central casting

American  

noun

Movies.

1. an agency, studio department, etc., responsible for hiring actors, especially bit players or extras.

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Etymology

Origin of central casting

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Ms. Spanberger, a mother of three and former CIA officer, is a candidate from central casting for appealing to suburban swing votes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 13, 2025

He is, after all, a person who commonly hires people because they are "out of central casting."

From Salon • Mar. 10, 2025

If you’ve ever wondered why everyone on your social feeds now looks like they also have stepped directly out of central casting or off a billboard, there’s much more at play than judicial filtering.

From Slate • Sep. 21, 2024

At the start of his career, Mr. Smith was a Justice Department lawyer out of central casting, a clean-cut prosecutor from upstate New York who played well in front of juries.

From New York Times • Nov. 19, 2022

Zero combined the shows into a central casting office, and every Saturday night put on a super colossal by the Cabanatuan Mighty Art Players.

From Blood Brothers A Medic's Sketch Book by Rohlfing, Sam