Musicians Who Can Act

Posted on by Emily in Movies & Videogames

Musicians Who Can Act

I recently wrote about actors who play musicians in films, but it’s also not uncommon to find musicians that can act. Perhaps it’s the performance element of their musical career that allows them to transition so easily over to behind in front of a camera, but nowadays it seems like everyone from Lenny Kravitz to Taylor Swift has had their moment on the silver screen.

Let’s take a look at some of the best examples of Musicians Who Can Act:

Justin Timberlake

At first it didn’t seem likely that anyone would take ex-boy band member Justin Timberlake very seriously in his acting pursuits. Yet somehow he managed to successfully make the crossover from musician to actor through a series of films. He did a dramatic portrayal in the movie Alpha Dog and more recently stunned audiences with his performance in The Social Network. This summer he is in two big blockbusters: Friends with Benefits and Bad Teacher.

Ice-T

While he may have made his reputation on the West Coast as a rapper, nowadays Ice T is best known for his dramatic work on network television. More specifically, Law and Order SVU. Ironically he plays a cop who has little patience for guys who break the law.

Beyonce

Beyonce never stops pushing herself in what she’s capable of. After selling millions of records, the singer turned to film and has had several roles in various genres. We all saw her in Austin Powers and later in Oscar nominated Dreamgirls– I think most of us still can’t believe how multi-talented the woman is.

Eminem

It’s been awhile since rapper Eminem has done anything beyond goofing around in his videos, but I think a lot of people were impressed with his work in the movie 8 Mile. Not only did he managed to make a great soundtrack for the pseudo bio-pic but he was also compelling his dramatic performance.

Jennifer Lopez

Honestly, what does Jennifer Lopez not do? Host of American Idol, singer, dancer and actress. Pretty impressive. I wouldn’t say most of her films are that great except for her first performance in Selena Perez where she depicted the late Mexican singer.

To be a performer is no easy task. I tried to compile a list of musicians I enjoy to see in film and television, and didn’t include any of the people who may make great tunes but  can’t act to save their lives.

In your opinion, who are some of the best Musicians Who Can Act?

Musicians Who Can Act

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