Favorite Actors & Directors
Favorite actors in no particular order:
Male:
Robert De Niro
Johnny Depp
Sean Penn
Tim Robbins
Tom Hanks
Robert Duvall
Al Pacino
Russell Crowe
Kevin Spacey
Jack Nicholson
Christian Bale
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Edward Norton
Kevin Spacey
Robert Downey Jr.
Benicio Del Toro
Female:
Katharine Hepburn
Meryl Streep
Naomi Watts
Jodie Foster
Betty Davis
Judi Dench
Cate Blanchett
Jessica Lange
Hilary Swank
Jennifer Connelly
Catherine Keener
Sigourney Weaver
Kate Winslet
Julianne Moore
Kathy Bates
Laura Linney
Tilda Swinton – Probably one of the more underrated and overlooked
Favorite directors in no particular order:
Male:
David Fincher
Clint Eastwood
Stanley Kubrick
Steven Spielberg
Ron Howard
Robert Zemeckis
Sydney Pollack
Roman Polanski
Peter Jackson
Guillermo del Toro
Tim Burton
James Cameron
David Cronenberg
Coen Brothers
Terry Gilliam
Peter Jackson
Sidney Lumet
Martin Scorsese
Ridley Scott
Michael Mann
Quentin Tarantino
David Lynch
Werner Herzog
Steven Soderbergh
Francis Ford Coppola
Oliver Stone
Darren Aronofsky
Christopher Nolan
Woody Allen
Female:
Jodie Foster – Home for the Holidays, Little Man Tate
Sophia Copppola – The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation
Penny Marshall – Big, Awakenings, A League of Their Own
Jane Campion – The Piano
Lina Wertmuller – Swept Away, Seven Beauties
Barbara Striesand – Yentl
Julie Taymor – Frida
Patty Jenkins – Monster
Kimberly Pierce – Boy’s Don’t Cry
Mary Harron – American Psycho
Kasi Lemmons – Eve’s Bayou
Martha Coolidge – Valley Girl
Nora Ephron – Sleepless in Seattle, You’ve Got Mail
Amy Heckerling – Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Clueless
Mira Nair – Salam Bombay, Monsoon Wedding
Mimi Leder – Deep Impact
Katherine Bigalow – Strange Days, Near Dark
2 Comments
Does an artist’s political affiliation or activism reflect on you opinion of them? I know folks who have never seen a Barbars striesand film, for example, who despise her for her politics and advocasy of feminism… Sean Penn is detested for his liberal political views…
Same question regarding their personal lives> In the case of Woody Allen, or Roman Polanski, for example: Do their controversial lifestyle choices negate your appreciation of their films? Many moviegoers can’t seperate an artist’s private life from their work.
To me a good movie is a good movie, regardless of who made it or starred in it…
Q-Does an artist’s political affiliation or activism reflect on you opinion of them?
A-Off the top of my head I can’t think of a film maker whose political affiliation adversely affects the way I see their or view their work.
Q-In the case of Woody Allen, or Roman Polanski, for example: Do their controversial lifestyle choices negate your appreciation of their films?
A-99% of the time I don’t allow a film maker’s lifestyle choices influence my appreciation of their work. There are VERY, VERY few exception. But for the most part, no.
Ken-Many moviegoers can’t separate an artist’s private life from their work.
BPP-Again, the vast majority of the time this is a non-issue for me. There are maybe only a half dozen individuals in the “industry” that I choose to never support again for personal reasons. But out of the thousands of film makers (actors, directors, writers), a half dozen only makes up .0003% or less. So I would have to say that overwhelmingly the answer is that except in the incredibly rare circumstance, I am able to look past an actor’s, director’s or producer’s background.
Good question Ken. Thanks!