Why do Actors/Actresses turn to singing?

I started thinking this today just out of the blue. Why do actors or actresses turn to singing? Also, why do singers turn to acting?

If you can't sing for sh*t, I doubt you can act real well either. Take David Hasslehoff for instance. The man can't do either one well.

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"I was walking down the street with my friend and he said, "I hear music", as if there is any other way you can take it in. You're not special, that's how I receive it too. I tried to taste it but it did not work." - Mitch Hedberg

Depends on what you mean. Are you talking about musicals, or actual albums? I'm guessing it's the latter. If so, I don't think it happens very often. Jennifer Lopez comes to mind; but I think she's the exception to the rule. Robert Goulet sprang into my head, too, though he's before my time, so I don't really know if he was into acting before singing or not.

Yes, I mean albums. Musicals, since they involve acting is a side-step so it's alright by me.

Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Love Hewitt

Quick give me someone else. I just find it funny that if you can't sing, you go to acting, if you can't act, you go back to singing(Mariah Carey, Lance Bass come to mind).

I think singing-to-acting is more prominent than acting-to-singing...though I'm not sure on that. With music, Justin Timberlake has had some minor roles, likely to expand. Like you said, too: Mariah Carey, Lance Bass, and Britney Spears' new movie is due out relatively soon. Whitney Houston, too, I think. I'm pretty sure she sang before she acted.

Britney's movie is likely to suck major a*s. I mean just think about it for a minute. Yeah she looks good when she ain't wearing crap, but I doubt she can act in a major full-length movie.

Some can pull off the transition nicely and still get back to what they were doing, others become branded for life(JLH, JL, MC).

I would say that the ratio is about equal but unless you are prominent in either of your careers before you switch, people aren't aware of it. There are a LOT of people - especially back in the day. The norm now is women, but before, lots of men sang.

Did you know Eddie Murphy made a record? Oh yes, he did. :-D Others back then, too.

Singing to Acting:

Madonna, Britney Spears, Spice Girls, Jennifer Love Hewitt, another teeny bopper actress (can't remember) and I am quite sure we can expect to see Christina Aguilera make something soon. Mariah Carey. Toni Braxton. That Beyonce (or however it's spelled). Countless rappers. Ice T (cheese city), and Ice Cube (skill, but sometimes picks the wrong thing). Janet Jackson (Good Times, Poetic Justice). Michael Jackon (The Wiz). Diana Ross (she short of balanced the two - made a fascinating, odd film called Mahogany that freaked me out on TV the other day).

Acting to singing is actually quite common but this is normally when someone with acting tendencies also loves to sing so they actually meld the two sooner - into Broadway or off-Broadway. Or that's how they get in - they start by singing then get taken seriously. Just saw a show on Marilu Henner getting into the biz via this. Stockard Channing. Both started in Grease, right along with John Travolta. Our classic Bette Midler, who is grand and good at both. The infamous Barbara Streisand - come on! It's a long historic tradition. Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers. Even our darling Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady, and Funny Face. All them yummy actors with humbling voices - Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin (oh god, his voice is velvet). Ah, velvet reminds me of Mr. Elvis Presley.

Oh yes, very common trend. And then people we become aware of through film who surprise us with their talent for singing, but they've done it a good while as part of their career - Jason Alexander, doesn't he? And the marvelous Nathan Lane. HE is purely born of the meld of comedy, music, and acting. I heard Kevin Spacey did well in the Iceman Cometh, does that involve singing? I heard that was on Broadway, too. Lots of actors go to Broadway, loving the stage, and of course, if they sing. And they leave Broadway to go to film. Lucy Lawless though, I dunno about her singing debut on Xena, that was just plain silly. I heard they recently did that with Buffy the Vamp Slayer. They should just let that go. Then there was that Woodly Allen film where they went musical. Spike Lee, wasn't School Daze a musical? Featuring Tisha Campbell, and others.

And of course our most recent development, Moulin Rouge. Nicole Kidman tooling around with Mr. Ewan Macgregor!

Musicals are a blessed artform - sadly, not all are talented enough to perform in them well.

Then there are those who want to go the complete switch, not musicals but a complete path. So, Jennifer Lopez, who began in music (dancing), got to flash the pretty lashes and pout for film and then show off those dance skills legitimately. There is no way for her to do so purely as a dancer and have that support her lifestyle. No one's gonna buy Lopez as just a dancer. Being what she is she can't just go dance in someone else's music video or Vegas revue - she's the star now and so, must take it over. She likes to sing and can carry a tune - natural choice (though overexposed and ill-advised) is to go into the music business.

