Summary
- Some of today's most famous actors, like Zendaya and Emma Stone, have publicly shared their favorite movies, showcasing their love for cinema.
- Actors like Keanu Reeves, Michelle Yeoh, and Florence Pugh have been inspired by culturally significant classics, such as A Clockwork Orange, A Wizard of Oz, and The Silence of the Lambs.
- Favorite films can vary greatly among actors, with choices ranging from comedy like Step Brothers to epic genre fare like 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Dark Knight.
Some of today's most famous actors harbor a deep ion for cinema, as evident in their picks for their favorite movies of all time, while others just seem to love a good laugh. From Oscar-nominated legends to the faces of beloved franchises, the biggest stars in Hollywood have publicly weighed in on their favorite films. Some shared insights into culturally significant classics that inspired their artistic journey, and some praised beloved comfort movies to return to again and again.
If there seems to be any trend among these actors, it's love for the work of Stanley Kubrick. Three of Kubrick's best movies are represented among the Hollywood stars' favorites, with none of them repeated by any actor. Meanwhile, two of the choices for favorite movies are produced, but not directed by, Judd Apatow. The earliest favorite is a silent film from as far back as 1931, and the most recent is from 2010.
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20 Zendaya
Superbad (2007)
Euphoria and Spider-Man star Zendaya tweeted in 2017 praising the high school comedy classic Superbad. The film was Seth Rogen's feature debut as a screenwriter, collaborating with his lifelong friend Evan Goldberg, with whom he started the script when they were only 13. The film also marked both Michael Cera and Jonah Hill's first lead roles in film and featured a breakout role for Emma Stone. In Zendaya's tweet, she added that no matter how many times she has seen the film, it never fails to make her laugh.
19 Emma Stone
City Lights (1931)
Emma Stone is known for her Oscar-winning performance in the musical La La Land, her breakout role in the comedy Superbad, and her portrayal of Gwen Stacy in the Amazing Spider-Man franchise. When Entertainment Weekly asked Stone to name a movie she always recommends to people, the actor responded with Charlie Chaplin's City Lights, calling it her favorite movie "of all time" and praising it as a pioneer of romantic comedy. Filled with both uproarious slapstick and genuine heart, the film follows the misadventures of Chaplin's iconic Tramp character as he falls for a blind woman who mistakes him for a millionaire.
18 Keanu Reeves
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Keanu Reeves is known to audiences for leading several successful franchises with his stoic yet witty persona — most notably the John Wick and The Matrix movies. In 2021, Reeves shared a list of his 20 favorite films with Esquire, and one of the titles was Stanley Kubrick's classic surreal, ultra-violent, darkly comic, visceral anti-establishment drama A Clockwork Orange. The film follows Alex as he goes on a violent crime spree with his gang, and later his incarceration and attempts at rehabilitation through an experimental therapy technique.
17 Florence Pugh
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
When asked in a 2019 Radio Times interview about her career ambitions, Oscar-nominated actor Florence Pugh expressed her hope to do something like her favorite film, The Silence of the Lambs, and tossed around the idea of playing Hannibal Lecter's daughter. It's no shock Pugh was so inspired by what many consider to be one of the greatest horror films of all time, as she's already proven her skill for bringing palpable terror to the screen in Midsommar.
16 Anthony Hopkins
The Third Man (1949)
In a poll conducted around the turn of the millennium by John Davies, acclaimed two-time Oscar-winning Welsh actor Sir Anthony Hopkins listed his 10 favorite films. The renowned The Silence of the Lambs actor selected the 1949 film noir mystery thriller The Third Man, which stars Orson Welles and revolves around a pulp novelist investigating the suspicious death of his childhood friend, as one of his favorites. Once voted by the British Film Institute as the greatest film of all time, the choice reflects the refined taste of a classy and unparalleled actor.
15 Meryl Streep
Waiting for Guffman (1996)
In an interview with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (via SimplyStreep.com), Meryl Streep mentioned one of her favorite directors being Christopher Guest, known for his deadpan mockumentaries. The legendary actor mentioned that Guest's work may not be known to casual moviegoers, imploring those who haven't heard of the director to check out his hysterical film Waiting for Guffman. The film follows an enthusiastic amateur theater director from a small town in Missouri and his barely able cast of locals who try to up their game for their latest show when they hear a Broadway producer will be in attendance.
14 Paul Mescal
Blue Valentine (2010)
In another interview for their series asking actors and filmmakers to name the films they love, Letterboxd caught up with Paul Mescal, the breakout star of the TV series Normal People and an Oscar-nominee for his brilliantly understated performance in Aftersun. His first pick, which he later singled out as one of his definite top two, was the relationship drama Blue Valentine, starring Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling. The film follows a couple as they fall in love, then several years later as their marriage falls apart. Mescal cited just how emotional the film makes him, saying it's "consistently a film that I go back to punish my feelings with."
13 Ryan Gosling
Step Brothers (2008)
During the promotion of their film The Gray Man, quotable Step Brothers, starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly. He described it as a film that never fails to satisfy, regardless of his mood.
12 Tom Hanks
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Letterboxd interviewed multi-Oscar-winning actor and American icon Tom Hanks as part of their series asking celebrities on the red carpet to name their four favorite films. The team caught up with the actor at one of the premieres of Asteroid City, his first collaboration with Wes Anderson. With no hesitation, Hanks's first pick was Stanley Kubrick's singular epic 2001: A Space Odyssey, which he said he watches a few times a year. He also playfully mentioned that watching the movie with him would probably be no fun, as he has so much to say about the film that he would talk the whole time.
11 Michaelle Yeoh
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Amid Everything Everywhere All at Once's massive success, and Michelle Yeoh's career resurgence because of the film, the actor sat down for a virtual Letterboxd interview where she and co-star Jamie Lee Curtis named their four favorite films. Yeoh mentioned the iconic Judy Garland musical The Wizard of Oz as a favorite of hers. She expressed her adoration of the film, highlighting her love for dance and describing it as a quintessential example of the "magic of cinema."
