Acting has always been the direction, but sometimes, the map may lead an actor in a different path along the road. Such is true in the case of a handful of Filipino celebrities who initially got into the industry to showcase their acting prowess but landed another highly regarded title that is “director.”

These are the actors, who, at some point in their careers, decided to work behind the lens.

While these stars are sure to be hard at work creating films, series, and other content, manning the camera department and going behind-the-scenes are a whole different story that would take every fiber of commitment. But juggling two (or more) hats at a time seems to be an enjoyable experience for the following actors and actresses.

Check out the gallery below and see who’s wearing the director’s hat when they’re not doing scenes in front of the camera:

Coco Martin - What can a Coco Martin possibly not do? From acting to producing and eventually directing, the “Ang Probinsyano” star is a real force to be reckoned with. With at least five directing stints under his belt, the filmmaker has co-directed and directed several projects such as “Ang Panday” (2017); “3Pol Trobol: Huli Ka Balbon!” (2019); “Labyu With an Accent” (2022); and of course, the longest-running series in the history of Philippine television, “FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano” (2015). The 2010 indie film ”Noy” credits Coco as as one of the people behind the story. For his directorial stints, he prefers to be credited using his real name Rodel Nacianceno. His latest show, ABS-CBN and Dreamscape's “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo,” (2023) is also set to hit the small screen soon; here, he takes the lead with Lovi Poe and shares the director role with Malu L. Sevilla.@cocomartin_ph

'Noy' (2010)IMDb

'FPJ's Ang Probinsyano' (2015)IMDb

'Ang Panday' (2017)IMDb

'3Pol Trobol: Huli Ka Balbon!' (2019)IMDb

'Labyu With an Accent' (2022)IMDb

'FPJ's Batang Quiapo' (2023)@dreamscapeph

Bela Padilla - One of the most sought-after actresses of her generation, Bella Padilla recently made her directorial debut through the film “366,” (2022) where she also starred as the female lead alongside versatile actors Zanjoe Marudo and JC Santos. Last year, on Valentine’s Day, the Philippine cinema’s “Queen of Hearts” dropped the official trailer of the movie, marking her first project as a film director. @bela

'366' (2022)IMDb

@bela

Kean Cipriano - While actor-musician Kean Cipriano is known to have been helming music videos for a while now, he is yet to create a big screen project. In an interview with ABS-CBN in 2017, the former Callalily frontman expressed his desire to direct a film starring seasoned actor John Lloyd Cruz. As a director, he also snagged an award at the MYX Music Awards 2018, winning Urban Video of the Year for the official music video of “Labo” (2017); the song is performed by KZ Tandingan. The MV of Sam Milby’s “Tunay Na Pag-Ibig” (2017) was directed by the music artist, too.@nqbymetrophoto via @kean

@kean

@starmagicphils

Alessandra De Rossi - In 2021, award-winning Filipino-Italian actress Alessandra De Rossi debuted as a director via the romance-drama film “My Amanda.” The project is top-billed by Alessandra herself who also wrote the screenplay and is one of the producers, and her leading man was Piolo Pascual. Distributed by streaming giant Netflix, the movie has dominated the platform’s charts and even landed the number one spot on Netflix Philippines’ Top 10.@piolopascual_ph via @msderossi

'My Amanda' (2021)IMDb

Ice Seguerra - Apart from being a singer and songwriter, Ice Seguerra now radiates his talent to directing. In 2022, he just launched his career as a director by steering the wheel of the reality competition series “Drag Race Philippines: Untucked.” His wife, Film Development Council of the Philippines chairperson Liza Diño, revealed in a social media post that the “cat’s out of the bag” as Ice made his directorial debut.@lizadino

'Drag Race Philippines: Untucked' (2022)IMDb

Xian Lim - While Xian Lim is one of the most-coveted leading men in local showbiz, it may be unbeknownst to many that the Filipino-Chinese model and actor also dabbles in directing. His first direction was through the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival entry titled “Tabon” (2019). The crime film was followed by his other directorial projects such as the mini series “Pasabuy” (2021) and the most recent, a film called “Hello, Universe!” (2023) starring Janno Gibbs. He also put on the director hat for the movie “Wish Ko Lang.“@xianlimm

'Tabon' (2019)IMDb

'Pasabuy' (2021)IMDb

'Hello, Universe!' (2023)IMDb

John Prats - Actor John Prats broadened his horizons by traversing another field that is directing. He has partly directed some episodes in “FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano” (2015), where he is one of the cast members, and has also ventured into music video direction. He is the director of the official MVs of some of Moira Dela Torre’s tracks like “Malaya” and “Tagpuan,” which were both released in 2018. In 2021, John, too, directed an episode in the noontime show “It’s Showtime.” Last year, the veteran actor was again tapped to be at the helm of the star-studded “ABS-CBN Christmas Special,” marking his third time directing the annual Christmas offering. He also recently directed the concerts of Moira at The Big Dome; K-Pop star Jessi in MOA Arena; 'Be You 2' with Korean artists TVXQ, EXO's Xiumin and Chen, and BOA in Smart Araneta Colisuem; as well as the Dunkin' fan meet of Korean actor Kim Soo-hyun also in Araneta Coliseum.Nice Print Photography via @johnprats

@johnprats

- John Prats and Moira dela Torre@johnprats

- ABS-CBN Christmas Special 2022ABS-CBN

Nadine Lustre - Nadine Lustre is a true jewel of Philippine cinema and television as her star power and acting abilities have always been in tip-top shape. An actress, singer, and dancer, the newest Metro Manila Film Festival Best Actress is indeed a multi-talented artist. In case you do not know, the “Deleter” star made her directorial debut via James Reid’s music video in 2017. The latter’s single, “The Life,” was directed by Nadine alongside celebrated filmmaker Petersen Vargas. With how creative and hands-on she is at work, it won't be surprising if she decides to wear the director's hat again—we can't wait till she does!@nadine

Paulo Avelino - While Paulo Avelino is yet to become a director, he established his very own film production outfit named WASD Films. Also, back in 2022, in an exclusive one-on-one with Metro.Style, Paulo shared, “I’d like to be behind cameras as much as I’m in front of it, because you get a broader look on what’s happening and you could specify where things need to improve on.” Who knows? He might take the directing trail real soon!@pauavelino

Lead photos from @jellyeugenio, @cocomartin_ph, @bela

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