posted
So we've all seen famous actors try to make music, and famous musicians get into acting. There's nothing novel about it. But it seems that it's much, much easier for musicians to make it big as actors than it is for actors to be successful making music.
Loads of musicians have made movies, and most of them end up at least turning in a few performances that are considered by most critics and audiences to be successful. A few have even won awards. I could list a score of examples off the top of my head, but I'm sure anyone here could do the same. Sure, there are a few embarassing missteps, like when Britney Spears and Ashley Simpson have appeard on film, but it may be argued that they weren't that brilliant artistically even in the medium that made them famous.
Actors, on the other hand, almost never end up successfully transitioning to music. In fact, the only actor I can think of who has made a successful album is Jack Black. Other than him, every time someone like Kevin Bacon, Bruce Willis, Russell Crowe, Steve from Blues Clues or Keanu Reeves try to make music, the only exposure they get is as the butt of jokes on late-night talk shows.
I've got a couple theories why this might be the case.
1) Music is a lot harder than it looks. Acting isn't.
1a) The skills one needs to become a good actor are mainly a subset of the skills one needs to become a good musician.
2) The politics of the music industry make it almost impossible for a musician to get any exposure unless a studio exec decides to let them.
3) There are so many more albums being made than movies that if a musician gets a shot at a film role he'll be noticed far more quickly than if an actor makes an album.
I'm kind of partial to theory #1 myself, although I can see it being a combination of factors. Does anyone else think it might be due to another one of my theories, or something that I haven't taken into account?
Also, what's your favorite example of a successful transition? For example, I just saw Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels again. I always forget that Sting is in that movie, and I'm always pleasantly surprised when he shows up. He plays that role with a real understated cool that works perfectly. Have any musicians really impressed anyone as actors, and are there any actors out there that have actually made some decent music?
Posts: 127 | Registered: Aug 2004
| IP: Logged |
Jack Black released albums before his acting career took off, so I'd put him in the musician => actor category.
I like some of Bruce Willis' stuff. And John Belushi and Dan Ackroyd were magic onstage.
There are plenty of musicians who have bombed as actors, I don't think it's as one-sided as you present. Madonna comes to mind, and Mariah Carey. There are also musicians who turned out to be competent actors, such as Kris Kristoferson.
Another musician that surprised me as an actor: David Bowie.
What I'm impressed by is the number of rap artists who become better-than-average actors. Will Smith, Mark Wahlberg, Mos Def, Ice-T, Tupac, Queen Latifa, LL Cool J, Eminem, 50-Cent... There seems to be a much higher percentage of successful actors coming from this genre than from, say, pop.
Posts: 7790 | Registered: Aug 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
I'd forgotten about the Blues Brothers. Good call. Still, there were more good acting performances in that movie from musicians than there were good musical performances from actors. I do think it's fairly one-sided. If a musician goes into acting, they've got a really good shot of doing some decent work. Even Madonna, who is generally not that good, got some good reviews for Desperately Seeking Susan. Cher won an Academy Award. How many actors have won Grammys? Gwen Stefani was just in The Aviator, and although I haven't seen it, I heard she was quite good. Also, consider Sting, Mick Jagger, Weird Al, Chris Isaak, Harry Connick, Isaac Hayes, David Byrne, Frank Sinatra, Neil Innes, Andre Benjamin and all the other rappers you mentioned. That's just off the top of my head. Can you think of near that many people that have made the transition the other way?
Of course I don't have any statistics, so I may change my mind if anyone can show any contrary evidence, but it seems pretty clear to me.
Posts: 127 | Registered: Aug 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
I don't equate "acting" with "looking pretty whilst quoting lines". I do think the performance quality of some musicians can lend itself pretty well to playing a cute/fluffy/minor role in a movie, especially if their name can bring in more people to fill in seats. It all comes back to the bottom line.
I don't think Jennifer Lopez is that good an actress, but I've seen a couple of her movies because they're good for a light laugh.
The biggest travesty I know of is David Hasselhof playing the title role of Jekkyl and Hyde on Broadway (especially after hearing the superb Concept Album ). He just doesn't have the voice or the presence to pull off such a demanding leading-man role in a musical. Not that the guy can't sing, but he probably would have lent himself better to something like the Prince/wolf in Into the Woods. Cute, fluffy, and minor.
Posts: 4089 | Registered: Apr 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
I don't think anyone's arguing with you, just throwing some thoughts out.
I'm inclined to agree with what you've posted, but Bruce Willis actually had substantial success in the eighties with The Return of Bruno.
I think Rick Springfield might be the biggest exception. People forget these days just how huge he was (musically) in the eighties--but he was successful as an actor first.
What about the Monkees? They went on to have a long career, with a fair amount of success, long after their short-lived show was cancelled.
Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
If you are a good performer on stage as a musician, then you must be able to put on a good show, command the attention of the audience, have that "it" factor. I guess that translates into acting. But just because you have that it factor, doesn't mean you can sing, or have good taste in music.
Posts: 555 | Registered: Jun 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
Musical theatre is different though (my previous example aside ). In order to do that successfully, you must be able to both sing *and* act.
Posts: 4089 | Registered: Apr 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Thing is, singing well is such a specific skill. It's like charting how many jugglers can act vs how many actors can juggle.
Technically Johnny Depp would be a musician-turned-actor, he was in a band going nowhere when he got his first acting job, and he still planned for a few years after that to just act until his band took off...
Posts: 7790 | Registered: Aug 2000
| IP: Logged |
quote:1) Music is a lot harder than it looks. Acting isn't.
