Entertainment

Behind the ‘Top Chef’ Casting Process — Interview

Published

2 minutes ago

August 20, 2026

Unlike some other — although equally beloved — cooking competition shows, the demands on a “Top Chef” contestant are intense and specific. There’s really only a small cohort of James Beard award finalists, chefs opening their first restaurants, and up-and-coming culinary stars on the Internet who can handle the wide range of demands and timed challenges of the legendary Bravo series.

And yet, Ron Mare and the Magical Elves casting team keep finding them.

Mare, who joined “Top Chef” in 2017, has cast Seasons 15 through 23 (and counting), told IndieWire that there are definitely some benefits to being part of such a long-running show. For as many people who decide to audition for the hell of it — and they do occasionally find some diamonds in the rough — there’s also a clear understanding within the culinary world of what “Top Chef” is, who is qualified to do it, and how, even if you don’t win the competition, the series can change your life.

Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story. Ella Beatty as Lizzie Borden in episode 402 of Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2026

Mariska Hargitay attends HBO Max Emmy Nominee Celebration Event 2026 at NYA WEST on August 16, 2026 in Hollywood, California.

“Everyone that’s qualified to do it wants to do it,” Mare said. “When someone says no, it’s usually because they’re opening a restaurant and they can’t get away from it, or they can’t dedicate the time just yet. It’s usually a timing issue.”

There’s no timing issue for the casting team itself, because even when they’re out of season, they’re constantly sending each other chefs on Instagram or culinary write-ups of new chefs as potential contestants to consider. “We could not be casting for another six months, but we’re like, ‘Let’s write down this person.’ We ask pretty much all of the show’s alumni, too, ‘Is there anyone you would want to recommend?’ Because they know who can handle it,” Mare said. “It doesn’t even have to be someone they know. It could be, ‘I was traveling, and I went to this restaurant and the food was amazing. Check out this person. No one’s writing about them yet.’”

Mare and his team have spreadsheets on spreadsheets tracking potential chefs, often for years before they’re invited to audition. But putting together contestants for each season is much more involved than a quickfire challenge. “It’s not even about, ‘Let’s see if [a potential contestant] gets nominated for a James Beard. Sometimes you can just tell they need another year or two before they go on,” Mare said. “We don’t want to put somebody on the show before they’re ready.”

It’s a misconception about reality competition casting that the team is looking for potential flame-outs and drama. Mare said that “Top Chef,” more than any other series he’s worked on, wants to support and nurture potential contestants and contestants. In addition to camera tests and close research into a chef’s menus, background, and experience to see if and when a chef will thrive inside the world of “Top Chef” challenges, the casting team stays in close contact with the chefs to answer questions and guide them through each step of the process.

“ We’re never going to put somebody on TV [just because]. We’re never gonna be like, ‘They’re twins, we have to do it.’” That’s not what it is at all,” Mare said. “They submit sample menus to us. We study them. They send over their resume. We have chefs take a look at them if we’re questioning anything. There are references. There are multiple things we do in order to ensure that the person is a good fit.”

The casting team has a very long view of that good fit, as well. “Sometimes talented chefs don’t make it in, and we always reach back out to them next season. I’m sure you’ll hear some of the older Top Chefs talk about how they auditioned three, four, five times. Dan Jacobs, I think he auditioned like 10 times. Eventually, it makes sense,” Mare said. “I always tell people, if you don’t make it on, it’s not about you not being a good chef or people not liking you. You may not have fit into that puzzle for whatever reason this season, but absolutely keep in contact.”

When the casting team knows it makes sense, it’s because each chef fits into the larger ensemble they have to build for each season, one that must feature compelling, distinct, and yet also complementary storylines. That balancing act is way more involved than a Quickfire Challenge; for Season 23, it was made even more challenging by the casting team embracing a few duos, which lowered the number of available slots open for other chefs.

“It’s such a high-level show. There’s a ton of eyes on it, and every year you want to try to do better than the last time,” Mare said. “We stumbled across [twins Jonathan Dearden and Brandon Dearden] and it felt like gold. So we continued them in the process; and then, we’ve known [couple Jennifer Jackson and Justin Tootla] for a long time. We talked to them for multiple seasons, but they came back to us out of nowhere, ready to do it. So we just embraced duos. And that’s four out of 15 slots, so all the other people that made it on were super strong.”

Supporting strong contestants through the arduous process of “Top Chef” is a not insignificant part of the reward for Mare and his team. Every season, selecting contestants at the exact right moment for both them and for the show, Mare and the casting team have changed lives.

“I love to see so many chefs we cast go on and do such amazing things. Like, look at Kristen [Kish], becoming the host. Look at Mei Lin, Joe Sasto, Jeremy Ford, Buddha Lo, Brooke Williamson. Brooke has that deal with Food Network. So do the Voltaggios. It’s to their own credit; it’s because they’re such talented people. It has nothing to do with me. But it is gratifying to be able to see them and watch them grow,” Mare said.

movies

Naruto: Charles Melton to Play Kakashi Hatake

Published

4 minutes ago

August 20, 2026

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Charles Melton, who recently landed an Emmy nomination for his role in the Netflix series Beef, is in final negotiations for a key role in the live-action Naruto movie set up at Lionsgate, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter.

