Top 11 musicians as actors
The leap between stage and screen isn’t especially easy, and with more and more “crossover” acts having musical careers while also starring in films, it is easy to dismiss the musician turned actor. Anyone who knows the pain of watching Crossroads, Glitter, or Swept Away will know why. But alas! There are some examples where musicians and singers have appeared on screen, and genuinely given great performances.
As usual, we have a few rules. First of all, they have to have been a musician or singer first and foremost, with an established career as such. There has to have been some element of risk to their careers. Minnie Driver was an unknown singer, who became a well known actress, who went back to being a singer. That doesn’t count. The same applies to Will Smith, Jennifer Lopez and anyone else who dabbled in both acting and music.
Secondly, they have to actually be playing a role- as good as Bruce Springsteen’s cameo in High Fidelity is, it is just a cameo, and he doesn’t do any acting.
Finally, they can’t just be playing themselves. Eminem was great in 8 Mile, but it wasn’t a massive stretch for him to play a white rapper from Detroit. Keith Richards was cool as Jack Sparrow Snr, but it wasn’t really a flexing of his acting muscles. This also rules out a lot of people who play extensions of themselves in musicals- your Streisand and Minelli. It has to involve acting.
Chris Isaak - Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992)
When Kyle MacLachlan’s disagreement with David Lynch limited the appearance of Twin Peaks hero, Dale Cooper, Lynch needed an able replacement. As the film was about the days leading up to the murder of Laura Palmer, he was able to tell the story of another Special Agent, investigating the strange goings on of the town. Chris Isaak had already worked with Lynch by this time, soundtracking the vastly under-rated Wild At Heart, but it was his first lead acting role (he had a small part in Silence of the Lambs prior to this). Isaak’s Special Agent Chester Desmond was less quirky than Dale Cooper had been (as the film was in general), but it gave another level of disturbance to the series when Desmond investigates the murder of Teresa Banks- a case which mirrors that of Laura Palmer. Reaction to this film was mixed, it was famously booed at Cannes, while Mark Kermode claims it is “Lynch’s masterpiece”. Part of the problem was that it was viewed as a prequel to the TV series, when it was simply intended to enrich and deepen our understanding of the events of the series. Isaak’s character was a welcome addition.
Madonna - Evita (1996)
It could be argued that Madonna should fall foul of our Rule 3 here, as she didn’t so much play Eva Peron, as Madonna playing Eva Peron. Certainly, there were critics who suggested it was a “role she was born to play”, but that should not take away from her performance. Madonna led the line in a film full of good performances (especially Jonathan Pryce’s Juan Peron). It is far too easy to mock Madonna’s career in films, so we will get it over with quickly- Swept Away, Body of Evidence, Dick Tracy, The Next Best Thing, Dangerous Game, and one of the worst cameos ever, ever, ever in Die Another Day. But now that we have that out of our system, we need to remember that she was in A League of their Own and Desperately Seeking Susan. Taken on their own merits (ie- don’t expect high art), these are fine performances.
Frank Sinatra - The Man With The Golden Arm (1955)
Equally, From Here To Eternity could be in this list, as it was almost single handedly responsible for giving Sinatra a career in the 1950’s. The Man With The Golden Arm required a little bit more acting, and was a considerably more brave role for Sinatra. The film itself was a watershed, as it was the first time that a mainstream American film had depicted narcotic addiction. To give the best possible performance, Sinatra had spent time at a rehab clinic for Heroin addicts. The result is a dark and edgy film, that features contributions from some of the all times greats of cinema - a Saul Bass opening credit, an Elmer Bernstein soundtrack, Kim Novak in full flight. It is a huge credit to Sinatra that he is the best thing about the film.
