Comedian Chris Rock returns to directing with Hollywood drama 'Misty Green'

Comedy star Chris Rock has returned to directing after a decade-long pause by making a drama but said that does not hint at a future filled with darker work.

"I'm always going to be a comedian," Rock said Sunday, the day after the world premiere of "Misty Green" at the Toronto International Film Festival .

"The next may be super gritty, or it might be really silly," he added. "Whatever it is, I'm going to try to make it great."

"Misty Green" stars Rosalind Eleazar as a hard-partying, once-successful actor whose career is struggling. She's short on cash, about to be kicked out of her apartment and needs to book a gig quickly.

While the film includes plenty of laugh lines, the tone is serious throughout, with explorations of institutional racism, substance abuse and the pitfalls of stardom in Hollywood.

On the red carpet ahead of Saturday's premiere, the legendary stand-up comic Rock said: "I shouldn't have to do the same thing every time."

Variety magazine has called "Misty Green" the "best movie about Hollywood in years," and Eleazar's leading performance has attracted critical praise.

The British actor stars alongside established names including Adam Driver, Anna Kendrick and Rock himself. She told reporters Sunday she was concerned that her being cast might keep other stars away.

"There are lots of bigger names than me that could have taken this part," she said.

She worried privately that other actors considering the film would think Eleazar was "not big enough ... it's not worth my while," she said.

Anna Kendrick, whose breakout performance came alongside George Clooney in "Up in the Air" before starring in the hit "Pitch Perfect" franchise, plays Misty's friend.

Kendrick told reporters she wasn't fully convinced the film would work during her initial conversation with Rock about the role.

She recalled telling him, "There's something I can't see yet, but I trust that you see it."

She said she has been persuaded by the final product, a rare blend of comedy and drama.