INTERVIEW
LUCI
LENOX
“Dream big, work hard and always be true to yourself!”
Luci Lenox, an award winning casting director based in Spain, has made significant contributions to the film and television industry through her diverse professional background and international experience. Having cast over 100 productions for clients like Netflix, Amazon, MediaPro, and various Spanish independent producers, films she has been part of the casting of have won over 250 awards at international film festivals.
Luci is a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion within the industry. She has actively contributed to this by participating in diversity and inclusion committees for both the CSA and APDICE. Additionally, she is a member of organizations such as the Catalan and European Film Academies, CSA, International Casting Directors Network (ICDN), and APDICE.
As the founder of The Actors Home, she has created a platform that supports actors' careers on a global scale. Central to her mission is the belief in providing a safe and self-confident environment for actors. Through her innovative approach to digital promotion and industry trends, Luci offers actors a unique perspective on navigating the dynamic yet challenging landscape of the Film & TV industry. Her commitment to finding and supporting talented actors from around the world underscores her passion for the craft and her desire to empower performers to reach their full potential.
Thank you so much for interviewing with us! Can you share your story on how did you get started in the film industry?
It’s a very long story but basically after a very successful stint of running nightclubs in the 90s in Barcelona I wanted a day job and was lucky enough to get a job at the Catalan Film Institute.
Who are you grateful for your success and can you share a story about that?
I am grateful to many people, but especially to Pep Armengol, who was the first casting director I ever met when I began working in film & TV. He later became my boss and then my business partner, teaching me everything about casting. I initially worked in the production department, and Pep needed someone to accompany him to a meeting as he didn’t speak English. He requested the producers to allow me to accompany him. Essentially, my entire career owes its start to the fact that Pep studied French at school instead of English.
Luci at Cannes 2023 — private event from The Actors Home
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
The great thing about being a casting director is that every day (or nearly every day) is interesting. Although some of the best stories I’ll have to take to the grave as I’ve signed NDAs. One of the highlights that means a lot to me was when Laia Costa won the German Academy Award (a Lola) for best actress for “Victoria”, the role I cast her in. She really didn’t think she was going to win as someone had told her that they would never give it to a non-German so she had taken her shoes off and was sitting comfortably practising the face that actors have to have when they are nominated but don’t win! When they called her name, she had to find her shoes under her chair and go to the stage. She dedicated the award to me. Casting directors often feel overlooked, so this acknowledgment meant the world to me.
What has been the biggest challenge in your career so far? How did you overcome it?
The other great thing about being a casting director is that every project is a fun challenge. However I guess like many others the biggest challenge for me was the pandemic when the industry shut down. We had a very extreme lockdown in Spain. However I got busy pretty quickly and set up an online group for actors “Get Inspired” with a young filmmaker Kristen Dania and we spent most of the lockdown organising table reads and online activities for actors to help them stay active and be ready for work when it started up again. I’m very proud of what we achieved during this time.
Luci at Berlin meet-up from The Actors Home
How do you prepare for a project?
Firstly, I read the script and have a meeting with the director and/or showrunner. Then I watch as much of their previous work as possible. Secondly I brainstorm with my team. My casting office is very much about teamwork.
What are your top 3 tips for creatives that are starting?
1) Reverse engineer your career by thinking about where you would like to be in 1 year, 5 years and then ask yourself what would it take for that to happen? And then make a plan!
2) Always go the extra mile - this is a highly competitive industry and a little additional effort is always worth it.
3) Be kind, patient and professional with everyone you encounter.
What has been inspiring you lately?
I'm very inspired by Spanish female directors at the moment. I am a long-time admirer of both Isabel Coixet & Maria Ripoll and can't wait to see what they do next.
Left - Luci at Sofia Film Festival, Right - at Artios cerimony 2024
What movie would you recommend watching and why?
There are so many movies that I could recommend but if it has to be just one then I would recommend the last movie I saw that fundamentally changed my view on a personal matter "The Eight Mountains" {Le Otto Montagne} directed by Felix van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch.
What is one message you would give to your fans?
I'm not sure I have fans but a message to anyone reading this is dream big, work hard and always be true to yourself (unless yourself is deeply unpleasant in which case, ignore this piece of advice).
