While she may no longer be active on the music scene, Carly Simon will always be considered as one of music’s greats. Her voice is truly one of a kind, and her songs are now classics. You’re So Vain will always be the anthem for the feminine voice, and James Bond will forever be associated with the song Nobody Does It Better. Simon’s life in New York is quite a story, and it would actually be magical to see it on film–all the music, the activism, the religion, and the romance. If we could pick five actresses to play Carly Simon in a biopic, it would be none other than the following names.
1. Kate Hudson
Kate Hudson is one talented woman. She can act. She can dance. And she can also sing. One image that comes up to mind when we think about Kate Hudson is her character in the movie How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days opposite Matthew McConaughey. In one scene, Hudson belts out Carly Simon’s You’re So Vain classic to spite McConaughey’s role. It was raw, and it was funny. While not all liked the rendition and the scene, as this article puts out, Hudson’s vocals were actually good. It also helps that Hudson’s got the same charisma that Simon has. She’s a natural musician, and she could probably pull off something close to Simon’s vocal depth with some training and coaching. Hudson may not be the first vocal choice. But when it comes to portraying Simon’s personal life and history, she might be one of the best choices out there. As much as we try, it’s just hard to get that karaoke scene from How to Lose out of our heads.
2. Mandy Moore
This choice might be slightly affected by the recent TV drama success of This Is Us. Just slightly. Mandy Moore keeps surprising us over the years. She managed to get out of the 90s and 2000s unscathed, and she even managed to make a career for herself that’s the envy of many of her peers. In the show, Moore plays a mom/singer, who used to sing in bars back in the 70s. If that doesn’t sound like Carly Simon-esque enough for you, then maybe looking at some of her set photo might. Moore has a striking resemblance to young Simon, and it doesn’t help that we’re looking at photos set in the same decade. In addition, Moore also happens to be a singer-songwriter, which is basically Carly Simon’s world. While Moore may have a distinct voice and singing style, she’s a pretty incredible singer. This article from Variety.com talks about a song Moore and her husband wrote for her show. It already reminds us of the Carly Simon and James Taylor days. If Moore gets on a Carly Simon film, her husband might just have to make an appearance.
3. Sara Bareilles
When it comes to deep vocals, there’s no one else like Sara Bareilles. This songbird has been a steady voice in the pop genre and for good reason too: she writes great songs. Sound familiar? Simon did the same with her career. While Bareilles may look nothing like Simon, we’re going purely on vocal talent basis here. It’s also a plus that Bareilles is actually not new to acting. She may not have acted in films before, but she’s done plenty of acting on stage. Aside from acting the lead in the Broadway play Waitress, Bareilles actually wrote the songs for the show too. If that doesn’t scream talent, nothing else does. It also shows that Bareilles is willing to work hard to achieve something great, and that’s more than enough qualification for us. With a little bit of Hollywood makeup to make her look more like Carly, we’re pretty sure Bareilles could shine in a film.
4. Carly Rae Jepsen
In an article on iHeart.com we saw a photo of Carly Rae Jepsen juxtaposed to Carly Simon. The resemblance between the two is uncanny. Whether it was just this photo or not, it doesn’t really matter. We’re convinced that Jepsen might be today’s Simon. If we were going by looks alone, Jepsen is totally it. But we’re glad that Jepsen also happens to be a singer-songwriter. While the Canadian actress’ acting experience might be limited to a few video shorts and a TV movie rendition of Grease (she played Frenchie), Jepsen has experience acting in musicals when she was in school. Surely she can channel all that acting from some time ago if she were to be cast as Carly Simon in a film. But she could always just get into Simon’s music and connect with her in that way. At least she wouldn’t have to work so much on trying to look like Carly Simon. The two resemble each other so closely.
5. Allison Williams
For some reason, we’re reminded of Allison Williams when we look at a old picture of Carly Simon. Williams has such an old world look to her. She seems like she belongs in another decade–the 70s to be exact. Williams has always been regarded as a good actress. Her performance in the HBO hit Girls and more recently in the suspense film Get Out has put her on the map when it comes to high profile roles. There’s actually been talk of her as portraying Carly Simon in a film about female music legends that includes Simon, Joni Mitchell, and Carole King. Williams definitely looks like a younger Carly, with the same gracious smile and gentle stare. Williams also happens to be a musician, and that’s always an added bonus for actors playing music roles. If it comes down to it, Williams might be the best choice in this entire list, but we can’t say for sure until we see it happen.Mandy Moore
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