media-focus-center-middle\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"600\" height=\"900\" src=\"\/com\/files\/2026\/01\/comtalk-scheel-banner.jpg\" class=\"\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2026\/01\/comtalk-scheel-banner.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2026\/01\/comtalk-scheel-banner-424x636.jpg 424w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\">Casting director Susanne Scheel (\u201909) attends a screening of <em>A House of Dynamite<\/em>. Photo by Gonzalo Marroquin\/Getty Images for Netflix<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-prepress-tag\">Netflix<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCasting A House of Dynamite\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">COM alum and casting director Susanne Scheel discusses the Netflix thriller<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar test-prepress-layout-metabar\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-categories\">\n\t\t\t<ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/category\/alumni\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAlumni\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/category\/film-television\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFilm &amp; TV\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">January 27, 2026<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/authors\/marc-chalufour\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMarc Chalufour\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div style=\"display:none;\">\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools-inner js-prepress-component-share-tools\">\n\t\t<h4>Share<\/h4>\n\t\t<p class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools-article-title\">Casting A House of Dynamite<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools-article-link\">\n\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" value=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/articles\/casting-a-house-of-dynamite\/\" readonly>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<label>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Copy URL:<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<button class=\"js-prepress-component-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>Copy<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t<\/label>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<p>One of the marquee actors in <em>A House of Dynamite<\/em>, the 2025 Netflix thriller, is best known for playing a troubled British detective. Another lead is a Swedish actor coming off a role in the two-part sci-fi epic <em>Dune<\/em>. A Pulitzer-winning playwright plays a military general and two members of the original Broadway cast of <em>Hamilton<\/em> fill other roles in the film.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It took a creative vision and a deep understanding of acting to assemble that cast\u2014Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Tracy Letts, Anthony Ramos and Ren\u00e9e Elise Goldsberry, respectively\u2014into the united front of US military and government officials reacting to an incoming nuclear missile.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Director Kathryn Bigelow tells this story by repeating the same 18-minute period from three perspectives\u2014inside the White House Situation Room, US Strategic Command and, finally, the president\u2019s limousine\u2014as the missile is detected, tracked and nears impact.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio is-style-background-full-width\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"responsive-video responsive-youtube\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_wpw2QHJNco?si=XWAMwVTfSHcfG_7l\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>For this trick of storytelling to succeed, the actors had to be believable as officials grappling with an international crisis while conveying their humanity through subtle hints of emotion and vulnerability. Each vignette had to reveal something new about the characters even as they repeated the same lines in all three acts. To find the perfect actor for each role, Bigelow turned to Susanne Scheel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Scheel (\u201909) had worked in casting departments since 2009, and had just wrapped one of her first projects as a casting director: the 2023 independent film\u00a0<em>Past Lives<\/em>, which she cast alongside Ellen Chenoweth. She had previously worked on the shows <em>Parenthood<\/em> and <em>Billions<\/em>, the films <em>Mad Max: Fury Road<\/em> and <em>Springsteen: Delivery Me From Nowhere<\/em>, and dozens of other projects. Then the success of <em>Past Lives<\/em>\u2014which received an Oscar nomination for best picture\u2014vaulted her into position to take on a Netflix blockbuster like <em>A House of Dynamite<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3><strong>A People Person<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Scheel looks for two things in a script: authentic dialogue and dynamic characters she\u2019s excited to pitch to actors. Without those, she\u2019s likely to pass on a project. Once on board, \u201cIt\u2019s always my job to either find the director exactly what they want, or find something even more interesting, more exciting, to replace their initial idea,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s not a role she\u2019d imagined when she arrived at BU. Scheel recalls struggling to determine her path in the film and television industry until Paul Schneider, an adviser and the former chair of film and television, suggested she make a list of likes and dislikes. After reading her notes, he had a suggestion. \u201cYou love working with actors, but don\u2019t want to be a director. You love great writing and great characters but don\u2019t want to be a writer. That\u2019s casting,\u201d she remembers him saying.