colinr0380 wrote: Mon Sep 30, 2024 9:14 pm
My favourite 'bait and switch' version of this was when Damon Albarn was introduced with much fanfare as making his acting debut in 1997's crime thriller Face only to in the actual film itself in a post-Reservoir Dogs move get summarily killed off early in the film!
How about Mick Jagger with Performance and Ned Kelly? Wasn't he in some sort of competition over acting with David Bowie during that period? Or to keep with the Roeg theme, Art Garfunkle in Bad Timing.
Ooh, Adam Ant in Jubilee! Performing one of his songs and getting glassed by a policeman for it!
Jagger has appeared in quite a few good films, including The Burnt Orange Heresy. He starred in 2 films that were shut down, Fitzcarraldo and a 1986 adaptation of Laughter in the Dark
He also produced Michael Apted’s Enigma (being a chartered accountant by trade, he’s always loved numbers)
I thought Cocco was excellent in Shinya Tsukamoto’s Kotoko, one of the most upsetting films I’ve seen in the past few years. (It’s superbly made, probably my favorite of the Tsukamotos I’ve seen, but I’m not sure I could sit through it again any time soon.)
Bourvil (Le Cercle rouge, but mostly comedies with Louis de Funès), Jacques Brel (I've only seen L'Emmerdeur, where he is cast against Lino Ventura, not really worth it I thought).
Here in Quebec in the 1940s-1970s it was a pretty common thing that famous musicians then became actors and had a long run with it (Ovila Légaré, Pauline Julien, Gilles Vigneault, Donald Lautrec...). Maybe because the artistic scene was small? Best case I've seen is country musician Willie Lamothe in Gilles Carle's films.
Atsuko Maeda has been in a few Kiyoshi Kurosawa films. She’s good in a supporting role in Before We Vanish and as the lead in the fun lark Seventh Code, but she’s wonderful in To the Ends of the Earth.
On the French tip, there’s also the obvious big ones of Johnny Hallyday and Eddy Mitchell (and technically Gainsbourg pops up as often as Oscar Levant too)
Not a major star of course, but my favorite musician to actor transition is Rudy Vallée going from crooning matinee idol in the 20s and 30s to brilliant comedic character actor in the 40s.
most of who I would've said was already mentioned (Aznavour in Shoot the Pianist is maybe my favorite) but I'll name two recent examples of pop stars who I am more aware of via their (good!) film work, less so their pop music: Harry Styles in Dunkirk and Lee Ji-eun (also known as IU) for Broker - I thought both were awesome and I'd be into them each doing more film work, though I know their "other" careers keep them busy..
Iggy Pop surprised me in Dead Man - I didn't fully realize it was him at first! and I've watched countless interviews. I love Tom Waits a lot but he's effectively Tom Waits in just about everything he plays..similarly Bowie got cast a lot as the weirdo, which is why I loved the subversion of his role in Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence - a movie that of course also stars Ryuichi Sakamoto, who I still maintain fits the part very well, even if he's not the best actor!
There are also the Beatles, though Ringo and to a lesser extent John were the ones who did the most screen acting outside Beatles films. George of course had an impact on the film industry by co-founding HandMade Films.
Meat Loaf started out essentially in both, RHPS heralding his arrival just before his music career took off. Just before his major comeback in the early 90’s, he was in small roles in big movies, and the return in popularity upped his stock certainly with Fight Club, which I still think is maybe my favorite performance from that film. Bob is perhaps the easiest character to understand.
I have not seen Miles Davis’ episode of Miami Vice yet, but this thread is making me curious to seek it out.
Meatloaf was already a recording artist well before Rocky Horror. He was signed to Motown, of all labels, in the early 70s and released some singles and an album as the duo Stoney and Meatloaf.
GaryC wrote: Tue Oct 01, 2024 6:55 am
There are also the Beatles, though Ringo and to a lesser extent John were the ones who did the most screen acting outside Beatles films. George of course had an impact on the film industry by co-founding HandMade Films.
