Actors who are Making Great Scenes by Carrying a Tune
Musical films and biopics are back in favor in Hollywood and the actors who have the talent to act, sing and dance are getting great parts to play. As with all artistic endeavors, anyone can “act”, “dance”, and “sing”. But few of us can act, sing and dance really really well. And even fewer can act, sing and dance at the level we have come to expect the best to do; those who not only entertain us, but also make it look effortless and flawless. We’ve taken a look at the musical films and biopics of the last decade and have selected a few of our favorite singing performances to share with you.
Nine, a plethora of actors who sing well
Earlier this year, the song Cinema Italiano from the 2009 movie Nine, was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Original Song as performed by Kate Hudson. She credits the success of her musicianship to her mom, Goldie Hawn and to having lived with a musician for years (she was married to Chris Robinson of Black Crowes). While we like the way Kate sang, our favorite performance by an actor/singer from the movie Nine is Marion Cotillard’s Take it All.
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In fact, Nine had so many great singing performances by actors, the others are hard to ignore, Daniel Day Lewis, Penélope Cruz, Judi Dench, Nicole Kidman, Sophia Loren and Fergie. Yes Fergie, although she only had a supporting role in the film. Everyone now knows Stacy Ann Ferguson as Fergie the singer, as a soloist or as singer with The Black Eyed Peas. Ferguson started her career as a child actor and followed through after high school with tv roles before spending more time working as a musician. We can’t resist including Fergie’s performance of Be Italian.
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Robert Pattinson in Twilight
British heartthrob Robert Pattinson starred in the 2008 mega hit film Twilight. Not only was the film a hit, the soundtrack has reached double platinum. Included on the album is Never Think a truly soulful ballad, written and performed by Pattinson. He told the Los Angeles Times that if his acting career were to fail he’d turn to a career in music as a backup plan. While he may not have to worry about his acting career failing, he’s got enough talent as a singer songwriter to pursue both.
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Meryl Streep in Mamma Mia!
The Mamma Mia! soundtrack for the American made film version of the ABBA musical, also reached platinum heights in 2008. The film was graced with the presence of the multiple award winning star, Meryl Streep, who can act and sing as well as she breathes. This was not a first for Streep, she has sung songs in many other films including Postcards from the Edge, A Prairie Home Companion, Secret Service and Silkwood. Whether you like Mamma Mia!, or ABBA or not, after watching this performance of The Winner Takes it All, you can’t deny that Streep has buckets full of talent.
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Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
Now for something completely different. Johnny Depp portrayed Benjamin Barker (Sweeney Todd) in the 2007 film adaptation of the horror film and musical, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Johnny Depp won a Golden Globe for his performance and was nominated for an Oscar, and while he may not have perfect pitch or a consistent tone he is able to convey an honest interpretation with conviction.
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Nicole Kidman, Moulin Rouge
Nicole Kidman performed in the film Nine, but for our list of favorite singing performances by actors, we’d like to include her performance in one of the first musical films of the 00s, Moulin Rouge (2001). Moulin Rouge was partly responsible for bringing about the resurgence of the popularity of musical films and giving the spotlight to actors who can sing. Kidman was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance of Satine, the Moulin Rouge’s singer/dancer and her duet with co-star Ewan McGregor performing Come What May was a success, as was the film’s soundtrack which reached 2 x multi platinum. This was Kidman’s first attempt at singing on screen. Definitely not her last.
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Anne Hathaway, Ella Enchanted
Anne Hathaway’s performance of Queen’s Somebody to Love, in the 2004 film Ella Enchanted is pretty much guaranteed to make you smile. While we won’t recommend watching the entire film, there is something about the way Anne Hathaway sings this Freddy Mercury/Queen song that makes it quite enjoyable.
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Across the Universe, Beatles covers
A Golden Globe winner, the 2007 “Beatles” film Across the Universe, portrayed life in late 60s along to the soundtrack of Beatles music. Another certified platinum soundtrack album, Across the Universe combined vocals performed by the leading actors, with a few cameo vocal performances by “real” musicians, Bono and Joe Cocker. Our favorite singing performance by an actor in this film is Evan Rachel Wood’s genuine interpretation of If I Fell. Although we have to say that Teresa Victoria Carpio’s I Want to Hold Your Hand and Jim Sturgess’ I’ve Just Seen A Face are worthy of mention too.
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Walk the Line, Reese Witherspoon and Joaquin Phoenix
Both Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon sing their parts for the 2005 biopic, Walk the Line. portraying the legend of American singer songwriter Johnny Cash and his wife June Carter. This soundtrack reached Platinum, Witherspoon was awarded multiple awards for her portrayal of June Carter, including an Academy Award for Best Actress. It is remarkable how close their interpretations of the songs sound to the original versions by Cash and Carter. We’re offering you two songs, Jackson (duet) and Ring of Fire (Phoenix).
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Infamous, Gwyneth Paltrow
We first heard Gwyneth Paltrow sing in the 2000 film Duets, singing a karaoke duet Cruisin with Huey Lewis. In 2006, Paltrow played Kitty Dean a nightclub singer in Infamous, the film set in the 1960s about Truman Capote. Her performance of What is this Thing Called Love opens the film, she delivers the jazz standard with a sultry smoothness appropriate for the genre and shows true emotion during an a cappella break.
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Chicago, Catherine Zeta-Jones
Catherine Zeta Jones steals the show with her performance of the thematic And All That Jazz in the 2002 musical film starring Catherine Zeta Jones, Richard Gere and Renee Zellweger. Zeta-Jones was recognized for her performance and won the Oscar for Best Actress.
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Special Mention to Jeff Bridges for his acting in Crazy Heart
We’d be remiss not to mention the recent success of Jeff Bridges and his portrayal of Bad Blake, the down-and-out country singer in the film Crazy Heart. Bridges won this year’s Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama) as well as this year’s Academy Award for Best Actor. Although we haven’t included his performance among this list of our favorite singing performances, his portrayal of a singer was certainly authentic, as confirmed by these awards. The theme song from Crazy Heart, The Weary Kind, was performed by Ryan Bingham and also won a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
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Upcoming Musical Films and Biopics
Here are two upcoming musical biopics to look forward to:
- THE RUNAWAYS, with actors Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning acting and singing their portrayals Joan Jett and Cherie Currie as the 1970s Cherry Bomb rockers.
- Anne Hathaway may have another chance to sing her heart out as she’s signed on to play Judy Garland, in a biopic. However there is no confirmation yet as to whether she’ll provide the vocals or not.
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