Dave Franco couldn’t have made movie without wife Alison Brie

Dave Franco has thanked his wife Alison Brie for giving him the courage to make his directorial debut The Rental.

The 35-year-old star heaped praise on the actress, who he married in 2017, after they teamed up for the new horror movie.

Dave also co-wrote the screenplay with Joe Swanberg and insists he couldn’t have made the transition to director without the support of his spouse.

"There were moments throughout the shoot where I would really get into my own head and start to doubt myself in small ways," he told Moonlight filmmaker Barry Jenkins during a chat for MovieMaker magazine. "And so to be able to go home to her every night and have someone who would build me up and remind me that things were going well and that I was doing a good job - it was invaluable and I honestly don’t think I could have done this without her."

Dave says that as well as being an incredible wife, Alison also impressed him with her performance as Michelle in The Rental.

The new thriller follows two couples who begin to suspect a home owner is spying on them when they rent a holiday property by the ocean.

“But I swear, watching her intently every day for five weeks, I realised that she might be the greatest actress on the planet and I’m not just saying that because she’s standing 10 feet away,” he revealed.

"She’s a really unique actor in the way that she’s able to balance heavy drama with moments of levity, sometimes within the space of a single scene… On top of her just being an incredible actress, it was so nice to have her there with me."

The Rental, which also stars Dan Stevens, Sheila Vand and Jeremy Allen White, is released in theatres and available on-demand from 24 July.