Some actors and directors, try as they might, just can’t bear to be apart from each other for long periods–they’re meant to be together (on movie sets), bound by similar artistic sensibilities and maybe even similar personalities. But their separation anxiety is our gain, as these cinematic soul mates are oftentimes at their best when collaborating. Here are 10 such duos, led by the neo-standard of Keira Knightley and Joe Wright, whose Oscar-winning Atonement is now available on DVD.
Keira Knightley/Joe Wright: Atonement, Pride and Prejudice
These two high-brow Britons clearly share a weakness for romance stories–namely those that were once novels…written by fellow Brits (Jane Austen and Ian McEwan). OK, so they’ve only worked together twice, but their quality-over-quantity sample size is indicative of what we can expect should they collaborate again down the road (and cinematic soul mates always do): the eloquence of a great novel, coupled with the grandness that even a great novel can’t fully realize within the confines of its pages.[PAGEBREAK]
Johnny Depp/Tim Burton: Sweeney Todd, Corpse Bride, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Sleepy Hollow, Ed Wood, Edward Scissorhands
The granddaddy of all (modern-day) actor-director cliques, Depp and Burton are closer to kindred spirits than mere movie cohorts. Sure, they have gone off and done their separate blockbuster franchises in the past–the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy for Johnny, the Batman movies for Tim–but these two always reconvene before long to churn out another great Goth-soaked drama (or musical, or comedy, or kids movie). Their latest, Sweeney, might’ve been their greatest–or maybe it was their first, Scissorhands, in which Depp’s title character bore an eerie similarity to Burton. Is it any wonder that their formidable brotherhood started then and there?[PAGEBREAK]
Russell Crowe/Ridley Scott: Body of Lies (upcoming), American Gangster, A Good Year, Gladiator
Crowe’s larger-than-life persona is tailor-made for big ol’ popcorn movies, and that has been director Scott’s forte for decades. Voila! The 2006 bomb A Good Year showed that neither of the two is remotely cut out for romantic dramedy, but they can do no wrong in any other genre. Gladiator proved to be a studio’s dream in 2000, when it was a massive hit at the box office AND the Oscars; last year’s Gangster only boasted financial success, but green is much more important to a big studio than (Oscar) gold. October’s Body of Lies, co-starring some guy you may have heard of named Leonardo DiCaprio, will at least be another Gangster for this uber-power pair.[PAGEBREAK]
George Clooney/Steven Soderbergh: Ocean’s Thirteen/Twelve/Eleven, The Good German, Solaris, Out of Sight
Before announcing the end of their business partnership–and ostensibly their collaborations altogether–in 2006, this duo had one helluva run. Alternating between passion projects and, well, Ocean’s movies, Clooney and Soderbergh more than anything shared a keen understanding of how the movie industry works, and parlayed it into their own little game of “One for you, one for me”: Do one can’t-miss blockbuster to appease the studio, and you can follow it up with a low-budget flick of your choosing. In the end, even their indie ventures were considerable successes (OK, maybe not The Good German), including and culminating with the Clooney-directed, Soderbergh-produced Oscar winner Good Night, And Good Luck–on which Clooney met his new partner, Grant Heslov.[PAGEBREAK]
Uma Thurman/Quentin Tarantino: Kill Bill: Vol. 1, Kill Bill Vol. 2, Pulp Fiction
They may have only officially worked together twice (the separately released Kill Bill movies, remember, were filmed as one), but “Q & U” have such an intense and immense relationship that it might be a chemistry hazard to work together as often as, say, Johnny Depp and Tim Burton. Tarantino made a superstar (and Oscar nominee) out of Thurman with Pulp Fiction, and she, in turn, has served as his muse–and punching bag: Thurman’s two characters have essentially died and come back to life in both movies, courtesy of drugs (Fiction) and a bullet in the head (Kill Bill), each time de-beautifying Thurman’s gorgeous face. A lot of actresses think they would love to be Tarantino’s go-to femme fatale, but no one is game like Thurman for the all-out beating it involves.[PAGEBREAK]