I disagree with this. I have both acted and watched people learn to act as well as been a musician and observed people learning to perform. There is a lot of skill and talent that goes into acting. There is a lot of practice and observation and hard work that goes into acting. It is a learned art, not something everyone can do.
Yes, a talented person can pull off a good performance in a simple role with little work, but everyone one of the truly great actors has definately spent a lot of time and effort on not only practicing and working on acting as well as they can but also investigating the role that they are going to play. The only thing is that because the work is often the "invisible" kind it often isn't seen by people writing biographies and things.
The reason many musicians can transition into acting is because music, especially singing, which I believe is what we're mostly talking here, requires elements of acting. Since acting does not usually require very much training in singing, or at least to have any sort of talent at singing, it doesn't work so often the other way unless the person had their roots in music anyway and are just better known as actors, or more successful.
EDIT: And what Chris said- we're not really saying music vs acting. We're saying singing vs acting. I would saty singing is a lot closer to acting than, say, playing a cello is, although the emotion is certainly there.
Posts: 8473 | Registered: Apr 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
I don't think that's necessarily the case. I think that if someone has a more well-rounded musical background, i.e. Sting or Will Smith, they'll have a better chance of making the transition than if they're just singers, i.e. Mariah Carey and Ashlee Simpson.
Again, I don't have any data to back that up. Just seems to be the case.
Posts: 127 | Registered: Aug 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
Well, I'd argue that people with a more well-rounded musical background have a better chance at *everything* compared to those without. Posts: 4089 | Registered: Apr 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Adam Busch is one guy I can think of who's a talented singer and an excellent actor. His band, Common Rotation, plays some of the catchiest folk-rock I've heard, with thoughtful, witty lyrics and dueling lead vocals from Adam and partner-in-crime Eric Kufs. I'd put their second full-length album, "The Big Fear," up against any of the popular music of the last five years (be it radio pop or indie rock).
Admittedly, neither career has been enormously successful (his biggest role to date has been the character of Warren, on the sixth and seventh seasons of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"), but I'd argue that success and actual skill are frequently inversely proportional, anyway. Posts: 1321 | Registered: Sep 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
Just as proof that bad (yet iconic and entertaining) actors can make bad (yet entertaining) music... William Shatner. (My entire office laughs anytime his cover of Ordinary People comes on).
Posts: 1368 | Registered: Sep 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
I actually like "Songs for Dustmites" by Steve Burns (from Blues Clues). The album has some really interesting tracks, though that may have more to do with the people working with him on the album (a couple of people involved with The Flaming Lips).
I think that Dwight Yoakum has put in some pretty solid performances in the roles I've seen him in.
Posts: 1336 | Registered: Mar 2002
| IP: Logged |
quote:Another musician that surprised me as an actor: David Bowie.
You might be interested to know Nolan's hired Bowie as the old-wise-sage-elder magician in The Prestige.
My lord, I've fallen in love with Nolan. First he was brilliant, now he's brilliant and dedicated to geek movies. This could be true love...Posts: 3293 | Registered: Jul 2002
| IP: Logged |
quote: I actually like "Songs for Dustmites" by Steve Burns (from Blues Clues). The album has some really interesting tracks, though that may have more to do with the people working with him on the album (a couple of people involved with The Flaming Lips).
The only thing I like about "Songs for Dustmites" is the fact that it got me into The Flaming Lips, who are now one of my favorite bands. On its own, though, while it's not particularly terrible, there's nothing about it that makes me want to listen to it or recommend it to other people. I've listened to it several times, and it just sounds to me like an album the Lips would make if they were a completely ordinary and uninspired alt-rock band. As long as albums like "Yoshimi" and "The Soft Bulletin" exist, I can't think of a single reason anyone should listen to "Songs for Dustmites", unless they're just a really big fan of Blue's Clues.
That's just my personal opinion, though. Posts: 2804 | Registered: May 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
"I think Rick Springfield might be the biggest exception. People forget these days just how huge he was (musically) in the eighties--but he was successful as an actor first."
Ahhh! I knew someone around here would remember the days of General Hospital cum pop star . . . although, I think he might have been in the same boat as Depp . . . I was just a wee 13-year old when Rick Springfield went top 10 on the pop charts - my, how time flies!
Posts: 5609 | Registered: Jan 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
I <3 "Songs for Dustmites." The Steven Drozd influence on the album is obvious, but Steve's songwriting chops are pretty clear to me: he writes clever, ridiculously catchy songs with lyrics that bespeak an upbeat melancholy that I really enjoy. Sure, his songs aren't as psychedelic or groundbreaking as the Lips' work, but I don't think that's what he was going for anyway. Think of it as a indie pop record featuring Flaming Lips-style drums and synths, rather than as an attempt to BE the Flaming Lips, and it works great.
Posts: 1321 | Registered: Sep 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
I don't like it when they cast an actor who can't (or won't) sing in the lead role in a musical. Like Rex Harrison talking through all his songs. Or Richard Burton. There are so many talented voices out there.
I didn't see it, but from what I heard from people who did, Rosie O'Donnell and Harvey Fierstein cast as the leads in "Fiddler on the Roof" was a travesty of all that is good and lyrical and musical. Neither one has a voice.
Posts: 10397 | Registered: Jun 2005
| IP: Logged |
Printer-friendly view of this topic
![[Frown]](frown.gif)
). He just doesn't have the voice or the presence to pull off such a demanding leading-man role in a musical. Not that the guy can't sing, but he probably would have lent himself better to something like the Prince/wolf in Into the Woods. Cute, fluffy, and minor.
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
). In order to do that successfully, you must be able to both sing *and* act.
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
