Yesterday I revisited Martin Scorsese's imperfect but still very strong Howard Hughes biopic The Aviator and besides being struck by what svelte baby Leonardo DiCaprio appeared to be in the role, it also got me thinking about his multi-movie collaborative arc with the director which began with 2002's Gangs of New York and culminating 20 full years later (!) with the legendary director's next feature.
Here are a few more of (in my opinion) the best actor-director duos in no particular order:
Ryan Coogler & Michael B. Jordan - They've only done three movies together (although they already have plans for a fourth, but Jordan has clearly established himself as this exciting young director's muse. What's particularly impressive to me is the range of work they've already crafted from the intimate character study of Fruitvale Station to the blockbuster villainous role in Black Panther. Jordan is one of the most exciting young leading men in movies and his work with Coogler is a the biggest reason why.
Elliott Gould & Robert Altman - The unconventional leading man only collaborated with the late iconic director three times (unless you count his brief cameo as himself in 1975's Nashville) and I wish they worked together more since their offbeat rhythms are a perfect fit. Gould became a superstar with M*A*S*H, plumbed the depths of gambling addiction in the criminally underrated California Split and best of all they reinvented the detective genre with their brilliant The Long Goodbye
Denzel Washington & Spike Lee - The epic Malcolm X is a career peak for both Washington and Lee which they may never surpass but all their other collaborations are excellent too. Their first collaboration -- Mo' Better Blues -- is one Lee's most underrated. He Got Game is another near masterpiece. And Inside Man is the rare overtly commercial work from Lee that was a smash for both the actor and director. Here's hoping they find another project together soon.
Jimmy Stewart & Alfred Hitchcock - The master's work with Cary Grant is almost as good but there's something very vulnerable and haunting about Hitchcock's work with Jimmy Stewart. Although Hitchcock was very dismissive of actors and their process he clearly tapped into something darker in the usually squeaky clean Stewart, especially in his greatest film Vertigo, which was light years ahead of its time.
Philip Seymour Hoffman & Paul Thomas Anderson - The late Hoffman left behind a formidable body of work, but his collaborations with Anderson were something special. His range was on full display in Anderson's films. You almost can't fathom that the same actor who played a socially awkward porn crewman in Boogie Nights would also be playing the leader of a cult in The Master. It's devastating that they won't be able to keep making movies together.
Samuel L. Jackson & Quentin Tarantino - Tarantino likes toot his own a little too much about the brilliance of his own dialogue but he isn't wrong when he says few actors have a way with his words more than Jackson. Because he's so ubiquitous, audiences can sometimes take for granted what a great actor Jackson is. Luckily whenever he works with Tarantino he tends to have a lot to make a feast out of. It's criminal that he didn't win the Oscar for Pulp Fiction and that he wasn't even nominated for Jackie Brown. And The Hateful Eight (which he was always excellent in) has grown on me more and more with time.
John Wayne & John Ford - For better of worse, director John Ford is responsible for establishing Wayne's swaggering and problematic cinematic archetype. But to his credit, he wasn't content to tell the same story and to use the lumbering star the same way. Hence his sneakily subversive latter day films like The Searchers and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, which pushed Wayne as an actor and gave more depth to the genre they helped popularize.
Kurt Russell & John Carpenter - Speaking of swagger, it doesn't get better than Kurt Russell's beloved collaborations with horror/sci-fi guru John Carpenter. A whole generation of filmgoers would have only known Russell as a cherubic child star if Carpenter hadn't refashioned him as an all-time badass for the 1980s and beyond. The most ironic part is that none of their films were exactly big hits when they first came out but they've endured as some of the more influential films of their time.
Michael Keaton & Tim Burton - Not the obvious one. God knows Burton worked with Johnny Depp a lot more -- some would argue too much (I would). But the thing is his work with Michael Keaton is nearly flawless (I'm overlooking their recent, forgettable Dumbo). The first two Batman films remain pop culture landmarks and the gold standard for big budget superhero films and then there's Beetlejuice, which may still be the purest and best distillation of everything that is appealing about the Tim Burton aesthetic.
Robert De Niro & Martin Scorsese - And last but certainly not least what can you say about these two that hasn't already been said? Their names and legacies go hand in hand. Nine movies, with only one being an out and out disappointment-- 1977's New York, New York (which I keep trying to like -- it's an unbelievable track record. We had to wait forever between Casino and The Irishman, but it was worth the wait. They bring out the best in each other.
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