A Star Is Born's trailer was released this week and left most people wondering:
"Can Lady Gaga be in award contention?"
Well, Hollywood story show a big couple of cases of singers-turned-actors who did great on-screen by delivering some memorable performances in some iconic movies. Today, I present you my 10 favorite acting turns from a singer on the big screen.
So, shall we begin?
1. Frank Sinatra in From Here to Eternity (1953)
Sinatra got the chance of not-being a crooner and he took it! From Here to Eternity deals with the tribulations of three U.S. Army soldiers (with Sinatra's Maggio being one of them), stationed on Hawaii in the months leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor. And he delivers a complex performance, full of nuanced moments, full of soul and inner drama. As the likeable yet-violent Maggio, Frank Sinatra proves to be a real actor and got the recognition from the AMPAS by winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
2. David Bowie in The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)
The first big role of Bowie's career in Hollywood was in The Man Who Fell to Earth... and it happened to become a cult classic! As an alien who comes to Earth in search of water for his planet, Bowie met rave reviews with critics praising his effortless charisma. An impressive and fascinating screen debut in a movie that's also an essay about human culture and ambition. The Man Who Fell to Earth might be considered one of the best sci-fi movies ever, but it will always be remembered for Bowie's performance.
3. Cher in Silkwood (1983)
She won an Oscar for Moonstruck, but her best performance was featured in Silkwood, in my opinion. She was still fresh from the critical acclaim she received for her work in Robert Altman's Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982) at the time when Silkwood was released. In Mike Nichol's Silkwood, she plays Dolly Pelliker (a real-life person), the roomate and lesbian friend of Meryl Streep's character... and Cher's simply terrific! Yes, she was able to match Meryl Streep! An Academy Award nominated performance that helped Cher estabilishing herself as an actress and a true global star at the time.
4. Madonna in Evita (1996)
It's a flawed performance, but it's a magnetic one! Madonna reached an iconic performance by portraying Eva Perón in a movie that needed years of production in order to see the light of the day. I know it wasn't one of the first acting performances on-screen by the Queen of Pop, but it was the best one, by far. With amazing renditions of "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina" or "You Must Love Me", no wonder Madonna won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical (she fits the "perfect musical actress" in this one). Love her or hate her, she granted a place in cinematic history thanks to her performance in Evita.
5. Courtney Love in The People vs. Larry Flint (1996)
She plays a stripper who catches the eye of Woody Harrelson's character in Milos Forman's classic The People vs. Larry Flynt. She's the center of the love story of Larry and Althea, in a nuanced performance that paints all the shades from abandon to tragedy. It's not a refined performance, but a raw one! She brings her soul on-screen and that's something more than talent or acting. She won numerous critics associations awards and got nominated for a Golden Globe and in spite of not delivering any other truly memorable performance in a big hit movie like this one, Love also starred Man on the Moon (1999) and Julie Johnson (2001).
6. Will Smith in MIB (1997)
Before Will Smith became a movie star, he was a rapper named The Fresh Prince. After the commercial success of Bad Boys (1995), Smith was already considered a box-office draw, but it was after Men In Black (MIB) he became the big deal. Another box-office hit and a critical acclaimed action-comedy, Will Smith reached the global superstar status and estabilished himself as a major movie star. Thanks to a funny and charismatic performance in MIB, Smith would later star other major blockbusters and then become a two-times Academy Award nominee (for 2001's Ali and for 2006's The Pursuit of Happyness).
7. Björk in Dancer in the Dark (2000)
As daydreaming immigrant factory worker who's losing her sight and tries to save as much money as she can so she can afford a surgery for her son (who suffers from a degenerative condition like hers and end up blind as well), Björk delivers a once-in-a-lifetime performance in Lars von Trier's Dancer in the Dark. A powerful performance! Bjök was simply amazing and she received the Cannes Film Festival prize for Best Actress and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama. Although she missed an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, Björk's acting turn will be forever impossible to forget.
8. Eminem in 8 Mile (2002)
The King of Hip Hop, Eminem starred 2002's 8 Mile, playing Jimmy "B-Rabbit" Smith, Jr. a young who tries to start a new life while he attempts to launch a career as a rapper in a genre dominated by African-Americans. Critics considered the movie something "good" but "not extraordinary" but Eminem's performance receive a lot of praise and fans went mad for the movie. He proved to have a great screen presence and carried the whole movie as a true movie star. And let's not forget the hit "Lose Yourself" which received the Academy Award for Best Original Song, turning Eminem into the first hip hop artist who received that honour. A semi-autobiographical movie which elevated Eminem to a "promising actor" status at the time.
9. Jennifer Hudson in Dreamgirls (2006)
After American Idol, Hudson made her debut screen performance in the cinematic adaptation of Dreamgirls musical, also starring Beyoncé Knowles, Jamie Foxx and Eddie Murphy... And guess what? Foxx was fine, Beyoncé was great, Murphy was magnetic but she was the one who got Oscar nominated (and won) for her performance as Effie White. With a memorable rendition of "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going", Hudson made cinematic history. Considered one of the best performances of the past decade, her Effie White will never be forgotten.
10. Mary J. Blige in Mudbound (2017)
She delivered a beautiful and touching performance in Dee Ree's drama Mudbound. Mary J. Blige creates a silent Mary Jackson that owns a bright inner strenght. She's luminous when she's on-screen and she builds a connection with the audience, so it's no surprise she got an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for this performance. Thanks to Mudbound, she's not only an Academy Award nominated actress, but also the only person who received both an acting nod and Best Original Song nomination in the same year (for the same movie).
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