Obviously Madonna's not done so well in the acting arena - I actually did not find her turn in Evita brilliant at all because she did not do much and she wasn't required to do much but dress well and look hopeful, sexual, determined, then ill. These are not hard things to do.

We're always gonna see a lot of this. It's an age old thing. Maybe it's the ancient link to singing in dramatic performances in ampitheatres in roman times. Or singing ballads by the fire that tell complex stories of life and love. The japanese have their Kabuke theater, in Indonesia they have their puppet theater (don't know the name), and in older cultures there's plenty of dress up and acting out of traditional stories - with plenty of singing. It' s in the blood. Can't do one without trying the other - if you have the skill (or think you do, or wish you did).

An addage that has come true so often it's a cliche is simply this: Rock Stars want to be Actors, and Actors want to be Rock Stars. It's just the way it is, something about greener pastures of fame (the ultimate drug).

Whatareyougonnado? This cycle will repeat itself indefinitely. While there have been some moderate success in conversion, it's usually going to end as nothing more than a footnote...and often embarassing ones at that.


The only entertainment cliche that holds more ture than the Rock Star-Actor/Actor-Rock Star is the old line, "But what I really want to do is direct."

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because they can

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Then, once they've been successful at both, want to take on another talent. As Holden said, directing is something they would probably go to.

Mandy Moore has one coming out soon, too. That makes me sick! I agree with spud, they all should stick to one media forum...anything else is saturation.

Hmmm, I dunno. I like Mandy Moore. I think she's a talented singer, a decent actress, and I've got to respect the fact that she's gotten this far despite being flat as a board when compared to some of her peers -- I'll bet that's tough these days.

HA HA HA. Ohhh... TWTCommish. You crack me up. Mandy Moore has to be the only woman in the world who's earned a man's respect by being as "flat as a board".

As to the singing and the acting bugs, they're pretty similar that's why they do both. It's all about performing. Most singers these days have absolutely no talent for singing so let's see if they've got different talents. I say let them have a go and then let us laugh at them when they fail.

On a side note, I don't think Britney will fail. The role and the movie are horrible but she's not a Madonna-trocious bad actor. Anyone see the MTV Movie Awards last year when she did a sketch with Adam Sandler, Kirsten Dunst and that other presenter (who stitched me up too by the way)? She was pretty funny, if a small bit stiff.


....

"respect the fact that she's... flat as a board"

Oh, T, you kill me.

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I couldn't believe that she knew my name. Some of my best friends didn't know my name.

Yeah, I kill a lot of people. I think Spears' movie will make a fair amount of money. It was apparently shot for around $10 million total...so even if it bombs to the degree of, say, that Lance Bass movie (I've blocked out all details concerning it, so I can't remember the title), it'll easily turn a profit through video and DVD sales...and probably even through the domestic box office. I don't think it'll be a hit, by any standard, however.

See here! I can't believe you're siding with Spears and Moore taking their careers to the screen. It just plain, sucks! Bottom line. They can't act. I refuse to believe it!

I think Moore is talented, but I'm not "siding" with Spears. I think the movie is going to, as one reviewer once said of "Hannibal:" defy physics...it will suck and blow at the same time. I think, though, that with a budget that small, making it a commercial success will be fairly easy.

HA-HA! Suck and blow! Hee-Hee! That cracks me up! And it's so true!

Don't forget about Mark Wahlberg, aka Marky Mark.

I was going to mention the Spice Girls, but their singing and their flick sucked.

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"Chances are, if your parents didn't have any kids, then you won't either."

That's right. He didn't really leave a good career though. His singing/rapping career was over.

i'm a little late in joining the thread, but Holden nailed it right on the head.
And thmilin made some very good points as well, as usual.

the actor to singer or singer to actor could also be a manipulated artist, with skewed perspective, way too much ego, yes, but also convinced by greedy producers in the recording or movie world (who want to bank on the name alone) that they are "a natural"...."you're so gooooooooooood" etc. etc.

actor to singer seems to about "rebellion" for some of them.....or maybe music is something they used to do and now that they have all the cash and fame, they want to drop by their old haunts, climb up on the stage or bar, and sing/play their guts out.


as for rap.......couldn't anyone be a rap star?



500th post, 500th post!!!!!!!!!!!!! Silver, i'm right on your tail.....not.

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Heh heh heh.
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I think most of the actors-turned-singers (and vice versa) just somehow landed into fame, realised it's waning and tried to revitalise it elsewhere.

Basically, their fame is an accident, and they suck.

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