There’s an unparalleled kind of magic that occurs when directors and actors repeatedly collaborate on different projects, sharing a vision and crafting something that often results in some of both party’s best work. Something about these collaborations seems to enhance the talent of both director and actor and creates a film so magnetic and dynamic that it arguably often ends in some of the most critically acclaimed films we know. Whether they’re working across vastly different genres and styles each time or dominating one genre that the duo thrives in, there is no doubt that these collaborations elevate the product beyond expectations. They find inspiration and motivation in one another and their art benefits from that presence of the other. Here are ten of the best collaborators:

Tim Burton & Johnny Depp

The weird and wonderful worlds Tim Burton and Johnny Depp have built together are consistently imbued with gothic mysticism that have cemented them as one of the best director-actor duos of all time. Over the past thirty years, the auteur has cast Depp in some of his most iconic films, from Edward Scissorhands to Sleepy Hollow. Depp’s knack for total transformation lends itself perfectly to Burton’s expressionism-inspired aesthetics and themes. The pair have created some of our most beloved films, sharing a tender understanding of the macabre and what it means to be a misfit.

Wes Anderson & Bill Murray

In some way or another, Bill Murray has been a formidable presence in every one of Wes Anderson’s films since 1998. Anderson has repeatedly expressed his adoration for Murray, and their collaborations have developed so Murray is as expected of his films as his pastel colour palettes and symmetrical shots. Murray is notoriously hard to get hold of, but has an automatic ‘yes’ for Anderson’s films – that lack of convincing needed speaks to the bond between the two completely.

Martin Scorsese & Robert De Niro

Undoubtedly the most famous director-actor duo is Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro. The two have worked on nine films together across five decades and have largely become known as film’s greatest collaborators. Though they both excel in other films and roles uninvolved with the other, their creations together are renowned as completely masterful. De Niro’s famed method acting styles immerse him into each of Scorsese’s idiosyncratic worlds – there’s an iconic magic to each of the nine epics they’ve crafted together, and it undoubtedly lies in that relationship between them.

Martin Scorsese & Leonardo DiCaprio

Robert DeNiro is not Scorsese’s only muse – the director has frequently collaborated with Leonardo DiCaprio across five films, joining forces on some of the most widely heralded films of the last twenty years. Though their collaborations tend to have a different tone to those of Scorsese and De Niro, there’s merit in both: with DiCaprio, Scorsese is more experimental and pushes the limits of his film as opposed to reaching for iconic status. Though it’s debatable which collaboration will be remembered more fondly, there’s no doubt that both have had film audiences on tenterhooks for what feels like forever.

David Fincher & Brad Pitt

David Fincher is arguably one of the most interesting directors of our time in general – his innately dark direction has led to many of his films being heralded as classics already. At the heart of three of them, as his most frequent collaborator, is Brad Pitt. Joining forces on Se7en, Fight Club and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Pitt’s plays each role with his characteristic ease and slides seamlessly into Fincher’s various grim worlds. The two have a working relationship that has left legions wanting more collaborations – Pitt claimed that Fincher’s presence changed his life, so let’s hope they continue to collaborate.

Bong Joon-Ho & Song Kang-Ho

Parasite was a highlight of 2019 cinema, and at its heart is the collaboration between director Bong Joon-Ho and lead actor Song Kang-Ho. Its biting social critique and record-breaking achievements was born out of a long-lasting friendship between the two, one that has seen them completely tear  down the barriers often faced by international films. Their similarly meticulous approaches have seen them collaborate on four films, propelling them into deserved worldwide stardom and admiration – equally inspired by one another, it makes for a refreshingly ground-breaking series of collaborations.

Ryan Coogler & Michael B. Jordan

Genre and world spanning, Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan’s repeat collaboration has taken them from Wakanda to California through three vastly different but equally thought-provoking films. From Fruitvale Station to Black Panther, their work together delicately crafts incredibly complex characters, immersing the audience in rich backstories and backdrops. Jordan’s untouchable charisma paired with Coogler’s intimate directing style combine to make a trio of deeply personal, culturally significant films that mark the pair as one of the most incredible director-actor duos right now.

Nora Ephron & Meg Ryan

Nora Ephron’s Midas touch on the romantic-comedy genre has remained pioneering for the decades that have followed: would it have been as glistening without Meg Ryan’s slew of leading roles? Doubtful. Ephron’s flawless writing and direction with all its gorgeous witticisms continually heightens Ryan’s charm to maximise the heart-stringing pulling completely. Their combined efforts in the genre have had a long-lasting mark – from You’ve Got Mail to Sleepless in Seattle to the inimitable writing on When Harry Met Sally, to this day there is no shaking the distinctive enchantment of a Ephron-Ryan film.

Richard Linklater & Ethan Hawke

First working together on the hazily romantic Before Sunrise, Richard Linklater and Ethan Hawke forged a working relationship that carried them across the Before trilogy and through numerous other critically acclaimed films. Linklater’s temporal realism is repeatedly enlivened by Hawke’s effortlessness and the casual nature of his acting style. The result? A number of narratives celebrated for their everyday magic – they’re all the more meaningful and affective for it. The willingness of both to embrace risk in the pursuit of natural storytelling has produced one of the most enchanting working relationships in action. 

Greta Gerwig & Saoirse Ronan

Though they’ve only collaborated on two films (so far), Greta Gerwig and Saoirse Ronan’s work on Lady Bird and Little Women has set the stone for one of the most fruitful, important collaborations in recent years. Together they manage to capture such specific images of womanhood and vivid characters with a resonance like no other. They’ve managed to break boundaries and fill a generation of young girls with confidence and love in such a nuanced, heartfelt way. Gerwig’s direction dives into the specificity of one moment, and Ronan’s authenticity in each of her roles brings that particular moment to vivacious life.

Image Credit: LA Times