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>COM didn\u2019t offer those kinds of courses, so Scheel interned with a Boston casting agency and cast films for her classmates. She minored in theatre arts at BU\u2019s College of Fine Arts to study acting. \u201cIn casting, you read opposite the actors off camera all the time,\u201d she says. \u201cIt was fascinating to analyze and break down text.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Casting for a feature film breaks down into two primary stages. First, offers are made to actors for the lead roles, to get big names attached to the project. That\u2019s followed by auditions to fill out the cast. One way Scheel prepares is simple: she binges on television shows, films and Broadway productions. \u201cMy husband calls me a walking, talking <a href=\"https:\/\/pro.imdb.com\/signup\/index.html\">IMDb Pro<\/a> page,\u201d she says. But there\u2019s also a more subtle side to the craft. \u201cGreat acting is just people being human on camera,\u201d she says. \u201cI love to people watch, to watch their mannerisms and their behaviors when they\u2019re going through different scenarios. I find that to be just as helpful as watching really great acting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With most projects, Scheel\u2019s involvement lasts three to four months and wraps up long before production is over. For <em>A House of Dynamite<\/em>, she remained on the job for nine months. \u201cThe way Kathryn works\u2014at any point someone could be asked to do a line or two,\u201d she says. That meant constantly scrambling to fill undefined roles.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Complicating the process, Bigelow wanted as many of the actors as possible, even extras, to have military backgrounds. \u201cWith Kathryn, it can\u2019t feel like a dramatic reenactment. It has to feel real and human and stripped down to the bare bones,\u201d Scheel says. \u201cThere\u2019s a way they stand, there\u2019s a way they hold themselves, there\u2019s a cadence to which they speak. She wanted a documentary-level of credibility.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Scheel ultimately cast 113 principal actors\u2014defined as anyone who receives individual direction. In contrast, she says, <em>Past Lives<\/em> had fewer than 30.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3><strong>A Complex Puzzle<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Scheel treated each of <em>A House of Dynamite<\/em>\u2019s settings as if it was its own short film with a distinct cast. \u201cWe started with the big roles then built out from there. Who sits next to that person? Then who sits next to that person? We just started building this huge puzzle,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Idris Elba, a four-time Emmy nominee for the British detective show <em>Luther<\/em>, was one of the first actors that Scheel and Bigelow discussed, casting him as the president of the United States. Scheel suggested Rebecca Ferguson, from <em>Dune<\/em> and the Apple TV+ sci-fi show <em>Silo<\/em>, for a lead role in the Situation Room. And to anchor the US Strategic Command set, Scheel cast Tracy Letts, a veteran actor and playwright. \u201cWe just couldn\u2019t get him out of our minds\u2014thank goodness he didn\u2019t say no,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other key roles went to Ren\u00e9e Elise (Angelica Schuyler in the original Broadway cast of <em>Hamilton<\/em>), Anthony Ramos (John Laurens and Philip Hamilton in the same <em>Hamilton<\/em> production).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cTo me, the most breakout performance is from Malachi Beasley,\u201d Scheel says. Beasley, a recent grad of the Yale School of Drama, had never acted in a feature film. But his agent knew what Scheel was looking for\u2014Beasley spent six years in the military\u2014and reached out. He was one of their first auditions and landed the role of Senior Chief Petty Officer William Davis, a key official in the White House Situation Room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe beauty of this cast is it\u2019s a huge ensemble, so there\u2019s no lead actor. Even the small parts had one or two beautiful moments\u2014and hopefully it elevates their career,\u201d Scheel says.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Scheel\u2019s own career breakthrough comes at a time when casting directors are about to receive an overdue recognition. An Oscar for casting will be awarded at the 2026 Academy Awards, on March 15, a first in the event\u2019s 98-year history. \u201cWe always strive to do the absolute best work we can, and it\u2019s nice to be recognized,\u201d she says.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-end-of-article\">Scheel admits it\u2019s hard to watch a film she\u2019s cast. \u201cI don\u2019t want to look at it and say, \u2018Maybe that was a misstep,\u201d she says. \u201cI have to say, <em>Past Lives<\/em> and then <em>A House of Dynamite<\/em>\u2014they\u2019re perfect. I wouldn\u2019t have changed anything. No one felt inauthentic, no one felt out of place.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One of the marquee actors in A House of Dynamite, the 2025 Netflix thriller, is best known for playing a&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1654,"featured_media":44934,"template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":""},"categories":[962,9],"tags":[1247],"bu-publication":[1472],"discipline-type":[],"bu_edition":[],"media_type":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/44925"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1654"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/44925\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44990,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/44925\/revisions\/44990"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44925"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=44925"},{"taxonomy":"discipline-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/discipline-type?post=44925"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=44925"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=44925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}