Angelina Jolie Joins List of Actress Who Direct. Will it Stick?
Angelina may be moving to the director’s chair.Yahoo! Contributor Network
Actress Angelina Jolie is so well known as an iconic sex symbol that she was Hollywood’s natural choice for an upcoming 2013 “Cleopatra” remake. Her name is still connected to that project, at least on IMDB, but the “Tourist” star recently remarked during a lunch interview with the Financial Times that she sees more directing and less acting in her crystal ball. It is obviously something she has discussed with her mate, Brad Pitt, since she includes him in the prognosis, saying they both had a great run and it’s now time to look at other endeavors.
Pitt has already been actively producing films since 2006, taking a leading role in several of his projects, including his latest, “World War Z.”
Even before the opening of her directorial debut, “In The Land of Blood and Honey,” Jolie won an award — the Sarajevo Film Festival’s “Heart of Sarajevo.” A good omen indeed, but is this a viable career move for the 35-year-old former action star? How many other actresses will ever come close to matching the record of actress and director, Ida Lupino?
Lupino was the first female director in Hollywood. Her lengthy directing credits include feature films, including 1953′s “The Hitch-Hiker,” also the first film noir directed by a woman. She directed episodes of over 30 television series, including “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” “Twilight Zone,” “Gilligan’s Island,” and many westerns. Lupino amassed 103 credits as an actress and 41 as a director.
Jodie Foster was a veteran child actress before she even got the role of the teenage prostitute, Iris, in “Taxi Driver.” Foster successfully transitioned into adult roles. She took on the directing challenge in 1991 with “Little Man Tate,” also starring in the comedy/drama. Foster’s next directing job came in 1995 with “Home for the Holidays.” The other cap Foster wore on this one was producer, not actress. “The Beaver” (2011) starring Mel Gibson and Foster, is the latest movie directed by the 48-year-old actress, and she co-starred in it as well. With 3 movie credits as director, 8 as a producer and 48 as an actress, we still continue to think of Jodie as an actress.
Canadian actress, Sarah Polley also began her acting career as a child and continued successfully into adult roles. She sat in the director’s chair for the first time on a couple of shorts in 1991. With 3 other directing credits under her belt, Polley has just completed directing “Take This Waltz,” starring Seth Rogen, Michelle Williams and Sarah Silverman. Unlike Foster, Polley has thus far not appeared in any of the films she directed.
Drew Barrymore ventured into film directing with 2009′s “Whip It.” As a producer, she has 13 credits, including the upcoming “Charlie’s Angels” redux, under her belt. Anjelica Huston has tried her hand at directing twice, and so has Melissa Gilbert. Their last efforts occurred about a decade ago. Gwyneth Paltrow also tried her hand at directing a short called “Dealbreaker” in 2005.
Whether Jolie turns out to be a dabbler or a serious director, “In the Land of Blood and Honey” certainly is an ambitious start, reflecting serious social concerns. “The film is specific to the Bosnian War, but it’s also universal. I wanted to tell a story of how human relationships and behavior are deeply affected by living inside a war,” Jolie explained.
More from this contributor:
On Location with Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie: Past, Present, Future
Note: This was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Join the Yahoo! Contributor Network here to start publishing your own articles.
See More Yahoo! Contributor Network Stories
Related news :