Malcolm & Marie premiered at the beginning of February, receiving a mixed reception from critics and audiences. The film definitely sparked conversation, and much of the praise went to the performances of the two leading players, Zendaya and John David Washington, who also acted as producers.
Actors branching out into other avenues of filmmaking is common. Some choose the directing chair and others try their hand at screenwriting. Others go with producing, which allows them to have more creative control over any given project. Whether they’re finally realizing their long-gestating projects, like Alex Winter with Bill & Ted Face the Music, or bringing their passion projects to life, like Salma Hayek with Frida, these films and their stars are intimately connected in more ways than one.
Malcolm & Marie
The first film to be written, financed, and produced during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, Malcolm & Marie tells the story of a struggling couple – a filmmaker and his girlfriend – whose relationship is tested as his new film premieres. Shot in black-and-white, the film only stars Zendaya and John David Washington.
Malcolm & Marie was divisive from the get-go and currently holds a 59% score in Rotten Tomatoes. Critics praised Zendaya and Washington’s performances and Barry Levinson’s direction, but heavily criticized his screenplay, with some considering it frustrating.
Frida
A project based on the life of Mexican surrealist painter Frida Kahlo had long been Hollywood’s ambition. At one point, Madonna announced her plans to produce and star in a film version of Frida’s life. But as early as 1992, a still-unknown Salma Hayek contacted director Luis Valdez, who at the time was working on a Kahlo biography for New Line, but Hayek was deemed too young to play the role.
After becoming attached to a film version for Trimark, Hayek personally secured access to Kahlo and Diego Rivera’s paintings from Dolores Olmedo, the administrator of the artists’ art. She then took the project to Miramax, after plans fell through at Trimark. Hayek’s efforts paid off and she was ultimately Oscar-nominated for her turn.
Bill & Ted Face The Music
With a script ready as early as 2010, a third film in the Bill & Ted series was always a possibility. Confirmation, however, didn’t come until 2018, and the film officially began production in 2019. Intended to be the final film in the series, Bill & Ted Face the Music follows the title characters as they attempt to write a song that can unite humanity before time and space are destroyed.
Alex Winter, who also serves as one of the film’s producers, and Keanu Reeves, reprise their roles as Bill and Ted, along with William Sadler as the Grim Reaper. Opening in the middle of the pandemic, Bill & Ted Face the Music received positive reviews from critics and became a popular PVOD title.
Pitch Perfect
Featuring an ensemble cast led by Anna Kendrick, Pitch Perfect follows new student Beca Mitchell as she joins the Barden Bellas, an all-girl acapella group participating in a national acapella competition. Elizabeth Banks, who also produces the movie, has a supporting role as Gale Abernathy-McKadden, a commentator for the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella.
Released in October 2012, the film was a smashing success, grossing $115 million against a production budget of $15 million. The film spawned two sequels, also produced by Banks, who also acted as a director for the second installment.
Dances With Wolves
Kevin Costner scored one of his greatest triumphs in 1990, thanks to Dances with Wolves. Costner produced, made his directorial debut, and starred in the story about Union Army lieutenant John J. Dunbar and his dealings with a group of Lakota people, as he traveled to the American Frontier.
A commercial juggernaut, the film earned $424.2 million at the box office, equivalent to about $871 million in 2021. It was also a critical darling, nominated for 12 Academy Awards, including nominations for Costner in Best Picture, Best Directing, and Best Actor. He won the first two.
Mission: Impossible
Ever since the first Mission: Impossible movie premiered all the way back in 1996, Tom Cruise’s name has been attached as a producer. The main driving force behind the movies, Cruise’s career is nowadays defined by his role as Ethan Hunt, the super-spy who’s the very personification of destiny.
The first three films were considered adequate, but starting with 2014’s Ghost Protocol, the series enjoyed a total rejuvenation. Thanks to the fourth and fifth entries, Rogue Nation and Fallout, the Mission: Impossible franchise is now considered the benchmark for action movies. Filled with insane set pieces that become more elaborate with each new entry, the movies have cemented Tom Cruise as a bonafide producer, and above all, an unparalleled action star.
12 Years A Slave
One of 2013’s best films, 12 Years A Slave is a harrowing adaptation of Solomon Northup’s 1853 memoir of the same name. It follows Northup’sjourney as a New York State free-born Black man who was kidnapped by two conmen and sold into slavery in 1842.
Produced by Brad Pitt, who also has a small but pivotal role, the film stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, and Lupita Nyong’o. All three received Oscar nominations, with Nyong’o winning for Best Supporting Actress. The film itself won Best Picture and granted Pitt his very first Oscar.
I, Tonya
Margot Robbie earned critical acclaim and her first Oscar nomination, thanks to her performance as disgraced figure skater Tonya Harding in the biopic I, Tonya. The film centers on Harding’s early life and the circumstances leading to Nancy Kerrigan’s highly publicized 1994 attack. It also stars Sebastian Stan and Allison Janney.
I, Tonya wouldn’t be Robbie’s last producing effort. In 2020, she produced and starred in Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), the divisive follow-up to her stint as Harley Quinn. She also produced the critically acclaimed Promising Young Woman, which will most likely earn her another Oscar nomination and possible win, her first as a producer and third overall.
Fences
After starring in the 2010 Broadway revival of August Wilson’s Fences, Denzel Washington produced, directed, and starred in the film adaptation. He played Troy, a working-class Black American man who is trying to raise his family in the 1950s while coming to terms with the events of his life. Viola Davis also reprised her role from the 2010 production, playing Troy’s wife.
Fences received positive reviews from critics, who praised Washington’s performance and direction, as well as Davis’ turn. The film received four Oscar nominations, including Best Picture for Washington, and ultimately won Davis her first Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Davis is in contention again this year for another Washington-produced film, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
Reds
Hollywood icon Warren Beatty produced, co-wrote, directed, and starred in this 195-minute historical epic about the life and career of John Reed, who chronicled the Russian Revolution in his 1919 book Ten Days That Shook the World. The film co-stars Diane Keaton as Louise Bryant and Jack Nicholson as Eugene O’Neill.
Released in December of 1981, Reds received universal acclaim and earned Beatty the Oscar for Best Director, although the film famously lost Best Picture to Chariots of Fire. Beatty is known for producing many of his films, including Heaven Can Wait, Dick Tracy, and most recently, Rules Don’t Apply.
