The best directorial debuts of star actors

The journey to getting the fourth adaptation of “A Star is Born” to the screen was circuitous. Then, it landed on Bradley Cooper not just starring alongside Lady Gaga, but also directing. Skepticism was high. Cooper’s bet on himself paid off, though. Not only was the film a massive hit, but it was also nominated for nine Oscars, including Best Picture.

When you think of actors directing, one of the first names you think of is Clint Eastwood. His directorial debut was not a Western, though. No, it was a thriller about a woman obsessed with a radio DJ. Eastwood proved a reasonably deft hand, even if “Play Misty For Me” isn’t his best work. He would then direct plenty of Westerns, including Oscar-winning “Unforgiven.”

Tom Hanks is one of the biggest movie stars of his generation. When he moved to directing, though, he did not direct a star vehicle for himself. While Hanks is in the delightful “That Thing You Do!,” he has a tertiary role at best. To be fair, it would be weird if he were playing a young musician riding the wave of being a one-hit-wonder.

Barbra Streisand was, funnily enough, in the 1970s version of “A Star is Born.” She did not direct that one, though. No, instead, Streisand’s move to directing would come in a musical about a Jewish woman who begins to live as a man in order to get an education in Talmudic law.

This is the first film on this list where the director, while a star, is not in the film at all. Charles Laughton was a screen legend when he directed the murky noir “The Night of the Hunter.” At the time, it was a bit of a flop, and Laughton never directed again. Now, though, his film is considered a true classic, having been reclaimed by critical assessment over the years. If only he could have had that success back then, we may have gotten more films from Laughton.

Greta Gerwig was not as big of a star as some on this list, but she did star in a couple of films like “Frances Ha” that she co-wrote with Noah Baumbach. Then, Gerwig got her chance to be behind the camera, and while she wrote “Lady Bird” largely based on her own experiences, she does not act in the film. The movie was a huge success, and now we get “Barbie,” so everybody wins.

George Clooney’s directing career is, frankly, spotty. Even his Oscars darling “Good Night and Good Luck” hasn’t exactly stood the test of time. That being said, “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind” is a good film and also a bold swing for a directorial debut. It is, after all, a movie with a screenplay written by the eccentric Charlie Kaufman. It is based on the “autobiography” of another eccentric gentleman, Chuck Barris, who claimed to be a CIA operative while also being a game show host.

This is a quintessential ‘90s movie directed by a quintessential ‘90s man. That would be Ben Stiller, who made his directing debut in this Generation X touchstone. Although, while some very-‘90s things have aged well, “Reality Bites” feels a bit too ingrained in its era. Also, Ethan Hawke’s character is super annoying.

Jordan Peele rose to fame as one half of a sketch comedy duo with Keegan-Michael Key. He and Key costarred in the slight comedy “Keanu,” and people figured that would be his future in film. Then, Peele set aside his duo and also comedy. Peele turned to horror, and “Get Out” was one of the most impactful debut films of all time. Now, Peele is seen more as a master of horror than a sketch comedy guy.

Technically, Warren Beatty co-directed “Heaven Can Wait” with Buck Henry so that we could have gone with that. Instead, though, let’s go with his full debut as a solo director. “Reds” was ambitious, overstuffed, and incredibly successful. It got 12 Oscar nominations, and while Beatty’s film didn’t win Best Picture, he did take home Best Director for himself.

“Dances with Wolves” was considered a self-indulgent vanity project from Kevin Costner. As its budget ballooned, people chortled and made jokes about what a flop it would be. Not only did Costner’s film make a ton of cash, he won Best Director and Best Picture, getting the last laugh. Then, he directed “The Postman” and finally gave everybody the flop they were looking for.

Ben Affleck’s career was in a weird place. Also, probably his personal life. That’s a safe bet given the arc of his life. After “Gigli” and “Daredevil,” Affleck took a step back and got serious. He directed “Gone Baby Gone,” a nasty, gritty thriller that he did not act in. It got critical acclaim, and soon enough he was able to direct and star in movies like “The Town” and “Argo.”

Laverne herself, Penny Marshall, had a huge hit with her second film, “Big.” We aren’t talking about sophomore films, though, but her debut was largely a success as well. She got a chance to debut with a Whoopi Goldberg vehicle, a big thing in the 1980s, and “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” was a hit, even if critics didn’t love it.

Marshall and Rob Reiner were married for many years. They were also both sitcom stars before turning to film directing. Reiner’s debut film came a couple of years before Marshall’s, and was also more definitively a hit. “This is Spinal Tap” is a generational comedy, and also helped to popularize the mockumentary as a genre alongside Christopher Guest, the patron saint of the genre.

This is a dual-directing film, but that’s how Gene Kelly tended to do it. He didn’t really like to shoulder the load because when he directed, he was also starring and, in this case, choreographing as well. Kelly and Stanley Donen (also making his debut as a director) turned a Broadway play into a successful Hollywood musical that is still considered one of the best of that genre.

Robert Redford was still in the peak of his acting career (he’d star in Oscar winner “Out of Africa” five years later) when he stepped behind the camera to direct “Ordinary People.” The film has a complicated legacy. It probably gets more flack than it deserves because it won Best Picture over the likes of “Raging Bull,” but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a good movie. It’s just not maybe on the level of Peak Martin Scorsese in hindsight.

Hey, ever heard of this dude Laurence Olivier? You know, one of the biggest movie stars of all time, and considered by many the greatest actor of his generation? A British theater actor by trade, it makes sense he would make his directing debut by adapting Shakespeare for the big screen. It was a hit, both critically and commercially, but was overshadowed by Olivier’s later work. In 1948, he would adapt “Hamlet” and win both Best Actor and Best Picture.

Elizabeth Banks produced, and had a supporting role in, “Pitch Perfect” a modest hit that a lot of people thought was pretty fun. She got a chance to step behind the camera for the sequel, and then saw the franchise suddenly take off. “Pitch Perfect 2” was a massive hit, outgrossing the first film in all of five days. After a lackluster “Charlie’s Angels” film that failed to reboot that property, Banks is the director behind the meme factory that is “Cocaine Bear.”