Steven Soderbergh - Directorial Style and Collaborations

Directorial Style and Collaborations

Soderbergh frequently works with actors on more than one occasion. The following is a list of notable collaborators (in order of first film appearance):

• Peter Gallagher (sex, lies, and videotape and The Underneath)
• Ron Vawter (sex, lies, and videotape and King of The Hill)
• Jeroen Krabbe (Kafka, King of the Hill and Ocean's Twelve)
• Joe Chrest (King of the Hill, The Underneath, Schizopolis, Out of Sight, Erin Brockovich, Full Frontal, Ocean's Thirteen and The Informant!)
• Spalding Gray (King of the Hill, Gray's Anatomy and And Everything is Going Fine)
• Eddie Jemison (Schizopolis, Ocean's Eleven, Ocean's Twelve, Ocean's Thirteen, and The Informant!)
• Don Cheadle (Out of Sight, Traffic, Ocean's Eleven, Ocean's Twelve and Ocean's Thirteen)
• George Clooney (Out of Sight, Ocean's Eleven, Solaris, Ocean's Twelve, The Good German and Ocean's Thirteen)
• Viola Davis (Out of Sight, Traffic and Solaris)
• Luis Guzmán (Out of Sight, The Limey, and Traffic)
• Catherine Keener (Out of Sight and Full Frontal)
• Nicky Katt (The Limey and Full Frontal)
• Terrence Stamp (The Limey and Full Frontal)
• Albert Finney (Erin Brockovich, Traffic and Ocean's Twelve)
• Julia Roberts (Erin Brockovich, Ocean's Eleven, Full Frontal and Ocean's Twelve)
• Michael Douglas (Traffic, Haywire and Behind the Candelabra)
• Topher Grace (Traffic, Ocean's Eleven and Ocean's Twelve)
• Benicio del Toro (Traffic and Che)
• Catherine Zeta-Jones (Traffic, Ocean's Twelve and Side Effects)
• Matt Damon (Ocean's Eleven, Ocean's Twelve, Ocean's Thirteen, Che Part 2: Guerrilla, The Informant!, Contagion and Behind the Candelabra)
• Elliott Gould (Ocean's Eleven, Ocean's Twelve, Ocean's Thirteen and Contagion)
• Brad Pitt (Ocean's Eleven, Full Frontal, Ocean's Twelve and Ocean's Thirteen)
• Enrico Colantoni (Full Frontal and Contagion)
• Jude Law (Contagion and Side Effects)
• Channing Tatum (Haywire, Magic Mike and Side Effects)

"I've always gotten along with them," says Soderbergh of actors, "I try and make sure they're OK, and when they're in the zone, I leave them alone. I don't get in their way." His non-intrusive directorial style has attracted repeat performances by many high-profile movie stars. Julia Roberts had supporting roles in Ocean's Eleven, Ocean's Twelve, and Full Frontal, and won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her lead in Erin Brockovich. Benicio del Toro, who also won an Academy Award for his work in a Soderbergh film (Traffic), later starred in Guerrilla and The Argentine. Catherine Zeta-Jones won a Golden Globe nomination for her portrayal of Helena in Traffic (2000) and reteamed with him for box-office hit Ocean's Twelve (2004). But the actor he has collaborated most frequently with is George Clooney, who played the leading role six of his films, and with whom he co-owned the film production company, Section Eight Productions. Section Eight produced the critical hits Far From Heaven, Insomnia, and Syriana as well as the Clooney-directed films Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and Good Night, and Good Luck.

Soderbergh often acts as his own director of photography under the alias of Peter Andrews and occasionally as his own editor under the alias of Mary Ann Bernard. While shooting Traffic, Soderbergh wanted a credit of "Photographed and Directed by". The Writer's Guild (WGA) wouldn't allow another credit ahead of the writer. Because Soderbergh didn't want his name used more than once, he adopted a pseudonym, Peter Andrews, his father's first and middle names.

Soderbergh often utilizes Cliff Martinez to construct/compose the soundtracks to his movies, and when not cutting his own films, he relies on editor Stephen Mirrione.