Genre vs. Mainstream...

For me at least, there is a distinct desire to avoid being labeled as anything one thing when it comes to writing/acting. Judd Apatow is a great writer/director (although I do think that the majority of the best stuff in his movies comes from Rogen and the others improving) but he has strictly worked in the realm of comedy.

JJ Abrams, on the other hand, works solely in the "genre" arena.

Both of these men have made huge impacts on film recently and on me as a both a fan and a filmmaker and I would love to be in either one of their shoes in their respective genres...but the quest is: is it possible to do not only one, but both?

Could someone be the kind of writer/actor/director that could have one foot firmly in the mainstream, making comedies and heavy indie dramas while at the same time writing and producing and staring in sci fi flicks, horror movies, and the like?

Tarantino is one of those that can seemingly do it. He's made straight up crime flicks, blood soaked samurai revenge flicks, and is now making a war movie. He's yet to set his sights on anything that could be described as mainstream but still, he's one of those that can seemingly do anything they want and pull it off.

The question is: can anyone else?