Taking the Leap Into Acting
In our professional lives we look to move onwards and upwards. We want to have successful careers that make us and others happy, but our contentment with our livelihood is, for the majority of us, below expectation. We may have jobs that may not last, offer little advancement, or leave us feeling stuck in a rut. Instead of staying where we are, unfulfilled, we can look for a change in our career path. We can challenge ourselves, try something new, step out of our comfort zones.
Popular names across the entertainment industry have ventured out of the fields that made them famous, attempting to broaden their professional horizons. Some of them want to be modern-day Renaissance men and women — polymaths, jack of all trades who aren’t limited to a single talent or ability. Others simply want to test the waters to see if they have untapped talents waiting to be revealed.
One of the most common transitions made by famous names is taking the leap into filmmaking and becoming actors. Such announcements have been met with surprise, excitement, and groans of resentment. The latter response can be attributed to the entitlement and opportunist motivations many famous people have for wanting to be seen on the big screen. Are popular names becoming actors for the artistry or to elevate their celebrity profile? Is the move a fresh start or an extension of what they’re best known for? Do they have the talent to be good actors?
Film studios, producers, and directors offer established names in other facets of popular entertainment the chance to exercise their acting chops. Oftentimes to critics and audiences their appearance in a movie is viewed as stunt casting — it doesn’t matter whether a singer, reality show star or social media darling can act or not. All that matters to executives and filmmakers is that their likeness can be marketed to their fanbase, in the hope that they will pay for a ticket to see them in a movie.
Music
As soon as motion pictures began to incorporate sound popular music artists were brought onto film sets to showcase their talents and demonstrate cinema’s latest innovation. The music and film industries mutually benefited in joining forces: music artists received increased publicity and media attention, and films sold more tickets at the box office. The acting career of Elvis Presley over dozens of titles cemented the notion of star power selling movies to audiences, and gave rise to the music soundtrack that people could buy and listen to at home after leaving the theater.
In many instances a music artist’s casting is based on their musical talent — their acting strength is considered secondary. The films they star in are designed to display their singing and/or instrumental abilities, which in the case of of Mariah Carey’s Glitter and Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker was not enough. Even if a music artist doesn’t perform in the movie directly we may still hear them during the credits and contributing to the soundtrack.
On the other hand there are musicians who have treated their music and their acting as two distinct entities. Rather than being an extension of their work as music artists their acting must stand on its own merits, without the protection of what made them household names. Among the most successful names to make the transition include the David Bowie (The Man Who Fell to Earth, The Prestige), Cher (Silkwood, The Witches of Eastwick, and her Oscar-winning turn in Moonstruck), and more recently Janelle Monae (Hidden Figures, Moonlight). Less successful were Madonna (Swept Away, Body of Evidence), though not without some exceptions, and Jessica Simpson (Employee of the Month, Blonde Ambition).
Notable names: Beyoncé Knowles, Queen Latifah, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Kris Kristofferson, Aaliyah, Lady Gaga, Dolly Parton, Prince, Vanilla Ice, Luke Goss, Katy Perry, Rita Ora, Eminem
Stand-up Comedy
Though less prominent than music stars, stand-up comedians have had equal fortunes crossing over into acting. The potential advantage comics have over them is their ability to translate more of their talent into delivering better performances.
Stand-up comedy derives much of its humour from observational storytelling and peoples’ interactions with one another. Comedians will assume identities on stage and create characters in real and made-up situations, knowing how best to engage and win the crowd. These skills naturally compliment what is needed of them as actors — to understand peoples’ actions and emotions below the surface.
Similar to how music artists decide whether or not to exploit their musical talents, stand-ups are divided about choosing whether or not to always play comedic roles. The immediate response of many is that comedians are best suited to comedy films, which was the initial path chosen by stand-up legends Richard Pryor (Stir Crazy, Silver Streak) and Steve Martin (The Jerk, The Man With Two Brains), whereas others decided to push themselves further. Despite being labelled comedies, Eddie Murphy’s earlier efforts did carry underappreciated dramatic heft (48 Hrs., Beverly Hills Cop), and comedians such as Robin Williams and Sarah Silverman have effectively played straight-faced characters in dramatic features removed from their popularized personas.
