Directors who have made movies starring their real life S/O

In Hollywood, connections mean everything. If you don’t personally know a few industry professionals or at least know a few, it’s hard to break into it. Since Hollywood is a city where having a list of contacts the size of a phone book is the norm, it’s not surprising that many filmmakers and actors form romantic relationships. Many adults meet their partners in the workplace, so it’s not out of the question that our favorite directors and actors meet their significant other in the same way. People who work in the film and television industries work in many of the same circles as their peers, so groups of friends can easily overlap. It makes no sense that Hollywood generates so many celebrity relationships.

Besides simply forming a romantic partnership, some Hollywood couples choose to form professional partnerships as well. We’ve seen many couples, or couples who are just dating, star in movies and TV shows together, like Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons or Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard. There are also quite a few couples who have chosen to have one person in front of the camera while the other person is behind the camera. It’s not at all uncommon for a couple in the film industry to have one half of the partnership star in a movie while the other half directs. Many directors love working with their partners, so here are ten directors who have made films starring their significant other:

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10 Maggie Gyllenhaal with Peter Sarsgaard

an actress Maggie Gyllenhaal She made her directorial debut in 2021 with the motherly drama, missing daughter, which follows a middle-aged divorcee on a beach trip who turns dark when she confronts the problems of her past. The film stars Academy Award-winning actresses Olivia Colman, Dakota Johnson, and Jesse Buckley as the main protagonists, but it also stars. Peter Sarsgaard. Sarsgaard has been Gyllenhaal’s husband of 14 years, although they’ve been together since 2002. Gyllenhaal hired her husband to portray Professor Hardy, the man Leda (Buckley) is having an affair with in the film’s timeline.

9 Joel Coen with Frances McDormand

Joel Coen He is best known for his frequent managerial collaborations with his brother, Ethan. The director duo has produced many acclaimed films together, including There is no country for old men And Inside Llewyn Davis. Quinn has also produced several films that star his wife of 39 years, an Academy Award-winning actress Frances McDormand. In total, McDormand has starred in eight of her husband’s films. I’ve been in Blood Is Simple, Raise Arizona, Fargo, Burn After Reading, Hail, Caesar!, Miller’s Crossing, The Man Who Wasn’t Thereand recently starred in it The tragedy of Macbeth. The couple met on the set The blood is simplewhich is the Coen brothers’ first feature film, and they’ve been together ever since.

8 Tim Burton with Helena Bonham Carter

Tim Burton He has created a distinct style of filmmaking over the years that easily distinguishes his films from those of other directors. Something that used to be a trademark of many of his films is the inclusion of his ex-partner, Helena Bonham Carter. Carter also has a unique approach to her craft that makes her instantly recognizable no matter what role she takes on and that enhances her characters. Burton and Carter were together from 2001 until 2014, and during their 13-year relationship, Burton directed her in seven different film projects. Carter worked with him Big Fish, Corpse Bride, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Sweeney Todd, Alice in Wonderland, Planet of the ApesAnd Dark shades.

7 Dave Franco with Alison Brie

Actor turned director Dave Franco He made his directorial debut with the horror mystery, hire. Along with Dan Stevens and Jeremy Allen White, the film stars Franco’s wife of six years, Alison Brie. Brie, most famous for her role in the sitcom Twisted CommunityHe was not originally intended to star in the film. The couple were talking about the project at home when he turned to her and mentioned that maybe she should play one of the main roles. Earlier this year, Brie starred in her husband’s second directorial effort, the rom-com someone I used to know, which she also co-wrote with him.

6 Judd Apatow with Leslie Mann

Comedy veterans Leslie Mann And Judd Apatow They made filmmaking a family hobby throughout their 26-year marriage. The couple first met on the set of the 1995 comedy Cable technician, in which Mann starred and Apatow produced. Since they first worked together, Apatow has directed Man in five of his films and his short-lived sitcom, Freaks and Geeks. Man appeared in the 40-year-old virgin this is 40 fired funny people the bubble And Drillbit Taylor. Their daughters, Iris and Maude, have appeared in Apatow’s films as well, including This is 40, I knocked, And Funny people.

