American director Noah Baumbach is one of American cinema’s filmmakers who has also earned a reputation as a screenwriter. Born and raised in New York City, the city has had several influences on Baumbach. Unsurprisingly, many of his film comedies have been set in New York City.
As a filmmaker and screenwriter, Noah Baumbach has had the unique honor of collaborating frequently with actors and directors. As a screenwriter, Baumbach has worked with filmmaker/screenwriter Wes Anderson since they first co-wrote the screenplay for the Wes Anderson-directed The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004). With regards to his partnership with actors, these are Noah Baumbach’s top collaborations.
Josh Hamilton – 3
The first time Josh Hamilton worked with Noah Baumbach was in the director’s directorial debut in 1995. Hamilton was cast as Grover in the comedy-drama Kicking and Screaming (1995). The film follows a group of college graduates who struggle to move on with their lives. The next time Hamilton starred in a Noah Baumbach-directed film was 17 years later, in 2012, in the black-and-white comedy-drama Frances Ha. Baumbach and Hamilton collaborated again in 2017 in the comedy-drama The Meyerowitz Stories (2017).
Eric Stoltz – 3
Like Josh Hamilton, Eric Stoltz‘s first collaboration with Noah Baumbach was in Kicking and Screaming. After collaborating in 1995, the actor and filmmaker remained close, with Stoltz starring in Baumbach’s next two films. Eric Stoltz played Darien in the American comedy Highball. Although filmed and shot in 1997, Highball was first released on DVD in April 2002. Baumbach fell out with the film’s producer and felt the film wasn’t finished. Although Baumbach ultimately disowned the film and wasn’t informed of its DVD release, Highball is still credited as his since he directed the entire project. Highball was made from the remaining budget from Mr. Jealousy. In Mr. Jealousy, Baumbach also worked with Eric Stoltz, casting him to play the lead character, Lester Grimm.
Mickey Sumner – 3
English actress Mickey Sumner is also one of Noah Baumbach’s top collaborators. Sumner has worked with Baumbach in three of his films. Their first collaboration was in Baumbach’s Frances Ha. Sumner played the supporting character of Sophie Levee. Although not in a major role, the next time Sumner appeared in a Baumbach film was in his 2017 comedy-drama The Meyerowitz Stories. Mickey Sumner also appeared in Baumbach’s next film, the six-category Academy Award-nominated film, Marriage Story (2019), starring Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver, Laura Dern, and Ray Liotta.
Ben Stiller – 3
Actor, comedian, and filmmaker Ben Stiller is also a top Noah Baumbach collaborator. Since they first worked together in 2010 in Baumbach’s romantic comedy-drama Greenberg, they’ve collaborated a total of three times. Stiller starred in Baumbach’s only feature film in 2014, While We’re Young. In the comedy-drama, Stiller played the lead role as Josh Srebnick. Their last collaboration was in 2017 in The Meyerowitz Stories, where he co-starred alongside Adam Sandler, Dustin Hoffman, and Emma Thompson.
Adam Driver – 5
Noah Baumbach and Adam Driver have had a working relationship of over a decade. The first time they worked together was in Frances Ha. Since then, Driver has featured in almost all of Baumbach’s popular films. Driver starred in While We’re Young, The Meyerowitz Stories, and Marriage Story. Driver received his second Academy Awards nomination (first Best Actor nomination) for his performance in Marriage Story at the 92nd Academy Awards. Unsurprisingly, Noah Baumbach cast Adam Driver in his latest film, the 2022 absurdist comedy-drama White Noise. Driver played one of the film’s lead characters, Prof. Jack Gladney.
Greta Gerwig – 5
Although actress and filmmaker Greta Gerwig has collaborated with Noah Baumbach five times, like Adam Driver, the two share more than a working relationship. Greta Gerwig (known for directing Box Office hits like Lady Bird, Little Women, and Barbie) first collaborated with Baumbach in 2010. Gerwig co-starred with Ben Stiller in Greenberg. In the movie, Gerwig plays Florence Marr, the Personal Assistant to the Greenberg family. In her next two collaborations with Baumbach, Greta Gerwig played the lead roles in Frances Ha and Mistress America (2015). Only Gerwig’s voice is heard in The Meyerowitz Stories (2017), voicing the character of Victoria. Gerwig co-leads with Adam Driver in Baumbach’s White Noise .
Greta Gerwig has been Noah Baumbach’s partner since they began dating in late 2011. The couple first met while working on their first collaboration film, Greenberg . Their union has produced two children, born in 2019 and 2023. Since they began dating, Baumbach and Gerwig’s collaboration transcended the actor-filmmaker working relationship. They have both worked on and written screenplays together. Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig co-wrote the screenplays of Frances Ha, Mistress America, and Barbie.
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