Talented Stables: Directors with Impressive Repertory Companies
Submitted by sleestak on Sat, 07/24/2004 - 02:17
Tags:
- Wes Anderson: Bill Murray, Anjelica Huston, Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson
- Paul Thomas Anderson: Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Julianne Moore, Luis Guzmán, William H. Macy, Ricky Jay, Alfred Molina
- Joel Coen: John Turturro, John Goodman, Frances McDormand, Holly Hunter, Steve Buscemi, John Mahoney, Peter Stormare, Charles Durning, George Clooney, Tony Shaloub, Billy Bob Thornton
- Sam Raimi: Bruce Campbell, Ted Raimi, J.K. Simmons, Gary Cole
- Quentin Tarantino: Harvey Keitel, Steve Buscemi, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman
- Steven Soderbergh: George Clooney, Don Cheadle, Peter Gallagher, Julia Roberts, Luis Guzmán, Topher Grace
Author Comments:
To qualify, the same actor has to appear in two non-sequel movies by the director in question. Compiling the list, I was surprised how many great actors have appeared in several P.T. Anderson movies. On the other hand, I thought Steven Soderbergh would have a more impressive stable of talent than what I came up with.
I hope to expand the list with directors from the Golden Age (Hitch worked with a lot of great actors on multiple occasions) and other indie mavericks (Scorsese, Coppola) in the near future. Any suggestions would be very welcome!
Great idea for a list - top notch
Thank you! I appreciate the feedback.
How did you decide on which ones you featured
ps-are you a Wes anderson Fan?
From Rushmore
It probably started with noticing that P.T. Anderson used a lot of my favorite character actors in several of his movies, and saw the same was true of a lot of the more interesting people working today. The ones I listed are among my favorite contemporary directors.
Big Wes Anderson fan! I'm really looking forward to The Aquatic Life, which I hope will redeem Bill Murray for the travesty of Garfield.
What!?!? No Christopher Guest!?
Oh, brilliant idea! I was thinking of a few more to add but CG is an awesome idea and a perfect example of someone who attracts a loyal group of performers.
Bringing up Ricky Jay conjures the spectre of another director -- what of David Mamet? I know William H. Macy, Rebecca Pidgeon and Joe Mantegna would slip into this category...
David Mamet is a great suggestion, but the pool is a bit limited if you just stick with the movies he directed instead of also including his screenplays. Joe Mantegna is such an awesome actor, however, I may do an entry for Mamet just to give him well-deserved props.
Thanks for the input!
Woody Allen - Mia Farrow (retired), Diane Keaton, Dianne Wiest, Tony Roberts, Julie Kavner, David Ogden Stiers, Sam Waterston and Vince Giordano
James Cameron - Bill Paxton, The Ahnuld, Michael Biehn and Lance Henriksen
James Brooks (uber-producer, in addition) - Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito, Albert Brooks, Tracey Ullman, Julie Kavner, Yeardley Smith and Matt Groening
James Burrows (greatest sitcom director ever) - Kelsey Grammer, Rhea Perlman, Kirstie Alley, Tony Danza, Christopher Lloyd, Carol Kane, Tony Shalhoub, Betty White, Jason Bateman, Jon Cryer, Stephen Root and John Cleese
Woody and James Brooks are great suggestions. I'm not a fan of Cameron, although I see your point with him. Thanks for the thoughts!