Skip to content

Top Navigation

EW.com Entertainment Weekly EW.com Entertainment Weekly
  • TV
    • TV Reviews
    • TV Reunions
    • TV Recaps
    • Animated
    • Comedy
    • Crime
    • Drama
    • Family
    • Mystery
    • Reality
    • Sci-fi
    • Thriller
  • Movies
    • Movie Reviews
    • Trailers
    • Film Festivals
    • Movie Reunions
    • Movie Previews
  • Music
    • Music Reviews
  • Books
    • Book Reviews
    • Author Interviews
  • Theater
    • Theater Reviews
  • Podcasts
  • Gaming
  • Events
    • Comic-Con
  • Celebrity
  • Awards
    • Oscars
    • Emmys
    • Golden Globes
    • SAG Awards
    • Grammys
    • Tony Awards
  • Streaming

Profile Menu

Your Profile

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Order Past Issues this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout
Login
Subscribe

Explore EW.com

EW.com Entertainment Weekly EW.com Entertainment Weekly
  • Explore

    Explore

    • Every RuPaul's Drag Race season 13 runway look, ranked

      Every RuPaul's Drag Race season 13 runway look, ranked

      Read More Next
    • Spread the love with EW's Valentine's Day gift guide

      Spread the love with EW's Valentine's Day gift guide

      Read More Next
    • The Masked Dancer revealed: Every unmasked celebrity on season 1

      The Masked Dancer revealed: Every unmasked celebrity on season 1

      Read More Next
  • TV

    TV

    See All TV
    • TV Reviews
    • TV Reunions
    • TV Recaps
    • Animated
    • Comedy
    • Crime
    • Drama
    • Family
    • Mystery
    • Reality
    • Sci-fi
    • Thriller
  • Movies

    Movies

    See All Movies
    • Movie Reviews
    • Trailers
    • Film Festivals
    • Movie Reunions
    • Movie Previews
  • Music

    Music

    See All Music
    • Music Reviews
  • Books

    Books

    See All Books
    • Book Reviews
    • Author Interviews
  • Theater

    Theater

    See All Theater
    • Theater Reviews
  • Podcasts
  • Gaming
  • Events

    Events

    See All Events
    • Comic-Con
  • Celebrity
  • Awards

    Awards

    See All Awards
    • Oscars
    • Emmys
    • Golden Globes
    • SAG Awards
    • Grammys
    • Tony Awards
  • Streaming

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Profile

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Order Past Issues this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home Chevron Right
  2. Gallery Chevron Right
  3. The 50 Smartest People In Hollywood

The 50 Smartest People In Hollywood

It's not about power anymore -- meet the brains who are taking the film biz forward, from Ben Affleck to Sacha Baron Cohen to Jodie Foster to...our Superbad No. 1
By EW Staff
Updated November 28, 2007 at 10:00 PM EST
Skip gallery slides
Save FB Tweet

1 of 50

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

1

Ben Affleck
Credit: Charley Gallay/Getty Images

1 of 50

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 50

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

2

Sarah Polley
Credit: Jesse Grant/WireImage.com

2 of 50

3 of 50

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

3

Image
Credit: Matthew Simmons/WireImage.com

3 of 50

Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

4 of 50

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

4

Image
Credit: John Sciulli/WireImage.com

4 of 50

Advertisement

5 of 50

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

5

Image
Credit: Albert L. Ortega/WireImage.com

5 of 50

6 of 50

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

6

Cate Blanchett
Credit: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images

6 of 50

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

7 of 50

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

7

Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Credit: ILLUSTRATION BY ROBERT RISKO

7 of 50

Advertisement
Advertisement

8 of 50

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

8

Image
Credit: Jemal Countess/WireImage.com

8 of 50

Advertisement

9 of 50

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

9

Image
Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage.com

9 of 50

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

10 of 50

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

10

Image
Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

10 of 50

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

11 of 50

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

11

Image
Credit: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

11 of 50

Advertisement
Advertisement

12 of 50

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

12

Image
Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

12 of 50

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

13 of 50

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

13

Diablo Cody
Credit: Todd Williamson/WireImage.com

13 of 50

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

14 of 50

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

14

Guillermo del Toro
Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

14 of 50

Advertisement
Advertisement

15 of 50

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

15

Image
Credit: Steve Goldstein/The New York Times/Redux

15 of 50

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

16 of 50

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

16

Image

16 of 50

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

17 of 50

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

17

Sacha Baron Cohen
Credit: Peter Andrews/Corbis

17 of 50

Advertisement
Advertisement

18 of 50

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

18

Angelina Jolie
Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

18 of 50

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

19 of 50

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

19

Thelma Schoonmaker
Credit: John Baer

19 of 50

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

20 of 50

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

20

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend
Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

20 of 50

Advertisement
Advertisement

21 of 50

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

21

Image
Credit: ILLUSTRATION BY KIRSTEN ULVE

21 of 50

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

22 of 50

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

22

Abrams_l_2

22 of 50

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

23 of 50

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

23

Image
Credit: Jasin Boland

23 of 50

Advertisement
Advertisement

24 of 50

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

24

Image
Credit: Michael Moore: Gregg DeGuire/WireImage.com

24 of 50

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

25 of 50

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

25

Image
Credit: Vince Bucci/Getty Images

25 of 50

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

26 of 50

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

26

Image
Credit: Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage.com

26 of 50

Advertisement
Advertisement

27 of 50

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

27

Image
Credit: Michael Germana/Everett Collection

27 of 50

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

28 of 50

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

28

Image
Credit: Michael Bezjian/WireImage

28 of 50

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

29 of 50

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

29

Image
Credit: Steve Granitz/WireImage.com

29 of 50

Advertisement
Advertisement

30 of 50

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

30

Image
Credit: ILLUSTRATION BY ROBERT RISKO

30 of 50

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

31 of 50

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

31

Image
Credit: John Sciulli/WireImage.com

31 of 50

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

32 of 50

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

32

Image
Credit: Steve Granitz/WireImage.com

32 of 50

Advertisement
Advertisement

33 of 50

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

33

Image
Credit: Greg Gorman

33 of 50

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

34 of 50

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

34

Image
Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

34 of 50

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

35 of 50

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

35

Image
Credit: Gregorio Binuya/Everett Collection

35 of 50

Advertisement
Advertisement

36 of 50

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

36

Image
Credit: Jim Spellman/WireImage.com

36 of 50