Don’t let anyone tell you that musicians can’t act. There have been several of them that have made the jump from music to acting that have put up stellar performances despite their lack of familiarity with the industry. You’ve got to remember that much like actors, musicians are up in front of people all the time, and suffer the same threat of rejection if they don’t perform well. The main difference is that an actor has to wait for critics to either praise or vilify their efforts. Musicians tend to get the skinny on how they did right then and there in live concerts.
Musicians can act even when it’s not a regular part of their routine, as the clips below will show you.
5. Madonna in A League of Their Own
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwE96VRzK_4
Madonna’s been an on again off again actress for a lot of her career. From her work in Who’s That Girl? and Desperately Seeking Susan to A League of Their Own she’s put in some memorable roles. In fact there are quite a few people that would remember her more for being “All The Way Mae” than anything else. As an actress she’s very convincing.
4. Dwight Yoakam in Slingblade
Some people have to be reminded that he’s a musician. He played such a heel in Slingblade that it seemed like he was born to act. Other roles include the doctor in Crank 1 and 2, and a role as a bank robber in The Newton Boys. He can act out a role just as well as any established actor that he’s paired with, but usually he’s a heel or a rather whiny figure that just doesn’t mesh with the other characters. He has a definite niche and it works.
3. David Bowie in The Prestige
It was a sad day when this legend passed. Likely as not his most remembered role will be as the Goblin King from Labyrinth since so many of us grew up with that film. But as Nikola Tesla he was equally skilled. This could have been because he’d matured a great deal and was many years older, but many fans would argue, and vehemently so, that he had the type of charisma that made him equally capable of singing and acting whenever he wished.
2. Chris “Ludacris” Bridges in 2 Fast 2 Furious
This was a fun transition to watch. Ludacris still acts to this day but he’s been primarily focused on the Fast and Furious franchise since he adopted the role of Tej. He’s been seen in other films as well, most notably Crash as a wise-talking hood that goes on and on about how race is so terribly important for every facet of one’s daily life. As Tej though he struck Hollywood gold.
1. Snoop Dogg in Training Day
What’s my name? The smooth-talking rapper that blew up the airwaves in his debut with Dr. Dre has been going strong ever since and has only really stepped into a few movies. In Old School he played himself so it wasn’t as much of a stretch, but playing a disabled drug dealer in Training Day allowed him to stretch his acting talents in a way that fans were kind of glad to see he was capable of. He turns in a good role, and in fact kind of outshines Ethan Hawke for the few minutes he’s on screen.
If you didn’t believe it before you can no doubt believe it now. Musicians can act.
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