5 Musicians Who Became Surprisingly Good Actors

         
                                                                                                                    By Elford Alley

No one expected much from Frank Sinatra when he started his film career. After all, Elvis managed one without the aid of a well-written script or acting ability. But Sinatra surprised everyone with a nuanced performance as a brainwashed veteran who aims to assassinate a presidential nominee in The Manchurian Candidate. Few musicians, however, really became top-notch thespians, but it sure is nice when they really work at the craft.

We’ve already covered actors who have tried to be musicians ("5 Musical Actors"). We've also covered rock stars who have made random film cameos ("5 Rock Stars Who've Made Surprising Film Cameos"). And next week we'll take a look at musicians who've made surprising TV cameos (8/15), but today we'll take a look at musicians who have fully committed to being actors, and in addition to that, are actually pretty damn good at it. It makes sense, after all, many musicians essentially play a character when they’re on stage anyway. 

So, here are 5 musicians who have become surprisingly good actors:

Mos Def

Mos Def got his start in hip-hop, forming the group Black Star with Talib Kweli before moving on to his acclaimed solo albums, Black on Both Sides and The New Danger. He’s also a pretty good actor, having appeared in Michel Gondry’s Be Kind Rewind, The Woodsman, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Cadillac Records, and on Dexter as the character Brother Sam.

Dwight Yoakam

Best known for the song “Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.” (YouTube it. It will get stuck in your head. For days.) Yoakam surprised everyone with his portrayal of an abusive alcoholic in 1996’s Sling Blade. Choosing his roles carefully, he’s managed to work with David Fincher in Panic Room and star in Crank 2: High Voltage.

Justin Timberlake

We were surprised that Justin managed a successful solo career, much less winning four Emmys for his acting abilities. While not every role has been great - he was in Mike Meyer’s The Love Guru after all - he’s become the best cast member Saturday Night Live has had in ten years and put in stellar performances in The Social Network and Alpha Dog.

Mark Wahlberg

Before starring in Boogie Nights and The Fighter, Mark Wahlberg was once known as Marky Mark, and he employed a Funky Bunch. Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch even managed a few hits, such as “Good Vibrations." Side note: before that he once got high on PCP and beat a middle-aged Vietnamese man unconscious. The more you know…

Will Smith

There will be no “getting jiggy with it” jokes in this one. I just want to make that clear.  Will Smith got his start playing such brutal, no-holds barred hip-hop songs like “Parents Just Don’t Understand” and “Summertime” before breaking out with The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Since then he’s become one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, despite starring in 1999’s Wild Wild West. 

Comments

[Calvin Williams]

Ok, so I really need to know why everyone hates "Wild Wild West" so much. I liked that movie. Though it wasn't meant to win any awards, and it was inherently campy, it was a fun movie for what it was worth.

Moving on, Mos Def should also be noted for his role in "16 Blocks", which also starred Bruce Willis. Mos showed off some impressive character acting skills in that movie.

[Elford]

I think a lot of the hate for Wild Wild West is the back story. It goes back to the early nineties when Warner Brothers hired Kevin Smith to write a Superman movie. He had to work with insane producer Jon Peters. Who insisted this Superman movie have: no red & blue uniform, no flying, no super powers, and he MUST fight a giant spider. Eventually the film is canned and Peters begins producing what is to be an awesome reboot of the classic western show Wild, Wild West. being a huge fan of the show, Will Smith turns down playing Neo in The Matrix to star in it. But, Peters is involved. And what we got was a campy movie involving the main stars fighting a giant spider. Will Smith considers it one his worst career moves and actually apologized to the actor who played Jim West years later.

[Calvin Williams]

Ah, it all makes sense now. I had no idea about the back story. I was just a 14 year old that was just psyched about seeing Will Smith in a western when that movie came out. Had I known about this, I probably would have hated it too. Thank you Elford!

[Ed O'Connor]

Artists I'll grant you, but musicians? No.

[richardfulco@gmail.com]

I'll give you Wahlberg. He's a performer; that's why "musician" is in quotation marks. Dwight Yoakam is a musician. You might not like Yoakam or Timberlake, but they're both musicians. Rappers/singers aren't musicians?