Seth Rogen/Judd Apatow: Knocked Up, 40-Year-Old Virgin
The class clowns of Cinematic Soul Mates 101, Rogen and Apatow are probably more “on the same page” than any other duo on this list–despite their 15-year age difference. And while only Knocked Up and Virgin fit the criteria of this list, Rogen and Apatow have collaborated, and continue to do so, in some capacity on numerous projects (i.e., Rogen co-wrote and Apatow produced Drillbit Taylor, out this week); in fact, one rarely makes a mov(i)e these days without the other. Their connection dates back all the way to the Freaks and Geeks days, as anyone else who has listened to all of that show’s DVD commentary can attest! Their cerebrally filthy minds and potty mouths are virtually interchangeable–as well as responsible for making them today’s Kings of Comedy.[PAGEBREAK]
Leonardo DiCaprio/Martin Scorsese: The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt (upcoming), Shutter Island (upcoming), The Departed, The Aviator, Gangs of New York
You know you’re a film-industry veteran when you’ve had not one, but two cinematic soul mates. For Scorsese, DiCaprio is his new Robert DeNiro, and it’s a somewhat surprising union that has worked amazingly well. DiCaprio has totally rejuvenated Martn Scorsese’s career (not to mention his box office bottom line, which was previously a constant letdown), while the director has provided, as much as anything, the legitimacy DiCaprio has been seeking ever since Titanic; Scorsese has proven to be his teen-idol escape route. They will add to their extremely diverse co-filmography twice next year with the thriller Shutter Island and the biopic Roosevelt. Double the Oscar potential![PAGEBREAK]
Owen Wilson/Wes Anderson: The Darjeeling Limited, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The Royal Tenenbaums, Rushmore (Wilson was uncredited), Bottle Rocket
Wilson and Anderson are the only ones on this list who are old-school friends–pre-fame style. They rose up through the ranks in Austin, Texas, together (along with Owen’s brothers Luke and Andrew) and have since perfected an inimitable, wholly authentic style all their own that has won them a large cult following (pardon the oxymoron). In addition to appearing in all of Anderson’s films–a streak that comes to an end with next year’s The Fantastic Mr. Fox—Wilson has co-written three of them, beginning with the most beloved of them all, Bottle Rocket. In other words, it’s not just a shared sense of dry humor that makes their chemistry palpable; it’s a decades-old history.[PAGEBREAK]
Scarlett Johansson/Woody Allen: Vicky Cristina Barcelona (upcoming), Scoop, Match Point
Like Martin Scorsese, Allen has been in the biz so long that he’s onto his second cinematic partnership–or muse, in this case: Johansson is his 21st century Diane Keaton. Never mind the almost 50 years that separate these two; they simply connect. Allen sees the old soul underneath Johansson’s poster-worthy looks and knows how to put it to good use. He is also doing her a career a great service by clogging up her schedule (at least for the time being) and preventing big-payday mistakes like The Island (at least for the time being). What does she offer in return? Well, if you think Allen’s movies are annual non-entities at the box office now, just imagine how poorly they’d do if she wasn’t in them![PAGEBREAK]
Denzel Washington/Spike Lee: Inside Man Sequel (upcoming; Washington is currently unattached), Inside Man, He Got Game, Malcolm X, Mo’ Better Blues
Prior to Inside Man, all Denzel–Spike collabos had a downtrodden theme, for better or worse (usually better). But Inside Man, their first movie together in eight years and easily their second best behind Malcolm X, left a much less bitter taste in our mouths. It also left us hopeful that these two could someday finish what they started together: highly successful, relevant, important movie careers. Lee is reportedly on board for writer Russell Gewirtz’s 2010 Inside Man follow-up, but can he coax Denzel?