To many, stand-up comedy’s greatest pioneer in film and television for the last 10 years has been Louis C.K. With his FX series Louie, online series Horace and Pete, voice-over work, comedic and dramatic roles he has reshaped how stand-up comedians are viewed in popular entertainment and treated by the industry. Louis C.K. and talented comedians like him have proven their worth beyond the stage and away from the microphone.
Notable names: George Carlin, Jim Carrey, Chris Rock, Patton Oswalt, Denis Leary, Eddie Izzard, Amy Schumer, Janeane Garofalo, Russell Brand, Dane Cook
Sports
Because professional and televised sports demands competitors be in their physical and athletic prime time is against them. Sports stars have a finite lifespan before they either choose or are forced to retire, substituted for younger, upcoming talents. Turning their attention to acting can provide a second career that utilizes their skills or allows them to flex their creative and emotional muscles.
Men and women hailing from fighting sports such as MMA, boxing, and professional wrestling are often cast on account of their imposing physical prowess in action movies. Wrestlers from the WWE have the added experience of delivering dramatic, albeit exaggerated, performances during their sporting years, which has served Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Dave Bautista (most famous for his portrayal of Drax the Destroyer in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy) with great commercial success.
Where physicality is important it does not make up for poor acting. Over the years sports stars being cast on the basis of their celebrity has produced awkward and embarrassing results, including Shaquille O’Neal in Kazaam and Steel, and David Beckham’s glorified cameo in King Arthur: Legend of the Sword.
Some sportsmen and women may elect to not to stray too far from what they are best known for, starring in sports movies that play to their talents, sometimes playing fictional versions of themselves. Muhammad Ali played himself in the biopic The Greatest, and Michael Jordan played basketball to save the Looney Tunes in Space Jam.
Notable names: Bubba Smith, John Cena, ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin, Ronda Rousey, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Gina Carano, Mike Tyson, Hulk Hogan
Fashion Modelling
Casting supermodels in films feels especially calculated. Coming from an industry that constructs unreal images of aesthetic perfectionism their presence on screen is not concerned with performance but beauty and titillation. Like their careers in fashion their purpose in front of film cameras, first and foremost, is to look good.
Models are not considered by producers and filmmakers for roles because of their dramatic delivery — they appear to stand in poses and expose naked skin. If by some good fortune they turn out to be capable actors I have one less reason to complain, but the matter remains that their acting ability is an afterthought. Supermodels are fast-tracked ahead of other aspiring actors because of their superficial features. Their ‘talent’ isn’t built with dedication, training or discipline. Their talent is to look sexy.
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is introduced in Michael Bay’s Transformers: The Dark of the Moon with the 3D camera following from behind, looking up at her backside. (Seriously, what the hell was her purpose in the movie?) Cindy Crawford was cast in Fair Game because the part involved shower and sex scenes. Brooklyn Decker starred in Just Go With It and Battleship so she could be shot scantily-dressed in tropical locations.
If a part doesn’t demand dressing skimpy or being the romantic lead, would the filmmakers still offer them the role, believing they’re the best choice? I doubt it.
Notable Names: Emily Ratajkowski, Cara Delevigne, Giselle Bundchen, Elle McPherson, Tyra Banks, Lily Cole, Kelly Brook, Bo Derek, Kate Upton
I don’t begrudge people who want to grow or find new paths in their careers. But what is most important to me, and I hope for the majority of people, is that producers and directors are making informed and sensible decisions about their casting. While hiring a massive star from outside of the film industry may sound like a savvy move to attract audiences it can backfire. It can reek of privilege, media attention-seeking, and money grabbing of the worst kind.
We want actors who are right for their roles, and star power will only get you so far. If a musician, comedian, sports star, or supermodel gives a lousy performance their name alone will not be enough to win us over.
Coming soon: Is There Anything Good About the Jaws Sequels?
