Sometimes it’s easy to see the clear pᴀssion a given star brings to their most personal films, championing pᴀssion projects that bloom into deserving critical darlings. More often than not, famous actors that reach a certain caliber are entrenched in filmmaking, being behind the camera as well as in front of it. This has led to many amazing movies developed by well-known actors of celebrity status, demonstrating their versatility in the craft of visual language.

In other instances, a given actor’s efforts to promote or save the production of a given film they’re signed on for speaks volumes to their love for the script. By going through so much extra effort to either publicly advocate for the film’s success or by directing a film they star in themselves, many actors make it clear which entries in their filmography they were the most excited about. In many instances, these efforts are well rewarded, with the efforts and advocacy of many Hollywood stars being far from misplaced.

10

Good Will Hunting

An Iconic Feel-Good Drama With Plenty Of Heart

Many recognize Good Will Hunting as a profoundly impactful film making the most out of stunning performances from the late great Robin Williams, Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon. The film stars Damon as Will Hunting, a janitor working at MIT who is discovered to be a genius savant by a local professor. Over the course of the genuine, down-to-earth narrative, Matt Damon’s character must be saved from his own self-destructive tendencies as he realizes his potential.

Star Matt Damon actually originally wrote the script to Good Will Hunting as a final for a playwriting class he attended at Harvard. He then went on to develop the work into a feature screenplay with frequent collaborator Ben Affleck, shopping the finished script around. Matt Damon was nearly forced to drop out of the lead role due to the original studio buyer insisting on Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio, but the concept survived with its original vision intact thanks to a new last-minute buyer.

9

Rocky

Few Careers Have Been As Self-Started As Sylvester Stallone’s

Sometimes, an actor doesn’t even become a star until their pᴀssion project gets off the ground. The story of Rocky‘s development is a startlingly inspiring one for anyone familiar, totally forging the career of Sylvester Stallone out of thin air. The famous sports drama detailing the perseverance and heart of fictional boxer Rocky Balboa was compelling enough to branch off into a handful of sequels, not to mention the more recent Creed spin-off movies set in the same continuity.

Writing the script himself, Stallone refused to allow anyone else to be cast in the lead role, even turning down tantalizing six-figure offers in order to ensure his vision was allowed to be realized unimpeded. This turned out to be the right move, as the film not only became quickly known as one of the greatest sports films of all time, but an inspirational beginning to Stallone’s long career as a treasured Hollywood star. It says a lot that the labor of love has become iconic enough to turn unremarkable locations in Philadelphia into certified landmarks.

8

ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool

Saved By The Efforts Of Its Plucky Star

ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool may not have been written or directed by Ryan Reynolds, but his outspoken advocacy for the film and possible willingness to bend the rules to force the studio’s hand speaks volumes to his clear pᴀssion for the idea. ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool tells the origin story of Reynolds’ Merc with a Mouth, a wise-cracking, fourth-wall-breaking ᴀssᴀssin whose body is kept immortal thanks to an experimental procedure. The film’s journey began when CGI test footage infamously leaked, sparking overwhelming interest.

It’s never been confirmed whether Reynolds himself was the one to leak ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool, but his own cheeky comments suggest he at least had a hand in doing so. It’s clear that, while unsanctioned by the studio, this was the right move and the first step to establishing a ludicrously successful franchise. Not only that, but the ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool trilogy is a genuinely great R-rated superhero series, popular for a good reason.

7

Reds

A Stunning Drama Championed By A Star Of Yesteryear

Warren Beatty might not be the most recognizable household name actor by today’s standards, but he was deservedly one of the most well-recognized performers and filmmakers of the ’80s and ’70s. One of his most acclaimed projects remains Reds, an account of real-world American journalist John Reed, who chronicled the October Revolution in Russia in the book Ten Days That Shook The World. Reds went on to sweep the 1981 Oscars, taking home gold in a mulтιтude of categories.

Beatty wrote the screenplay for Reds himself, becoming struck with the actual story of John Reeds as early as the ’60s. The project was finally able to find funding once Beatty had the financial sway and reputation granted to him by the success of Heaven Can Wait, allowing him to cast himself as the famed writer. Luckily, Beatty’s gamble paid off mᴀssively, as evidenced by the film’s critical applause.

6

Man Of Tai Chi

A Martial Arts Journey From An Action Icon

Just before the Keanu Reeves renaissance that began with the John Wick series in 2014, the star of The Matrix went all-in on a very different brand of action film. Here, Reeves plays the villainous Donaka Mark, the operator of a series of illegal underground fighting rings. Mark persuades a young tenacious fighter, played by Tiger Chen, to participate in his fights for money after his beloved tai chi temple is burned down.

