Many of the most well-known actors and actresses wear more than one hat behind the scenes. In front of the camera, they might change the original script with ad-libbing or suggesting different lines for their character. Behind the screen, many have been known to take a bigger creative role. Sometimes an actor or actress simply believes in a project and wants to make it happen, other times a film requires an additional investment during production and the studio well has run dry.
It’s not uncommon for a star to help fund a project they work on, though that tends to translate to an executive producer credit, as opposed to a producer credit. The distinction there is that the executive producer need not be quite as “hands-on” with production. A producer—in addition to sourcing the funding for the project—helps with casting and also makes artistic contributions to the set, location arrangements, and the film’s final form. In short, film producers have an enormous influence over everything from the filmmaking process to the culture of the movie set.
There are occasions when an actor is a frequent collaborator with a director, and their role as producer goes hand in hand with that partnership. But it’s rare for an actor to take on the role of a core producer in the nitty-gritty of the production—from pre- to post-production, or frankly, anywhere in between. Still, it does happen—perhaps more often than you might think.
To that end, Giggster compiled a list of actors representing a diverse range of age, race, and expression who have all produced at least two of their own movies. To be included, the actor had to have produced more than one of their own films and been billed not merely as executive producer but as producer or producer and executive producer.