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5 Paul Thomas Anderson with Maya Rudolph

Maya Rudolph he Saturday Night Live The veteran and comedy legend who just so happens to be married to a prolific director Paul Thomas Anderson. What they do as individuals in the film industry is very different from what other people do, yet somehow it works perfectly for them. The duo has been together since 2001, but Rudolph didn’t appear in any of his films until 2014. inherent vice. She did not appear in one of his films again until 2021 Licorice pizzawhich ended up being nominated for Best Picture at the 2022 Academy Awards.

4 Olivia Wilde with Jason Sudeikis

Although they have since divorced, at the time of filming her directorial debut, Olivia Wilde And Jason Sudeikis They were still married. Wilde’s first directorial effort, Boxmart, is a witty teen comedy about two witty but socially awkward teenage girls who make it their mission to have more fun than they had on the night before high school graduation. Wilde gave her former co-star one of the most memorable roles in the film, the manager of the girls who moonlights as a ride-hailing driver at night for extra money. One of the funniest scenes in the movie involves Sudeikis’ Master Brown hooking up Amy’s (Kaitlyn Dever) phone to the car stereo and accidentally playing a hardcore video.

3 John Krasinski with Emily Blunt

John Krasinski He first made a name for himself in the film and television industry with his iconic role as sarcastic nice guy Jim Halpert on the hit NBC sitcom. the desk. While his comedic timing is excellent on the show, he’s come a long way since becoming the best paperboy at Dunder Mifflin. In 2018, he jumped into the director’s chair with his directorial debut, A quiet place. Not only did he direct the horror masterpiece, but he also wrote and starred in the movie.

Krasinski also dumped his British actress wife Emily Blunt. The pair magnetized on screen together, and the marriage probably helped the acting and direction in the movie because it’s so captivating. build the world in A quiet place Cool, in part because the pair do so well together. Krasinski Blunt directed again in the sequel, A quiet place, part 2after three years, and a third part is currently in development.

2 Mike Flanagan with Kate Siegel

Over the past 12 years or so, Director Mike Flanagan He made himself a prolific figure in the horror genre. From the hit Netflix series like Haunting Hill House To be on top of the sequel to the shiningFlanagan has been on most horror fans’ radars over the past decade. The most frequent (and best) collaborator on his projects is his wife Kate Siegel. She has been in all three Netflix series including T.I.is the haunt of Hill House, the haunt of Bly Manor, And Midnight Mass. She also starred in his home invasion thriller Hush (which she also co-wrote), supernatural horror skylightand the horror movie Gerald game.

Siegel’s presence in his films always enhances the story regardless of whether it’s a role big or small as the pair expertly work in the horror genre. Not only do Flanagan and Siegel make a great director and actor duo, but also a great duo.

1 Noah Baumbach with Greta Gerwig

Noah Baumbach He is another director with a distinctive directing style that makes his films almost instantly recognizable. He is best known for his award winning movie Marriage storyHe is also known for his frequent collaborations with his wife, the actress/director Greta Gerwig. The two met on the set of Baumbach’s movie Greenberg in 2010, and have been together since 2011. Since then, Baumbach has directed her Mistress Americaindie hit Francis Ha And recently white noisealong with two films both co-starring another frequent Baumbach collaborator, Adam Driver.

The couple obviously do very well together as their films have been critically acclaimed, and they continue to make more films together. Gerwig, who directed Lady Byrd, Little WomenAnd the next Barbie film, with Baumbach even being her favorite writer and director. In 2019, Gerwig and Baumbach both received Oscar nominations, Gerwig for Best Adapted Screenplay for little Womenand Baumbach for Best Original Screenplay Marriage story.