Meat Loaf - Fight Club (1999)
Meat Loaf had flirted with film on several occasions- notably as Eddie in the Rocky Horror Picture Show, and less notably in Spice World. As “The Martyr” Robert Paulson, we forgot that he was Meat Loaf. No longer was he bringing his personality to the screen with him, he was acting. To prove this point, how many of you started this paragraph by saying “oh yeah, I forgot Meat Loaf was in Fight Club”? All together now, his name was Robert Paulson. His name was Robert Paulson. His name was…
David Bowie - The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
Few musicians have had the acting success that Bowie has managed, and in truth he could be in this list more than once- roles in Labyrinth, Absolute Beginners, Basquiat, Twin Peaks, The Man Who Fell To Earth and The Prestige are all worth noting. His role as Pontius Pilate in The Last Temptation of Christ is arguably his finest, as he almost flirts with Willem Defoe’s Jesus. Any of the mentioned films could have been on this list, but how many musicians get the Martin Scorsese seal of approval?
Courtney Love - The People vs Larry Flynt (1997)
Like her or loathe her, Courtney Love has survived in the entertainment industry for almost 20 years. Personally, I am quite a fan of her work with Hole, and her work as an actress. With Hole, she was always a Pop Star with real Rock attitude. And it always reeked of sexist to me, that she was so vilified, when people like Sid Vicious are seen as Rock Martyrs. In this film, she played Althea Flynt, the lifelong love of Woody Harrelson’s eponymous hero. Harrelson was nominated for an Oscar for his role in this, and it is all credit to Love that her performance is just as strong as his. If her acting work was taken on its’ own, she would have an impressive CV. As well as this film, she has put in impressive turns in Man on the Moon, 200 Cigarettes and Julie Johnson. If we didn’t know about her career in music, or her famous marriage, then she might well be lauded as one of the great female character actors.
Elvis Pressley - Wild In the Country (1961)
This might be a hugely controvertial statement, but the majority of Elvis films are very bad. The music in them was great, but they are almost all elongated music videos (before the term was coined). Wild In the Country is different, as Elvis plays Glenn Tyler, a depressed, violent and troubled man who discovers he has a gift for writing. The difference between this film and some of the other Pressley vehicles, is that the songs are not the star. Elvis gives a genuinely edgy performance. The songs in this film are far from Elvis favourites (I Slipped, I Stumbled, I Fell and In My Way being the most recognisable), and only serve to enhance the story, rather than carry it. Elvis was never this edgy in a film again.
Nick Cave - Ghosts… of the Civil Dead (1988)
Nick Cave (may be a bit disturbing)
John Hillcoat’s feature debut was written and soundtracked by Nick Cave, and so it was of little surprise that Cave would play a significant part in the film. What is surprising is just how convincing (and disturbing) Cave is as Maynard, the psychotic new inmate of a maximum security prison. Maynard could well be a character from his Murder Ballads album, but it was in this film we discovered that Cave could actually push himself over the edge and become one of his creations.
Tom Waits - Down By Law (1986)
Jim Jarmusch has never been worried about casting musicians as actors, having used Iggy Pop and GZA in his films. Arguably the most impressive perfomance of all was by Tom Waits in Down By Law. I only saw this film the other day, and I couldn’t believe that it was the same Tom Waits, he is that impressive as an actor. The film centres around three men who are incarcerated despite their innocence. They have to quickly learn to trust each other, so they can escape, despite obviously aggrivating each other. Waits’ performance makes me wonder why he hasn’t had more starring roles.
Kris Kristofferson - Lone Star (1996)
While Chris Cooper is the lead actor in this Western Thriller, Kris Kristofferson plays the murdered Sheriff Charlie Wade. The film was to rejuvinate Kristofferson’s career, and would lead to his roles in the Blade Trilogy, as well as films such as Planet of the Apes and Payback.
RZA - American Gangster (2007)
Initially I wanted to put Method Man in this list, because he is fantastic as “Cheese” Wagstaff in The Wire. But I decided that TV was cheating, and even though I loved the character, the list must be right! Of all the Wu-Tang acting roles, RZA has featured in the best films- Ghost Dog, Derailed and as himself in Coffee and Cigarettes. His best acting role was definitely in American Gangster, where he played Moses Jones, a detective working with Detective Roberts (Russel Crowe). RZA initially auditioned for the role of Jimmy Zee, but impressed Ridley Scott sufficiently to get the part of Jones.
Have we missed anyone? Let us know.
August 15th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
How could you have forgotten Deborah Harry in Videodrome?