The casting approach for Carnivàle was to find the best available actors and to show the characters' realness as opposed to depending on freak illusions too much. Carnivàle's casting directors John Papsodera and Wendy O'Brien already had experience in casting freaks from previous projects. They attended theater showcases, approached smaller agents or hired some actors directly to find people with unique and distinct looks, which was trying as Los Angeles is a stronghold of good-looking actors.