8 Best Acting Performances by Musicians in Movies

If you’re a singer you sing. If you’re an actor you act. Easy, right? But what happens when a musician wants to star in the movie? Well, nothing, really, we’re all human, it’s not a big deal. But, once in a while this switcheroo shows some spectacular results!

Here are the 8 best acting performances by musicians in movies.

1. Eminem, 8 Mile (2002)
8 Mile is like an autobiography of Marshall Mathers and thankfully, it did great. Today Eminem is a big name but back then nobody knew if he could pull off an entire feature movie. Luckily he was more than capable! And the fans got to see the more vulnerable side of their favorite rapper.

2. Jack Black, Jumanji (2017)
I picked Jumanji, just because I think that it’s definitely one of his best movie roles, also it’s a fun little movie, so it’s a win-win. Anyway, in case you didn’t know, Jack Black is a member of the Tenacious D band.


3. Prince, Purple Rain (1984)
Would you be surprised if I told you that “Purple Rain” was a sort of an autobiography of Prince? Probably not, seeing as his most famous song has that exact same name. When he decided to test his acting skills, Prince already had 5 amazing albums in his pocket. Not only was the movie a critical success, Prince also recorded a soundtrack for it, basically, doubling-dipping into this awesomeness.

4. Madonna, A League of Their Own (1992)
Some would think that Madonna being “Madonna” would be the worst person to work with, because of how popular she was in the 90’s. But that was all just mere prejudice talking. When they were shooting “A League of Their Own”, not only was Madonna acting well in front of the camera, she also, allegedly, made cookies for her birthday and everyone was invited! Her friendship with Rosie O’Donnell, her co-star, is still going strong, too!

5. Rihanna, Ocean’s 8 (2018)
There have been so many Ocean’s movies a normal person would just not give a damn about some reboot/remake with an all-female cast. In “Ocean’s 8” Rihanna plays a hacker “Nine Ball” who can screw with any security system in seconds like a true badass she is.


6. Lady Gaga, A Star Is Born (2018)
At first glance you may think that this is just another one of those “biopics” like “8 Mile” or “Purple Rain”, but you’d be wrong. Sure the similarities between the main character and Lady Gaga’s life and career are there, but that’s just a coincidence. We know Gaga can sing like a bird, but is acting her next big challenge? Judging from this outstanding movie, Lady Gaga may be our next Olivia Newton-John!

7. Justin Timberlake, The Social Network (2010)
Who knew that sweet Backstreet Boy would one day become an outstanding musician, and an even better actor? Definitely not me. In “The Social Network”, Timberlake plays a charismatic Silicon Valley resident, co-founder of Napster – Sean Parker. He was the dude who told Mark Zuckerberg to “drop the ‘the’”. And the movie-goers didn’t even cringe a bit! How did he do that? Acting.


8. David Bowie, The Man Who Fell To Earth (1976)
And our final contestant is the legendary Spaceman himself – David Bowie, and his first ever feature-length movie “The Man Who Fell to Earth”, in which he played a freaking alien. And this was before that whole Ziggy Stardust era. But of course he nailed his role just like he nailed everything else he’s ever done.