Music Artists that Transitioned to Movie Actors

The music and film industries inevitably overlap, with many leading singers lending their vocal skills to movies of all levels, ranging from small independent hits to large blockbusters. However, there are quite a few musicians who took their Hollywood passion a notch further and actually flexed their acting abilities in movies, TV shows, or both.

And in this blog, we will discuss some of these music artists who made the switch to acting.

 Music Artists that Transitioned to Movie Acting

1)   Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga managed to impress one and all with her performance in A Star is Born. The story of a singer rising to stardom has been told quite a few times on the big screen, and often with amazing talents like Barbra Streisand in the lead roles.

Even though A Star is Born was not Lady Gaga’s first big screen role (she was one of the support members on Machete Kills), it certainly was her breakout performance and is more than likely to fetch more movie opportunities for the Born This Way singer in the near future.

2)   Harry Styles

Harry styles made his acting debut in 2017, featuring in Christopher Nolan’s Academy Award-Winning and Critically-Acclaimed production, Dunkirk.

Currently, the One-Direction heartthrob is working on a number of big screen projects, including Don’t Worry, Darling (opposite Florence Pugh) and My Policeman (opposite Emma Corrin).

3)   Beyoncé

Beyoncé has made multiple big screen appearances in the past. Although some of her initial performances did not exactly draw rounds of applause (including a leading role in Obsessed and a minor one in Pink Panther), it seems she has finally found her feet in the acting world.

Beyoncé made good use of her vocal talents in Disney’s The Lion King and the animated adventure Epic, alongside a leading role in Dreamgirls. The Lion King success then prompted the release of the exclusive + Disney Black is King, which turned out to be another well-received visual album and evidence of Beyoncé’s versatility.

4)   Justin Timberlake

Thanks to his NSYNC role and music career, Justin Timberlake was already a well-recognized star when he decided to venture into the acting arena. However, after comic roles in Friends with Benefits and Bad Teacher, Justin’s stardom across Hollywood has likely increased manifold.

The singer-turned-actor is beginning to accumulate a solid filmography, including voice-acting appearances in franchises like Shrek and Troll, along with action and sci-fi roles like In Time.

5)   Rihanna

Rihanna has been a sporadic part of the movie industry for the last several years. Although she made a less-than-perfect debut in the poorly-received Battleship, she has since established a name for herself in the acting scene.

Sci-fi roles like Valerian and action performances like Ocean’s 8, coupled with artistic short films like Guava Island, all show that the Diamonds singer has what it takes to survive and thrive in Hollywood.

Wrapping Up

While making the leap from music to acting is rarely simple, there are more than a few instances of musicians successfully transitioning to the world of animated entertainment or live action.

Whether it is a musical role or something completely different to their usual projects, plenty of singers have gone on to have successful acting careers.