15 Actors Who Have Directed Music Videos

Peep visuals directed by everyone from Johnny Depp to Heath Ledger to Salma Hayek.

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Image via Complex Original
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Yesterday, Kid Cudi finally debuted the video to his weed-smoking anthem "Marijuana." Although we loved the video, one important detail stuck out to us, that it was directed by Transformers star Shia LaBeouf. The friendship between Shia and Cudi may seem random (but then again, Shia previously directed a video for Cage, who is friends with Cudi and was featured on Man On The Moon II: The Legend Of Mr. Rager), but actors directing music videos happens more often than you might think.

Ever so often, an actor or actress will befriend a musician and use whatever Holllywood charm they have to convince them that letting a thespian direct their video would be a good look. It usually gives the song some buzz and the actor gets a chance to claim that they're "multi-talented." So in honor of Cudi and Shia's new video, we decided to look back at 15 other actors who have directed music videos and their varying results. Lights, camera, you know the rest.

RELATED: Green Label - 10 Best Music Video Directors of All Time

Written by Insanul Ahmed (@IncilIn)

Sean Penn

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Shania Twain “Dance with the One That Brought You” (1993)

Directed by: Sean Penn

Also directed videos for: Lyle Lovett, Peter Gabriel

Complex says: Win Oscars, direct videos, and bascailly move to Haiti after that devestating earthquake last year. Is there anything Sean Penn can't do? Oh yeah, take a joke.

Ethan Hawke

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Lisa Loeb “Stay (I Missed You)” (1994)

Directed by: Ethan Hawke

Also directed videos for: N/A

Complex says: Okay fine, "Stay" is a bit corny. But it's also a '90s pop classic that's got an interesting story behind it. Ethan Hawke befriended Lisa Loeb and passed her demo to Ben Stiller, who was directing Reality Bites at the time. The song ended up on the film's ending credits as well as its soundtrack, which helped Loeb become the only person to ever have a Number one single on the Billboard charts without having any sort of record deal. Hawke also directed the video, which was rather impressive considering it was a single shot video.

Nia Long

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Ashanti “Baby” (2002)

Directed by: Nia Long

Also directed videos for: Yolanda Adams

Complex says: Not only did she star in this video, but Nia Long shared directing credits with Irv Gotti. An MTV article about the video noted Long "dictated how the shots should be filmed." Which we take to mean she just yelled a bunch of shit at people a.k.a. directing. 

Salma Hayek

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Prince “Te Amo Corazon” (2005)

Directed by: Salma Hayek

Also directed videos for: N/A

Complex says: We're not saying she's not talented (after all, she was mesmerizing as a stripper in From Dust Till Dawn in her Academy Award nominated role in Frida), but we have the sneaking suspicion Prince only let her direct this video to get it popping with shorty. And our guess is, it didn't work out because Prince was still trying to win her over years after the fact.

Joaquin Phoenix

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Ringside “Tired of Being Sorry (a.k.a. Spanishfaster)” (2005)

Directed by: Joaquin Phoenix

Also directed videos for: She Wants Revenge, People In Planes, Arckid, Albert Hammond Jr., Silversun Pickups

Complex says: Before making a mockumentary about being a rapper, Phoenix had a pretty legit sidegig as a music video director. "Tired of Being Sorry" was his first crack at directing and it was knockout (you can catch a cameo from I'm Still Here director Casey Affleck). Phoenix even convinced Ringside's label to increase the budget for the video.

William Zabka

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No More Kings “Sweep The Leg” (2007)

Directed by: William Zabka

Also directed videos for: N/A

Complex says: Who is William Zabka? Well, he played Johnny Lawrence in the original The Karate Kid (which featured the memorable line "Sweep the leg Johnny"). This video managed to get most of the original cast from the film together and took place years after where the film left off. It's not perfect, but it's still way better than the actual Karate Kid sequels. 

Jason Alexander

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Brad Paisley “Online” (2007)

Directed by: Jason Alexander

Also directed videos for: N/A

Complex says: True, we don't really know who Brad Paisley is and we really don't care. All we know is the dude who played George Costanza on Seinfeld won the 2007 Country Music Association's Video of the Year Award for directing "Online." We're just glad it didn't go to Taylor Swift. Has that girl ever won an award and not pretended to be shocked?

Richard Ayoade

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Arctic Monkeys “Fluorescent Adolescent” (2007)

Directed by: Richard Ayoade

Also directed videos for: Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Vampire Weekend, Super Furry Animals, The Last Shadow Puppets

Complex says: If you aren't familar with Ayoade, he's a British actor and comedian best known for his role on the British sitcom The IT Crowd. Either way, he's got a pretty impressive resume when it comes to directing music videos for rock bands starting with "Fluorescent Adolescent."

Kevin Connolly

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The Game f/ Ne-Yo “Camera Phone” (2008)

Directed by: Kevin Connolly

Also directed videos for: N/A

Complex says: As if playing E on Entourage wasn't enough, Connolly decided to get his street cred up by directing a video for Game. 

Gary Oldman

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Chutzpah "Red Rover" (2009)

Directed by: Gary Oldman

Also directed videos for: Johnathan Clark, Alex Eden

Complex says: Don't let the director credit in the video (which attributes the video to Larry Goldman) fool you, this video was definitely directed by Gary Oldman. And we gotta admit, we were surely disappointed by Commissioner Gordon's selection in rap groups to work with. On Chutzpah's website, they claim to be "The World's First Ever Jewish Hip-Hop Supergroup!" Um... ever heard of the Beastie Boys?

Joey Lauren Adams

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Dashboard Confessional “Belle Of The Boulevard” (2009)

Directed by: Joey Lauren Adams

Also directed videos for: N/A

Complex says: Is it just us, or does that little girl in the video looks exactly like what we would imagine Chasing Amy star Joey Lauren Adams looked like as a little girl? 

Heath Ledger

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Modest Mouse “King Rat” (2009)

Directed by: Heath Ledger

Also directed videos for: Ben Harper

Complex says: R.I.P. to the late, great Heath Ledger, who died prior to the release of this animated video. According to Modest Mouse, Ledger fully conceived the vision for the video, but died before he could complete it. The Masses (a film and music collective which Ledger was a part of) eventually stepped in and completed the video and gave director credit to Ledger, who had previously directed a video for Ben Harper.

Shannyn Sossamon

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Warpaint “Undertow” (2010)

Directed by: Shannyn Sossamon

Also directed videos for: N/A

Complex says: Not only did Shannyn Sossamon direct a video for Warpaint, but she was actually the group's original drummer. However, Sossamon's sister Jenny Lindberg took over with the band, while Sossamon made her name playing love interest to Heath Ledger in A Knight's Tale and Josh Hartnett in 40 Days and 40 Nights. She's also appeared in music videos for everyone from Cher to Korn to DJ Quik.

Johnny Depp

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Babybird “Unloveable” (2010)

Directed by: Johnny Depp

Also directed videos for: N/A

Complex says: Not only did Depp helm this incredibly artsy and surprisingly inspired video, but he also played the guitar on the song and practically funded all of Babybird's Ex-Maniac album (though they wouldn't let him tour with them). The video however, was met with some controversy thanks to scene where Stephen Jones is hanged.

Regina King

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Kelly Price “Not My Daddy” (2011)

Directed by: Regina King

Also directed videos for: N/A

Complex says: When you've been through a divorce that includes allegations of physical abuse, drug use, and extramarital affairs, we're guessing you have a lot of personal experiences to cull from when directing a video for a song about relationship troubles.

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