Alan Rickman has said actors who choose to direct themselves in movies are “stupid” – even though he has just done it himself.

The Harry Potter star directs new period drama A Little Chaos starring Kate Winslet, and appears opposite her as King Louis XIV. But he insisted he took “a lot” of persuading to cast himself in the role.

Alan said: “I’m not stupid, a stupid person directs a movie and then acts in it as well. That’s probably actionable by some of the actors who have directed movies lately, and all I can say is, my hat is off to them.”

Alan admitted it was a struggle to govern the camera and preside over court as King Louis in the film.

He said: “It’s not easy but you realise after a while you have the same expression on your face. “I’m Louis the XIV, I’m a director – sort of.”

Here’s a look at some other actors who have directed themselves, with varying degrees of success.

Clint Eastwood

Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood (Eric Charbonneau/AP)

Western star Clint, 84, has directed himself many times, including in the multi-Oscar winning Million Dollar Baby.

George Clooney

George Clooney (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
George Clooney (Evan Agostini/Invision)

The Hollywood heartthrob has appeared in most of the films he directed, some more successful than others. 2005′s Good Night, And Good Luck was nominated for six Oscars, while 2014′s The Monuments Men was not a hit with critics.

Russell Crowe

Russell takes the lead in his directorial debut The Water Diviner, which has just been released. It’s not been quite such a hit as other movies he has starred in.

Jodie Foster

Jodie Foster (Sylvain Gaboury/AP)
Jodie Foster (Sylvain Gaboury/AP)

Oscar-winning child star Jodie appeared in her first few directorial efforts, but for her latest movie Money Monster, which currently shooting with an all-star cast including George Clooney and Julia Roberts, she has opted to stay behind the camera.

Sylvester Stallone

Sylvester Stallone (Kin Cheung/AP)
Sylvester Stallone (Kin Cheung/AP)

Sly doesn’t just like to be a man of action on screen, he likes to shout “action” too, directing all the Rocky sequels, Rambo, and the first Expendables movie.

Angelina Jolie

A picture of Angelina Jolie on the red carpet
Angelina Jolie (Joel Ryan/AP)

Up until now Angelina’s directing efforts have been highly critically acclaimed, and she has stayed out of the movies to focus on making them. But her next film By The Sea, will be her first attempt at directing herself, and her first time directing husband Brad Pitt.

Mel Gibson

A picture of Mel Gibson at an event
Mel Gibson (Chris Pizzello/AP)

Mel was a brave man when he directed himself in Braveheart – and it paid off, earning 10 Oscar nominations and winning five. But since then, the controversial figure has stayed behind the camera for his epics The Passion Of The Christ and Apocalypto.

Ben Affleck

Ben Affleck poses for pictures at the Hollywood Film Awards
Ben Affleck (Jordan Strauss/AP)

Following a number of “handsome hero” roles in films like Armageddon and Pearl Harbour, Ben gained a new-found respect when he took up directing. After working with his brother Casey in his directorial debut Gone Baby Gone, Ben decided to cast himself in The Town and Argo, both of which proved a success.