Destin Daniel Cretton, who is currently in theaters for Spider-Man: Brand New Day, is set to direct the movie based on the manga series by Masashi Kishimoto.

Naruto is the coming-of-age story of a young and enthusiastic ninja named Naruto Uzumaki who wants to grow up to be the leader of his ninja village but also happens to have the spirit of a nine-tailed demon fox inside him. The story was serialized in Japan’s popular Weekly Shonen Jump from 1999 to 2014, and later spawned a couple of popular animated series that ran for years on Cartoon Network and Disney XD.

A search is underway to find the young actor to play Naruto. Melton is said to be playing Kakashi Hatake, the elite ninja mentor figure to the main character and his friends. Kakashi is one of the most popular characters in the long-running and massively popular manga.

Lionsgate had no comment on the casting.

Avi Arad, Ari Arad, and Emmy Yu are producing for Arad Productions with Jeremy Latcham. Cretton is producing alongside Jeyun Munford through his company, Hisako.

Cretton, whose credits also include the Marvel movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, is coming off the massive success of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. With its current $2 billion at the global box office, it is one of the highest-grossing movies of all time. Naruto is set to be next up for the director and is eyeing a production start around February 2027, according to sources.

Melton broke out as a star on the long-running CW series Riverdale where played Reggie Mantle and then transitioned into more prestige fare beginning with Todd Haynes’ May December, where he starred opposite Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman. His other credits have included Alex Garland’s Warfare and Nicolas Winding Refn’s Her Private Hell.

The actor is a longtime fan of anime and manga and is also extremely proficient in martial arts. He is a second degree black belt taekwondo and competed in the Junior Olympics held in Seoul, South Korea.

Entertainment

Vox.com Lays Off 4 Employees After Murdoch Acquisition

Published

8 minutes ago

August 20, 2026

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Vox.com laid off four employees on Thursday as the digital publication narrows its editorial focus, a source familiar with the matter told TheWrap.

Editor-in-chief Swati Sharma informed staff that Vox will now concentrate its coverage around five core areas: changes in society, shifting power, everyday economics, wellbeing and the natural world. The restructuring is intended to free up resources for areas the company considers central to its journalism, audience and future growth.

Sharma acknowledged the departing employees’ contributions to the publication and is expected to provide staff with more details about Vox’s editorial vision and business priorities during an all-hands meeting on Aug. 26.

The cuts come roughly six weeks after James Murdoch’s Lupa Systems completed its acquisition of Vox, New York Magazine and the Vox Media Podcast Network. The three businesses now operate as a Lupa subsidiary under the Vox Media name, with longtime chief executive Jim Bankoff continuing to lead the company.

The layoffs were not connected to the ownership change, the source noted. Instead, they were described as a Vox business and editorial decision based on audience needs and the areas in which the publication sees the greatest opportunity for growth.

Lupa’s acquisition split the former Vox Media into two companies. Vox, New York Magazine and the podcast network moved under Lupa, while brands including The Verge, Eater, SB Nation, Popsugar and The Dodo became part of a separate business, now under Penske.

Vox launched in 2014 as an explanatory news site and has since expanded across newsletters, podcasts, video, social platforms and a paid membership program. Under Sharma, who became editor-in-chief in 2021, the outlet has continued to build its presence beyond the website. The publication now operates a YouTube channel with nearly 13 million subscribers and produces podcasts, including “The Gray Area,” “Unexplainable” and “America, Actually.”

Semafor first reported the layoffs.

movies

‘The Audacity’ Season 2 Adds Usman Ally As Series Regular

Published

9 minutes ago

August 20, 2026

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EXCLUSIVE: Usman Ally has joined the upcoming second season of AMC‘s The Audacity as a series regular.

He will portray Byron Zandani, a senior Silicon Valley lawyer, who is constantly trying to put out proverbial fires and to navigate ethically ambiguous decisions. Composed and thoughtful, he’s worn down by the relentless drive of tech CEOs. He joins previously announced Season 2 cast including Miriam Shor.

Season 2 of The Audacity began production last month in Vancouver, BC, and will debut in 2027.

From creator, writer and executive producer Jonathan Glatzer, The Audacity is set inside the bubble of Silicon Valley and takes on the warped dreams, outsized egos and ethical lapses of the self-styled inventors of the future. In a world of jaded billionaires, psychiatrist-gurus, bio-hacked tech bros, AI labs and disillusioned teens being optimized in elite private schools, an audacious data-mining CEO (Billy Magnussen) strives to turn insight and influence into profit and power. The darkly comedic drama confronts reality, privacy, and the delusions fueling our ever-changing world.

Season 1 also starred Zach Galifianakis, Lucy Punch, Simon Helberg and Rob Corddry. AMC renewed The Audacity in March, ahead of the series premiere. Season 2 will also consist of eight episodes.

Ally is a veteran actor who was most recently seen on the small screen in The Pitt from John Wells and God’s Favorite Idiot from Ben Falcone and Melissa McCarthy. Other TV credits include Veep, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Suits, Nobodies, and On Becoming a God in Central Florida. On the film side, he can be seen in The Hunt and Superintelligence.

He also recently wrote and directed the Palm Springs Jury Nominated Best Short Film Emigre/Americana and is currently developing a feature film script based on the short.

Ally is repped by Principal Entertainment and Myman Greenspan Fox Rosenberg Mobasser Younger & Light LLP.