Shaheen Baig - IFTA Masterclass

IFTA was delighted to present a Casting Masterclass with Shaheen Baig, Emmy-Winning Casting Director of Adolescence, Peaky Blinders, Notes on a Scandal, and A Thousand Blows. Along with TV Drama including episodes of Black Mirror and True Detective.

This masterclass was supported by Screen Ireland, and moderated by Louise Kiely, Emmy-Nominated Casting Director of Normal People and The Banshees of Inisherin. The masterclass took place on Wednesday 03rd December at the Lighthouse Cinema Dublin.

Shaheen Baig shared insights into how she works with directors and producers to assemble exceptional casts across major film and television projects. She discussed her approach to auditions, self-tapes, chemistry reads, identifying breakout talent, and subverting expectations through bold and inspired casting choices.

“I work with a lot of directors whose work is improvised. So it can be a treatment, it can be a conversation, it can be a novel, but I always will start from the story. What's the story, what's the tone, what's the world, what does the filmmaker want to say? What's the message they want to convey? And then how can we together create that world? I love it when a director has references. All of that feeds into the way I read a script; I visualise it and then I break down the characters. Anything that is sensory, helps me in the process.”

Shaheen on her process

During her prolific career, Baig has consistently discovered and championed exciting new talent. She won an Emmy Award for Adolescence, a Casting Directors’ Guild Award for Boiling Point, a British Independent Film Award for Blue Jean, and received a BAFTA nomination for Giri/Haji. She is widely recognised for casting breakthrough performances from actors including Florence Pugh, Tom Holland and Aaron Taylor-Johnson.

"Do your homework before you come into the room. Know the people you're meeting. If you're meeting a filmmaker, what have they made before? How have they approached their work before? What kind of actors do they like? Be as familiar as you can [with the script], because then you can put it to one side, and then you can play with stuff. Don't try and throw everything at [the self-tape] sometimes, an actor can make a bold choice, which I respect, but it’s way too far from what’s on the page. The best thing you can do for me on a self-tape is give me the most honest performance.”

Shaheen’s advice for self-tapes & auditions

Shaheen’s television credits include Adolescence, Peaky Blinders, Boiling Point, Alice & Jack, A Thousand Blows, Toxic Town, The Death of Bunny Munro, The Trip, Black Mirror, National Treasure and The Third Day. Her feature film work includes Notes on a Scandal, Lady Macbeth, The Impossible, Starred Up, Calm with Horses, God’s Own Country, Supernova, The Nest, Scrapper, God’s Creatures, Anemone and many more.

In 2023, Shaheen received the Royal Television Society’s Baird Medal in recognition of her outstanding contribution to television and representation in England’s West Midlands. She is also a trustee of Open Door and co-founder of the Casting Assistant Certificate course with the National Film & Television School, reflecting her commitment to supporting a more inclusive and accessible industry.

This masterclass was supported by Screen Ireland through the Screen Stakeholders Funding Scheme.