8 Musicians That Nailed Their Acting Roles

Many musicians have made the transition into acting – some more successfully than others. Some film performances by musicians have likely left audiences thinking, “Maybe they should’ve stuck to their day job.” However, there are a fair few that have stuck the landing and earned a hyphenate in their job title.

Below are eight expectation-shattering performances by musicians on screen. From Beyoncé to Justin Timberlake, these artists can comfortably call themselves musician-actors.

1. Rihanna – Ocean’s 8

Rihanna plays hacker extraordinaire Nine Ball in the latest installment of the Ocean’s franchise. Ocean’s 8 isn’t Rihanna’s first acting gig but, it is by far her best. She is at the same time quietly confident and lovably sarcastic in this role. It’s pretty much the consensus that Rihanna is a badass. She puts that foot forward in this film role, to great success.

2. Lady Gaga – A Star is Born

Lady Gaga had long been a star before she appeared in the 2018 remake of A Star is Born. Nevertheless, her role in the film helped to usher in a new era of Gaga’s career, one that saw her become a bonafide movie star. Gaga brought audiences around the world to blubbering tears with her performance as Ally. Not only does she flex her powerful vocals throughout the movie, but she also held her own alongside seasoned actors.

[RELATED: 8 of Lady Gaga’s Albums Ranked]

3. Madonna – A League of Their Own

Madonna was a scene stealer in A League of Their Own. She bounces jokes off of her scene partner in crime, Rosie O’Donnell. Madonna was pop royalty by the time this film was released in 1992, but she proved herself as quite the comedienne with this role. She flirts with GIs, catches fly balls in the outfield, and takes every opportunity to get in a wisecrack or two.

4. Dolly Parton – 9 to 5

Dolly Parton ventured into the acting scene with 9 to 5 in 1980 – and thank goodness she did. If she hadn’t, we would never have witnessed Parton’s star turn as Doralee Rhodes, a woman as equally feisty and lovable as the country icon herself. Who could forget her “rooster to a hen” monologue?

5. Whitney Houston – The Bodyguard

Whitney Houston didn’t just sing, she embodied every word of a song, letting the lyrics roll around in her soul for a bit before they came out of her mouth. Every performance was a deeply emotive one. Given that, it’s no surprise that Houston would be a talented actress. In The Bodyguard, she bares her soul. Given the allusions to Houston’s real life in the film, it’s easy to figure out why she seems so deeply connected to this role. Plus, it gave us incredible Houston hits like “I Will Always Love You,” “Queen of the Night,” and more.

[RELATED: 5 Things We Learned from the New Whitney Houston Biopic, ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody’]

6. Justin Timberlake – The Social Network

Justin Timberlake goes from heartthrob boy bander to infamous businessman in The Social Network. Timberlake plays the real-life creator of Napster, Sean Parker. Together, he and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg (played incredibly well by Jesse Eisenberg) weasel their business partner out of his share of the social media giant. Timberlake plays his seedy part to the nines, which is in stark contrast to his lovable days bee-bopping with *NSYNC.

7. Eminem – 8 Mile

8 Mile is essentially Eminem’s autobiography, so who better to cast in the lead role? Though Eminem knew the events of the plot firsthand, the rapper still had to have the acting chops to be able to pull off the story on a film set. Luckily, he did. He draws upon his own experiences, bringing a lot of heart to this rags-to-riches (or rags to slightly less drab rags) story.

8. Beyoncé – Dreamgirls

The standout singer in a trio of girls that secures a solo career after they call it quits? No, we’re not talking about Destiny’s Child. That’s the synopsis of Beyoncé’s role in Dreamgirls, but it’s an easy mistake to make. If there were any doubts that Beyoncé could take on the role of Deena Jones in the film adaptation of this Broadway staple, they were misplaced and a little daft. Though the plot is loosely based on Diana Ross and the Supremes, it could just as easily mirror Destiny Child’s fate, making Beyoncé a shoo-in for the role.

Queen Bey brings her incomparable vocals to the film, of course, but her acting chops are something to behold as well. Not that we’re surprised. Is there anything Beyoncé can’t do?

(Photo by Gary Gershoff/Getty Images)