{"id":7407,"date":"2017-06-14T19:09:37","date_gmt":"2017-06-14T23:09:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/?p=7407"},"modified":"2018-06-28T13:36:21","modified_gmt":"2018-06-28T17:36:21","slug":"13-actors-who-did-better-as-screenwriters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/13-actors-who-did-better-as-screenwriters\/","title":{"rendered":"13 Actors Who Did Better as Screenwriters"},"content":{"rendered":"

This week marks the 30th anniversary of John McTiernan\u2019s action\/sci-fi blockbuster Predator<\/i>. It was the first credited movie role for the actor who plays the dirty-joke-obsessed Hawkins, but his excitement about that may have been overshadowed by something else. His name is Shane Black, you see, and he also wrote a little buddy cop movie called Lethal Weapon<\/i>, which was released three months earlier and had already made more money than Predator<\/i> ever would. <\/span><\/p>\n

Though acting was (and occasionally still is) a side gig for Black, his dream was to be a screenwriter. After Lethal Weapon<\/i>, he went on to write The Long Kiss Goodnight<\/i>, The Last Boy Scout<\/i>, and Last Action Hero<\/i>, and to write and direct Kiss Kiss Bang Bang<\/i>, Iron Man 3<\/i>, and The Nice Guys<\/i>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Plenty of actors also write, but the best-known ones typically write films for themselves \u2014 think Ben Affleck (The Town<\/i>), Joel Edgerton (The Gift<\/i>), Emma Thompson (Sense and Sensibility<\/i>), George Clooney (Good Night and Good Luck<\/i>), Sylvester Stallone (Rocky<\/i>), and Seth Rogen (The Green Hornet<\/i>).<\/span><\/p>\n

But there\u2019s another breed of actor-writers whose faces you recognize but whose names you (probably) don\u2019t know. They\u2019re typically character actors or sitcom regulars who haven\u2019t achieved the level of film lead, and they tend to write movies for other people. Keep reading for a look at some small but recognizable actors who found success writing films instead of starring in them.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Richard Ayoade<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

Where have you seen him?<\/em>
\nGarth Marenghi\u2019s Darkplace<\/i> (2004), The IT Crowd<\/i> (2006-2013)<\/span><\/p>\n

What has he written?<\/em>
\nHe created Darkplace<\/i> and has written for several other shows, but he made his mark on the big screen as writer\/director of Submarine<\/i> and The Double<\/i> starring Jesse Eisenberg. One of them is fantastic.<\/span><\/p>\n

.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Paddy Considine<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

Where have you seen him?<\/em>
\nIn America<\/i> (2002), Hot Fuzz<\/i> (2007), The World\u2019s End<\/i> (2013)<\/span><\/p>\n

What has he written? <\/em>
\nConsidine has written\/directed two bleak but powerful dramas, Dead Man\u2019s Shoes<\/i> and Tyrannosaur<\/i>, and has a third due for theaters this year. It will also most likely be depressing as hell.<\/span><\/p>\n

.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>John Francis Daley<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

Where have you seen him? <\/em>
\nFreaks and Geeks<\/i> (1999-2000), Waiting<\/i> (2005), Bones<\/i> (2007-2014)<\/span><\/p>\n

What has he written? <\/em>
\nAfter a career spent playing quiet, nerdy little guys, Daley revealed the foul creature within by writing the R-rated Horrible Bosses<\/i> and the Vacation<\/i> reboot. He\u2019s softening that edge a bit, presumably, as writer of the upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming<\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n

.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Todd Field<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

Where have you seen him?<\/em>
\nTwister<\/i> (1996), Eyes Wide Shut<\/i> (1999)<\/span><\/p>\n

What has he written? <\/em>
\nField wrote and directed two films, In the Bedroom<\/i> and Little Children<\/i>, and he\u2019s adapted Cormac McCarthy\u2019s Blood Meridian<\/i> for the screen, although it might be a while before someone bankrolls that one.<\/span><\/p>\n

.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Robert Ben Garant<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

Where have you seen him? <\/em>
\nThe State<\/i> (1993-2009), Reno 911!<\/i> (2003-2009)<\/span><\/p>\n

What has he written? <\/em>
\nEasily the most successful writer on this list, Garant (who co-writes with fellow State<\/em> alum Thomas Lennon) has credits that range from comedies like The Pacifier<\/i> and Balls of Fury<\/i> to horror films like Jessabelle<\/i> and The Veil<\/i>. Their biggest hits, though, are the Night at the Museum<\/i> films.<\/span><\/p>\n

.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Grant Heslov<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