George did have cameos in films he helped finance (and had a memorable cameo on The Simpsons thanks to Dhani loving the show, the main reason he agreed to appear), but otherwise George is the only Beatle to never agree to a starring role outside of the Beatles' feature films. Ringo obviously acted a lot, John did How I Won the War, and Paul, in true Paul fashion, cast himself playing himself in the lead role to an abysmal feature he wrote by himself.
Hasn’t Elvis Presley been mentioned yet? Despite his reputation, I think he was a natural presence on camera - he just got lumbered with a load of crap for the most part (which he had to navigate with some fine directors and co-stars).
colinr0380 wrote: Mon Sep 30, 2024 9:14 pm
My favourite 'bait and switch' version of this was when Damon Albarn was introduced with much fanfare as making his acting debut in 1997's crime thriller Face only to in the actual film itself in a post-Reservoir Dogs move get summarily killed off early in the film!
How about Mick Jagger with Performance and Ned Kelly? Wasn't he in some sort of competition over acting with David Bowie during that period? Or to keep with the Roeg theme, Art Garfunkle in Bad Timing.
Ooh, Adam Ant in Jubilee! Performing one of his songs and getting glassed by a policeman for it!
Jagger has appeared in quite a few good films, including The Burnt Orange Heresy. He starred in 2 films that were shut down, Fitzcarraldo and a 1986 adaptation of Laughter in the Dark
He also produced Michael Apted’s Enigma (being a chartered accountant by trade, he’s always loved numbers)
Art Garfunkel is wonderful in Carnal Knowledge
What about Freejack? Never seen it but sounds pretty silly.
colinr0380 wrote: Mon Sep 30, 2024 9:14 pm
My favourite 'bait and switch' version of this was when Damon Albarn was introduced with much fanfare as making his acting debut in 1997's crime thriller Face only to in the actual film itself in a post-Reservoir Dogs move get summarily killed off early in the film!
How about Mick Jagger with Performance and Ned Kelly? Wasn't he in some sort of competition over acting with David Bowie during that period? Or to keep with the Roeg theme, Art Garfunkle in Bad Timing.
Ooh, Adam Ant in Jubilee! Performing one of his songs and getting glassed by a policeman for it!
Jagger has appeared in quite a few good films, including The Burnt Orange Heresy. He starred in 2 films that were shut down, Fitzcarraldo and a 1986 adaptation of Laughter in the Dark
He also produced Michael Apted’s Enigma (being a chartered accountant by trade, he’s always loved numbers)
Art Garfunkel is wonderful in Carnal Knowledge
What about Freejack? Never seen it but sounds pretty silly.
Oh, Freejack is definitely worth a watch. Anthony Hopkins turns into a sentient screensaver at one point, if memory serves me right
All I remember about Order of Death (which I believe is known as Copkiller elsewhere) was (a) that John Lydon was terrible in it, and (b) that screening it in a double bill with Assault on Precinct 13 (also a first-time viewing) didn't do it any favours.
reaky wrote: Wed Oct 02, 2024 12:41 pm
Hasn’t Elvis Presley been mentioned yet? Despite his reputation, I think he was a natural presence on camera - he just got lumbered with a load of crap for the most part (which he had to navigate with some fine directors and co-stars).
He's terrific in the Siegel picture, Flaming Star, and the movie's pretty terrific, too!
They keep attempting to transition Johnny Flynn from music to acting, but honestly, I have yet to see a performance of his where I didn't come away thinking, Really? There was no other actual actor they could have cast?
I don’t believe anyone has yet mentioned Abbey Lincoln.
Lincoln was one of the two leads in both Nothing But A Man (1964) and For The Love Of Ivy (1968), played the Denzel Washington’s mother in Mo’ Better Blues (1990), and appeared in numerous television series.
Roger Daltrey was also pretty good in whatever he starred in, even in the films he was in typically weren’t. He always has a good presence and a lot of the time you can see he’s having a blast. Not to mention he makes a pretty believable Franz Liszt.
