Kasdan Scores Double Emmy Nods for Martin Short Doc
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- Lawrence Kasdan received Emmy nominations for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special and Outstanding Directing for the Netflix film 'Marty, Life Is Short,' chronicling Martin Short's career from the early 1970s through 'Only Murders in the Building' and his personal tragedies including the death of his wife Nancy Dolman in 2010.
- Editors Sierra Neal and Bennett Piscitelli earned a nomination alongside Kasdan for the documentary, which Kasdan said he made to honor Short's resilience: 'that spirit that goes through anything.'
- Martin Short secured two of his own Emmy nominations on the same morning — Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for 'Only Murders in the Building' and Outstanding Host for a Game Show for emceeing 'Match Game.'
- Kasdan revealed he cut Kevin Costner from 1983's 'The Big Chill' flashback sequences to keep the story in present tense; Costner told him, 'For four weeks I got to hang around with this cast… It doesn't matter whether I'm in the movie or not,' and Kasdan then wrote him the career-launching role of Jake in 1985's 'Silverado.'
- Kasdan shared the inside story of casting Geena Davis in 1988's 'The Accidental Tourist' after testing four women for the dog-trainer role Muriel Pritchett — 'She just walked away with it' — and that Davis went on to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
- Kasdan has four Academy Award nominations spanning 'Grand Canyon' (Original Screenplay), 'The Big Chill' (Original Screenplay), and 'The Accidental Tourist' (Best Picture and Adapted Screenplay).
- Kasdan declined to name the three other finalists he tested against Davis for the Muriel role: 'I have a reputation for some discretion.'
Why it matters: At 76, Kasdan adds a TV milestone to a film legacy spanning 'The Big Chill' and 'The Accidental Tourist' — and the profile doubles as a rare oral history, with his account of cutting Costner explaining how a single editing decision reshaped two careers by sending Costner toward 'Silverado' and stardom. The same-day double noms for both Kasdan and his subject Short also mark a rare moment when a filmmaker and his documentary's subject both land Emmy recognition simultaneously.