Where have you seen him? <\/em>
\nTrue Lies<\/i> (1994), Enemy of the State<\/i> (1998), The Scorpion King<\/i> (2002)<\/span><\/p>\n

What has he written? <\/em>
\nHeslov maintained a fairly steady career as a character actor before becoming George Clooney\u2019s favorite writing partner. The pair have co-written four films, including Good Night and Good Luck<\/i>, The Ides of March<\/i>, The Monuments Men<\/i>, and the upcoming Suburbicon<\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n

.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Mathieu Kassovitz<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

Where have you seen him?<\/em>
\nAmelie<\/i> (2001), Munich<\/i> (2005), The Lookout<\/i> (2012)<\/span><\/p>\n

What has he written? <\/em>
\nKassovitz earned critical acclaim as writer\/director of La Haine<\/i> before sliding downhill a bit into genre efforts like\u00a0The Crimson Rivers<\/i> and the Vin Diesel-headlined Babylon A.D.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Tom McCarthy<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

Where have you seen him? <\/em>
\nSyriana<\/i> (2005), Baby Mama<\/i> (2008), 2012<\/i> (2009)<\/span><\/p>\n

What has he written? <\/em>
\nHe came out kicking with the acclaimed The Station Agent<\/i> and followed it up with The Visitor<\/i> and Win Win<\/i> before suffering a head injury of some kind resulting in Million Dollar Arm<\/i> and the Adam Sandler-starring, hopeful shoe-based franchise-starter The Cobbler<\/i>. Happily, he recovered a year later with the Academy Award-winning Spotlight<\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n

.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Douglas McGrath<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

Where have you seen him? <\/em>
\nThe Insider<\/i> (1999), Michael Clayton<\/i> (2007), Solitary Man<\/i> (2009)<\/span><\/p>\n

What has he written? <\/em>
\nMcGrath co-wrote Woody Allen\u2019s Bullets Over Broadway<\/i> and made such a good impression that he went on to star in five of Allen\u2019s films. (Curiously, he never went on to write another one, though.) He also adapted Jane Austen\u2019s Emma<\/i> and Charles Dickens\u2019 Nicholas Nickleby<\/i> in addition to writing the other Truman Capote biopic, Infamous<\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n

.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Wentworth Miller<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

Where have you seen him?<\/em>
\nPrison Break<\/i> (2005-2009), The Flash<\/i> (2014-2017)<\/span><\/p>\n

What has he written?<\/em>
\nHe only has two produced features to his name, and I\u2019m forgiving the abysmal The Disappointments Room<\/i> out of respect for his Park Chan-wook film Stoker<\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n

.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Peter Mullan<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

Where have you seen him? <\/em>
\nTrainspotting<\/i> (1996), Session 9<\/i> (2001), Children of Men<\/i> (2006), War Horse<\/i> (2011)<\/span><\/p>\n

What has he written? <\/em>
\nLike his countryman Paddy Considine, Mullan has a penchant for writing and directing oppressive dramas about the harsh realities of UK living, and both The Magdalene Sisters<\/i> and Neds<\/i> are evidence of it. They\u2019re still great, though.<\/span><\/p>\n

.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Busy Phillips<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

Where have you seen her? <\/em>
\nCougar Town<\/i> (2009-2015), Vice Principals<\/i> (2016-2017)<\/span><\/p>\n

What has she written? <\/em>
\nLook, she may only have a \u201cstory by\u201d credit on Will Ferrell\u2019s Blades of Glory<\/i>, but this unfortunate sausage party had to end. There are plenty of female actors\/writers out there, from Sarah Polley to Greta Gerwig, but they\u2019re all too successful as actors to make the cut here. That\u2019s a good problem to have, but still… <\/span><\/p>\n

.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Danny Strong<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

Where have you seen him? <\/em>
\nBuffy the Vampire Slayer<\/i> (1996-2003), Pleasantville<\/i> (1998), Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping<\/i> (2016)<\/span><\/p>\n

What has he written?<\/em>
\nStrong paired with Lee Daniels on the series Empire<\/i> and the film The Butler<\/i>, and he also co-wrote the last two Hunger Games<\/i> films. His future continues to look bright with adaptations of Dan Brown\u2019s The Lost Symbol<\/i> and Guys and Dolls<\/i> on the horizon.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Rob Hunter<\/a> lives in California, dreams of\u00a0being able to write.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This week marks the 30th anniversary of John McTiernan\u2019s action\/sci-fi blockbuster Predator. It was the first credited movie role for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":471,"featured_media":7410,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1399,1381],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7407","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-looking-back","category-movies"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7407","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/471"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7407"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7407\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7407"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7407"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7407"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}