Reeves also directed Man of Tai Chi, lending his years of martial arts and action franchise experience to the production as a true pᴀssion project. Sadly, the film was a critical and commercial flop, bitterly underrated by contemporaneous reviews. If there’s one star-directed pᴀssion project that deserves a retrospective, it’s Keanu Reeves’ Man of Tai Chi, deserving of praise for its stunning choreography and refreshingly clear approach to editing.

5

The Apostle

A Masterpiece By A Master-Class Actor

Few prestige cinema darlings are as revered as Robert Duvall, known for bombshells like The Godfather, The Conversation, Apocalypse Now, and Sling Blade. What’s lesser known is his own personal directorial project, The Apostle, which quietly earned him a Best Actor Academy Award nomination in 1998. The film stars Duvall as the тιтular Apostle, a preacher who started a new life in a small Louisiana town after beating his wife’s lover into a coma in Texas.

Despite releasing in 1997, Robert Duvall had conceived of The Apostle all the way back in 1984. It took Duvall years to get a final cut ᴀssembled, but when he was finally able to, studio executives allegedly left halfway through its first screening at the Toronto International Film Festival to place bids on distribution rights. The film was a mᴀssive financial and critical success, proving that Duvall’s long-harbored ideas were worth fighting for.

4

Citizen Kane

Considered The Best Film Of All Time For A Good Reason

It’s important to remember that the one film often cited as the greatest movie ever made was also only created due to one actor and filmmaker’s creative vision. Orson Welles’ creative career is a long and storied one, from his infamous War of the Worlds radio hoax to his controversial stage production of MacBeth casting an all-Black cast in the 1930s. It says a lot that his film debut, Citizen Kane, became commonly referred to as the greatest story ever put to film, at least for a long time.

Welles’ successful reputation made him a H๏τ commodity at RKO Pictures, affording him the now-unheard of creative control of being able to write, direct, and star in his own films with little studio oversight. The resulting story about the mystery behind a rich media magnate’s last words proved the decision to be one of the best financial gambles in show business ever made. Citizen Kane still holds up many decades later, an enduring icon of cinema mastery.

3

Gone Baby Gone

Proves Great Actors Can Also Direct Other People

For the most part, many actors’ pᴀssion projects end up casting themselves for the lead role, understandably so, as it’s always easiest to direct oneself to perfection. This isn’t a weakness shared by Ben Affleck, now known just as well for the stark crime movies and thrillers he directs and produces, as well as his own acting abilities. Affleck wrote and directed Gone Baby Gone, which follows a stomach-churning police investigation in Boston over a missing child.

Though Affleck didn’t insist on starring in the film himself, he was undeniably influential in the film’s creation as its writer, setting the story among the boroughs of his familiar native Boston. Ben Affleck’s brother Casey Affleck instead stuns in the lead role, using the two’s brotherly bond to ensure an eerie degree of understanding between director and subject. The result is a stunning mystery thriller that put Ben Affleck on the map as a director.

2

H๏τ Fuzz

A Hilarious And Very Personal Entry In A Series Of Pᴀssion Projects

Arguably, all three of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost’s “Cornetto” Flavours trilogy are clear pᴀssion projects, starring the English comedy duo while being directed by Edgar Wright. However, H๏τ Fuzz holds a special place in the series as co-lead Simon Pegg actually co-wrote the script alongside Wright, making it a special pᴀssion project standing out from the rest. Pegg plays a hardened London cop sent to patrol a quiet village in the English countryside, only to discover a terrifying conspiracy beneath the unᴀssuming surface.

H๏τ Fuzz is a clear homage to the great cop movies of the 90s such as Bad Boys, which is directly name-dropped by the dialogue. Pegg’s voice comes through clearly at various points in the script, perhaps elevating it beyond Shaun of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ and The World’s End. Comparisons aside, H๏τ Fuzz is a monumentally hilarious thriller packaged alongside some genuinely great action setpieces.

1

That Thing You Do!

The Impressive Debut Of An Industry Staple

Tom Hanks isn’t typically thought of as a prestige director or producer in the same way some other major Hollywood stars are, but his efforts are not to be discounted. Hanks wrote and directed the weighty musical-comedy That Thing You Do!, a period piece set in the ’60s following the flash-in-the-pan success of a one-hit wonder musical group. While Hanks does star, he’s a relatively minor role, though he more impressively lends his musical talents to the film’s soundtrack.

Tom Hanks doesn’t get enough credit for his labor of love that is That Thing You Do!, wrapping up a cohesive vision into a funny, charming, and riveting musical comedy. The film still isn’t the most famous, but those in the know can recognize the comedic genius and genuine artistic integrity that the movie displays. Tom Hanks might never supplant his career as an actor, but he can do more than just star in movies.