For decades, some of the best movies have been created because actors and actresses have decided to transition from acting to being behind the camera. A look at the talented people who have achieved both is interesting and often ends up working out well.
Maybe actors and actresses want to be challenged, so what better way than switching places? In plenty of cases, more have offered up their skills to become the brains behind the movie while getting the chance to achieve a life-long goal. Countless actors and actresses have made the move, but these are the most well-known that have made it big in both avenues.
Greta Gerwig
Greta Gerwig has been an actress since the early 2000s, but she decided to take the directorial plunge in 2008 with the movie, Nights and Weekends. While it gained positive attention from critics and IMDb reviewers, her most well-known and first solo directing gig is Lady Bird, a coming-of-age dramedy starring Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, and Tracy Letts.
The movie went on to win multiple awards, and in 2019, Gerwig directed the remake of Little Women, which starred Ronan, Emma Watson, and Florence Pugh. It's safe to say Gerwig's directing abilities can run with the best of them.
Ben Stiller
Ben Stiller is known for his roles in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Dodgeball, but what some fans don't know is that he's just as capable behind the camera.
In fact, Stiller has been using his directing skills since 1987 in TV shorts and a TV episode here and there, but his movie breakout moment happened in 1996 when he directed The Cable Guy. He would go on to direct (and star!) in Zoolander, Zoolander 2, and Tropic Thunder. This proves that Stiller is not only hilarious in front of the camera but behind it too.
Angelina Jolie
She's known for being the original Lara Croft in Tomb Raider, but as Angelina Jolie became a seasoned actress, she took a stab at directing movies. She made her directorial debut in 2011 with In the Land of Blood and Honey. Shortly after, she directed the action drama Unbroken, starring Jack O'Connell, Domhnall Gleeson, and Garrett Hedlund.
She hasn't directed anything since 2017, but it might be because she's busy with acting roles and filling the role of executive producer for the TV series BBC My World and the Disney movie, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. In fact, the sequel to Maleficent is one of Jolie's most successful movies at the box office.
Jordan Peele
Jordan Peele has appeared in movies and TV shows since the mid-2000s, but his time behind the scenes is more well-known among fans. While it might seem odd that he only has two movies under his director's belt, the quality they offer makes him stand out.
In 2017, he released Get Out, a horror mystery thriller about a warped family with an odd perception of their daughter's new boyfriend. Two years later, he released Us, starring Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, and Elisabeth Moss. Because these two movies impacted the masses for their storylines and similarities between one another, fans are impatiently waiting for his next project.
Elizabeth Banks
Elizabeth Banks is a funny woman, and it shows in the dozens of well-perceived roles she's taken over the years. She's had parts in The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Role Models, and Pitch Perfect, but what fans might not know is that she's a pro with a video camera, too.
Banks' movie debut was Pitch Perfect 2, which is a hilarious follow-up to the 2012 original. She then moved onto the remake of Charlie's Angels and has signed on to direct a TV movie called The Greater Good.
John Krasinski
John Krasinski is well-known for his role as Jim Halpert on The Office and as Jack Silva in Michael Bay's blockbuster, 13 Hours, but most recently, he's shown fans that he's a man of many talents.
His directorial debut happened in 2009, but what has put him on the map is the horror-thriller, A Quiet Place. He not only directed the movie but starred alongside his wife Emily Blunt in it too. It became such a well-loved movie that Krasinski is set to helm the follow-up, A Quiet Place Part II, in May 2021.
Jonah Hill
Funnyman Jonah Hill gained a huge following with his roles in Accepted, Knocked Up, and Superbad, and as he's continued excelling as an actor, he's also gained interest in the director's chair too.
So far, he's made several video shorts, but his main "claim to fame" as director happened in 2018. He helmed a coming-of-age movie called Mid90s, a story that follows a troubled teenage boy named Stevie (Sunny Suljic), who hangs out at a skate shop and grapples with his home life. If fans base Hill's potential as a director on this movie, they can expect to see a lot more out of him in the coming years.
Regina King
Regina King made her mark in the acting industry because she doesn't stick to one genre. She's starred in everything from cutesy rom-coms to serious roles that deal with racial injustice and iconic heroes. Her versatility allows King to stand apart from fellow actresses, and she took it one step further when she stepped into a directorial role.
So far, she's had a hand in directing one or two episodes of well-known TV series like Being Mary Jane, Scandal, and Shameless. She directed her first movie in 2020 called One Night in Miami..., which stars Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Leslie Odom Jr., and Aldis Hodge. There's no telling which way King will go next, but either way, she'll shine.
Bradley Cooper
For decades, Bradley Cooper has been known as an A-list actor who has taken on demanding roles and has stood beside the best of the best in the business. While Cooper is still taking on acting roles, he decided to take a different path in 2018.
Starring alongside pop-star Lady Gaga, Cooper directed A Star is Born, which gained him major brownie points as a director. He proved he could take on a complex role in front of the camera while barking orders behind the camera at the same time.
Olivia Wilde
Since the early 2000s, Olivia Wilde has been excelling in the acting industry and has even won a couple of awards for her skills. Going from teen soaps like The O.C. to dramas like Fix is easy for Wilde, and ever since, she's landed steady work.
While she's been at the directing game since 2011, her first major project was released in 2019. Booksmart centers around two female high school graduates who realize they need to have a bit more fun before college. It gained major attention and is only the beginning for Wilde. Her next project is a horror-thriller called Don't Worry Darling, with Harry Styles, Gemma Chan, and Florence Pugh. Meanwhile, she was also named as the director of an upcoming female-led superhero film from Sony.