In recent years, a whole lot of Hollywood actors have started showing a keen interest in directing movies
Not very long ago, actors in Hollywood eventually moved to production. That career transition has taken a hike recently with actors preferring to direct their own films instead. Ryan Gosling is all set to make his directorial debut with How to Catch a Monster while Man of Tai Chi will mark Keanu Reeves' entry as a director and The Water Diviner will do the same for Russell Crowe. hitlist looks at a few male actors who are more than willing to wield the microphone for a change...
Mel Gibson
Acting debut: Summer City (1977)
Directorial debut: The Man Without a Face (1993)
Notables: Before this Australian actor went into a downward spiral thanks to his personal problems, he directed two highly fascinating films within a span of four years — The Passion of the Christ (2004) and Apocalypto (2006). Both were critically appreciated.
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Sean Penn
Acting debut: Taps (1981)
Directorial debut: The Indian Runner (1991)
Notables: The Oscar-winning actor has directed four feature films till date — with his directorial debut being an onscreen adaptation of a Bruce Springsteen song — but no other work of his is as acclaimed as Into the Wild (2007). Starring Emile Hirsche, it has a cult following.
Tom Hanks
Acting debut: He Knows You're Alone (1980)
Directorial debut: That Thing You Do! (1996)
Notables: Going by his filmography, it won't be surprising if this back-to-back Oscar winning actor decides to direct a film in this decade. After all, he has directed one film each over the past two decades.
Ralph Fiennes
Acting debut: Wuthering Heights (1992)
Directorial debut: Coriolanus (2013)
Notables: This English actor-turned-director surprised his peers with an adaptation of a Shakespearean play for his directorial debut. Last year, he directed himself in the role of Charles Dickens in The Invisible Woman.
George Clooney
Acting debut: And They're Off (1982)
Directorial debut: Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)
Notables: One can always expect two things from this charismatic actor. One, he seldom acts in a bad movie and two, he never directs a bad movie. So far, he has helmed five feature films and all of them have been celebrated.
James Franco
Acting debut: Whatever It Takes (2000)
Directorial debut: The Ape (2005)
Notables: This actor is always in a rush. As if earning a double PhD wasn't tough enough, he has been multi-tasking as an actor (currently shooting for more than a dozen films) and a director (with 10 movies already to his credit).
Ben Stiller
Acting debut: Hot Pursuit (1987)
Directorial debut: Reality Bites (1994)
Notables: Coming from a family that was heavily into cinema, Stiller's tendency to be an actor as much as a filmmaker is palpable. His earlier films weren't remarkable but the recent ones have earned accolades.
Denzel Washington
Acting debut: Carbon Copy (1981)
Directorial debut: Antwone Fisher (2002)
Notables: This two-time Oscar-winning actor-turned-director directed two films. And both of them dealt with the highs and lows of black Americans. For some reason, Washington has stayed away from the director's chair ever since.
Ben Affleck
Acting debut: The Dark End of the Street (1981)
Directorial debut: Gone Baby Gone (2007)
Notables: When he won an Oscar for Best Screenplay for Good Will Hunting (1997), many were intrigued. It took him more than a decade to prove his cynics wrong by not only writing but also directing a film like Argo.
Zach Braff
Acting debut: Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993)
Directorial debut: Garden State (2004)
Notables: Just when it was becoming impossible to imagine Braff out of his blue scrubs, he delivered a directorial knockout starring him and Natalie Portman together. His next directorial venture is Wish I Was Here.
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