The Oscar-nominated actor’s second directorial effort, The Invisible Woman , opens this week. He talks to BuzzFeed about the seven directors who taught him everything he knows.
Ralph Fiennes on the set of The Invisible Woman.
David Appleby / Sony Pictures Classics
Classically trained British actor Ralph Fiennes has played everything from a Nazi officer to a Hungarian archeologist to a supreme dark wizard, and now, he's become a formidable feature film director. His directorial debut, released in 2011, was an adaptation of William Shakespeare's play Coriolanus, placing the action amidst a brutal, modern-day civil war akin to the Bosnian War of the 1990s. The film received great reviews, praising Fiennes' dual muscular direction and aggressive performance in the title role.
For his next effort as a director, The Invisible Woman — opening in limited release on Christmas Day — Fiennes has turned to a radically different subject: the real-life affair between renowned author Charles Dickens (Fiennes) and English actress Nelly Ternan (Felicity Jones) at the very height of his fame and career. The film is also receiving raves, this time for the subtle grace and emotional precision of Fiennes' work both behind and in front of the camera.
Ralph Fiennes in Coriolanus
Larry D. Horricks / The Weinstein Company
