Casting Director Sarah Finn on Why Mariana di Girolamo is ‘An Absolute Revelation’ in ‘Wild Horse Nine’

Casting director Sarah Finn talks assembling an A-list cast for Martin McDonagh’s Wild Horse Nine.

Casting director Sarah Finn said she knows it’s always a good day when a new Martin McDonagh script arrives.

“My first step, as always, is just to dive in,” said Finn. “Like, let me dive in, let me read this a couple times, and then read it again, and then start batting around ideas and asking questions.”

With McDonagh’s latest film Wild Horse Nine, Finn said she went part by part.

“I knew we would be doing two simultaneous tracks of looking at American actors to play CIA and very American roles, and then doing research into Chilean actors, and other actors around the region. I felt from the get-go that it was really important that we find and cast a Chilean actress for Monica.”

Ultimately, the role went to Mariana di Girolamo, who may be the biggest discovery of the film, as she holds her own against the likes of John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell.

“We knew we wanted somebody who was gonna have the skill, but also the heart,” said Finn. “Because she is so much of that. Her idealism, her hopes, her dreams, her vision, her purity is so much a part of the whole story and her transformation. And I had been lucky to meet Mariana after Emma came out, her breakthrough film, in 2019. So, I knew her, but I knew that she hadn’t done an English language film. And not only the English language, let’s be clear, Martin McDonagh’s language.”

And McDonagh’s scripts can be pretty demanding.

“You absolutely have to perfect it, and you have to understand the rhythm of it, and the humor, because every character in this film is also deeply funny. We knew it was gonna be, a tall order, but in the very first round, I asked Mariana to read, she did a spectacular reading, and then I worked with her, and then we brought it to Martin. So, it was a process, and we did read quite a lot of actresses. We had a thorough search. But she, at every turn, continued to impress us. I think she’s an absolute revelation in the film.”

John Malkovich in a Role that Feels Tailor-Made for Him

While his character Chris is in decline, both mentally and physically, Malkovich himself fires on all cylinders with McDonagh’s whip-smart dialogue and character development. In some ways, Finn said she believes we’re seeing new dimensions to Malkovich’s talent.

“We’re getting to see someone at the height of his power, right, as a master of his craft, but even see him in a new way. I really feel like the subtlety and the remorse and almost, like, the grace that he experiences by the end of the film that we experience with him. Those are new colors. I don’t know that we’re used to seeing him be vulnerable.”

There’s a sense of humor to the script that Finn also considered, looking at the actors’ past work and how they would blend in with this world.

“Buscemi feels like he fits seamlessly into this cast, and I think in addition to having this humor, they all have an element of surprise. Buscemi especially, but I think Martin’s writing is surprising. Who are going to surprise us as an audience in their work, in the way they’re playing the character? And I love that with Steve Buscemi, you don’t quite know what’s going on there, really with all of them, and Sam Rockwell, you know, this moral ambiguity, and where does Lee stand in all of this? What really is his motivation? And I think that Sam is so subtle in this film.”

And even though she only has one scene, Finn said Parker Posey makes an impact.

“Oh, she feels like a main character. This was a role where we’re trying to tell so much about the story, about the marriage, Lee’s character, and this movie. It’s wildly entertaining, their brand of humor together, their chemistry as a married couple. Their way of expressing love is quite unusual. But she also telegraphs so much of the suspense of the film, maybe it’s still a thriller, and we’re watching the juxtaposition of these kind of dangerous events unfolding amidst the vastness of Easter Island.”

Chris’s Brother in Wild Horse Nine, a Legend from Multiple Genres

What about a certain legendary musician who appears in the film? Finn said that Tom Waits was a hard one to cast.

“We needed somebody who would potentially even put Malkovich’s character in his place. Who has the ability to push his buttons? What is that relationship like as brothers? What feels compatible with that, but interesting and alive? We were just so lucky and thrilled to have Tom Waits do that role.”

In addition to their talent, the cast was incredibly committed to doing whatever it takes to get the job done.

“John Malkovich flew to Monument Valley after Easter Island to read lines off-camera with Tom Waits. I think the scenes feel so alive, and the relationships feel so complex and deep because of the work that the actors and Martin put into the writing and directing, and them having these connections as actors.”

Finn said she feels like a treasure hunter when it comes to putting together a cast, which sort of sounds like something out of a Martin McDonagh film.

“We’re trying to piece together a picture of what a character might be, because these are all actors at a level where we’re not gonna expect them to read or audition or anything. I want to be as thoughtful as I can, to come to Martin with fully formed ideas and opinions.”

Wild Horse Nine is now playing.