Should Musicians Cross Into Acting?

Written by Andrea Morales | Designed by Madeline Michalowski | Graphics by Tamar Ponte

The trend of musicians crossing over into the acting sphere is everywhere nowadays. Whether it’s Lady Gaga performing alongside Bradley Cooper in A Star Is Born, Beyoncé in the live-action Lion King, or anyone else who might have more of a talent carrying a tune than carrying a scene. When I see famous musicians on screen, I’m not entirely sure if I’m focusing on the character that they’re playing or if I’m more enamored by the fact that worlds are colliding. It is definitely a distracting experience.

While some fans enjoy seeing their favorite artist up on the big screen, I can’t help but ask whether this takes away an opportunity for actual actors to achieve their own goals. With Bachelor’s of Fine Arts costing in the tens of thousands plus an already high, competitive environment, it feels almost wrong that musicians with no professional training are booking jobs in blockbuster films.

However, with the pandemic nearly burying the movie theater industry, it stands to reason that casting A-list artists is financially wise. Just recently, Harry Styles was co-starring with Florence Pugh in the controversial Don’t Worry Darling. This movie and its accompanying drama involve a Florence Pugh/Olivia Wilde feud and a possible love triangle between Styles, Wilde, and Sudeikis (Wilde’s ex-fiance), which arguably made people intrigued to see what all the fuss was about. Despite the controversy surrounding the film, Styles’ legion of fans was ready to support it. In just its opening weekend, the film garnered $30 million.

Safe to say, it’s easy to understand why studio heads and directors love to have musicians cross over into the realm of acting, but does that mean that the only way a film can be successful is if it has “big” names attached to it? Does having talent in one area automatically translate into another? While it’s certainly true that there are some musicians to whom this rule applies—like Cher or Jennifer Hudson—this is not guaranteed amongst their counterparts. If a musician plans to get into acting, I would pose the question: just because you can, does that mean you should?