Curated playlist
American action film directors
- Simon KinbergSimon Kinberg plays a banker in his own script for Mr. & Mrs. Smith. He began that screenplay as a film school thesis.
- Steven SpielbergSteven Spielberg walked into Universal Studios without a pass, and the guard waved him in.
- Sylvester StalloneSylvester Stallone has said that he once slept for three weeks in the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City. Decades later, he is one of only two actors in history, alongside Harrison Ford, to have starred in a box-office number one…
- Robert RodriguezRobert Rodriguez paid for his first feature by joining medical testing studies. El Mariachi cost $7,000 in 1992.
- J. J. AbramsJ. J. Abrams wrote his first film score at age 16 for a horror movie. The 1982 low-budget film was called Nightbeast.
- Russo brothersThe Russo brothers made their first film with student loans and credit cards. They later directed Avengers: Endgame.
- John SingletonAt 24, John Singleton became the first African American nominated for the Best Director Oscar.
- Patty JenkinsPatty Jenkins was seven when her father, a fighter pilot, died. Soon after, a Superman movie caught her.
- Ryan CooglerRyan Coogler, the American filmmaker, once handed a bank teller in Atlanta, Georgia a note that got him handcuffed. It happened in January 2022. He wore a hat, sunglasses and a face mask. He wanted to withdraw $12,000 in cash from his…
- Colin TrevorrowA strange 1997 magazine ad seeking a time-travel partner became Colin Trevorrow's breakout film.
- James MangoldJames Mangold studied acting because his CalArts teacher urged him to. It gave him a feel for performance.
- Jon FavreauJon Favreau named his company after the golem of Jewish folklore. It can protect or destroy, like technology.