This Saturday, Rialto Channel is screening actress Vera Farmiga’s directorial debut Higher Ground. It’s a work of great subtlety and depth, and hopefully marks a new phase in Farmiga’s career.
It got me thinking about whether actors make good directors, and, while the Academy didn’t agree with the rest of Hollywood about Ben Affleck’s directing ability this year, I would have to say that yes they do....
This Saturday, Rialto Channel is screening actress Vera Farmiga’s directorial debut Higher Ground. It’s a work of great subtlety and depth, and hopefully marks a new phase in Farmiga’s career.
It got me thinking about whether actors make good directors, and, while the Academy didn’t agree with the rest of Hollywood about Ben Affleck’s directing ability this year, I would have to say that yes they do.
It’s common to hear young actors and actresses claim that “what I really want to do is direct”, but never really get around to it. Those who have done it have proved that actors don’t need to “just stick to their day job”.
Sure, like everyone they have hits and misses, but looking at the names below I think you can see that actors know how to get the most out of their talent, and more often than not also know how to tell a story with appeal to a broad audience.
Actors tend to tell stories that mean something to them, rather than just take the next job on offer. They face additional challenges, like directing themselves, but overall I believe actors bring a great sensitive and spirit to the director’s chair.
Here are a few, in no particular order:
SARAH POLLEY
This young Canadian actress blew me away with her directorial debut Away From Her, based on a short story by Alice Munroe. A story about aging and the effects of Alzheimer’s seemed an unusual choice for a director in her 20s to write and direct, and yet her film has a maturity that defies her age and experience. Her follow-up Take This Waltz proved she is not just a one-hit wonder, but a storyteller of great talent.
ORSON WELLS
It’s hard to beat Citizen Kane when it comes to directorial debuts, and this makes Wells one of the most impressive actor turned directors ever.
CLINT EASTWOOD
Eastwood has won two of four Academy Award nominations for best direction (Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby), and with around 36 titles to his credit as a director, this 82 year old director, who refuses to retire, is as legendary for crafting Mystic River, Letters From Iwo Jima and Play Misty for Me as his is for playing Dirty Harry.
GEORGE CLOONEY
Who would have thought the original “McDreamy”, ER’s Dr. Doug Ross, would go on to become such a force in Hollywood. With his production partnership with Steven Soderbergh Clooney has now clocked up 5 directing credits, the most impressive being his debut Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and Goodnight and Good Luck. His latest film The Monuments Men will be released later this year.
BEN AFFLECK
Directing means a lot to Ben Affleck. Not only is he good at it, but it saved his career from an embarrassing end after the release of the diabolical film Gigli. Hollywood loves granting second chances, and his came from behind rather than in front of the camera. His directing debut Gone Baby Gone and follow-up The Town secured acting Oscars nominations, but it’s the heavily award winning Argo that has put Affleck back at the top of the A-list.
WOODY ALLEN
A prolific, hilarious and clever filmmaker - you won’t find a more notable actor/director than Mr. Allen.
ROB REINER
The mid 80s to the mid 90s was Rob Reiner’s finest decade – This Is Spinal Tap (in which he stared as Marti DiBergi, “director”), Stand By Me, The Princess Bride, When Harry Meet Sally…, A Few Good Men and The American President. Not a bad decade’s work.
RON HOWARD
I never really liked Howard’s Richie on Happy Days, I’m not sure why, but I have enjoyed numerous films he’s directed since his days as a child-star. He’s not a “cool” or “trendy” director, but rather a master of the quality blockbuster. Howard knows his way around both comedy (Splash) and dramas (A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13 and Frost/Nixon to name a few).
And lets not forget Charlie Chaplin, Warren Beatty (Reds), Mel Gibson (Braveheart), Robert Redford (Ordinary People), Kevin Costner (I’m thinking Dances with Wolves here rather than Waterworld), Sean Penn (Into the Wild) and Penny Marshall (Big). The list goes on … Ben Stiller, Sylvester Stallone, Billy Bob Thornton, Angelica Houston, Stanley Tucci, Kenneth Branagh, Ethan Hawke…
HIGHER GROUND, SATURDAY 13 AT 8.30PM