5 Pop Stars With Acting Careers
Musicians are a talented and creative bunch. Some artists have started out in theater or dance before taking on a professional career in music. For example, when Cher was in…
Lady Gaga attends Elton John AIDS Foundation’s 30th Annual Academy Awards Viewing Party on March 27, 2022 in West Hollywood, California. Harry Styles arrives at the Los Angeles premiere of “My Policeman” at Regency Bruin Theatre on November 01, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. Dua Lipa attends the World Premiere of “Argylle” at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on January 24, 2024 in London, England.
Leon Bennett/Kevin Winter/Lia Toby/Getty ImagesMusicians are a talented and creative bunch. Some artists have started out in theater or dance before taking on a professional career in music. For example, when Cher was in fifth grade, she produced a performance of the musical Oklahoma! for her teacher and class. The "Believe" singer has starred in 20 films since 1965, including The Witches of Eastwick, Moonstruck, and Burlesque. Madonna took classical piano lessons as a child but switched over to ballet lessons. She pursued a dance career and attended the University of Michigan with a dance scholarship. Madonna has starred in more films than she has albums, starring in 15 films since 1985, including A League of Their Own and Four Rooms.
Artists Turned Actors Across Decades
Moving to the pop stars of the early aughts, singers like Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and Christina Aguilera all had taken on acting careers as well. Britney starred in 2002's Crossroads after recording three studio albums. Justin starred in 22 movies. Meanwhile, Christina starred in three films, one of which she starred alongside Cher: Burlesque. Though some pop stars take on acting when their music careers are declining in popularity, others have taken on acting equally or stronger than their music careers. Jennifer Lopez is one successful pop star that comes to mind. She has steadily pushed out music since 1999. With nine studio albums, J-Lo has an impressive 35 acting credits below her belt. Lady Gaga is another massive pop icon who has emerged onto the acting scene to critical acclaim. Gaga has five solo studio albums, two collaborative albums with the late Tony Bennett, and one soundtrack album from her starring film debut in A Star Is Born.
We took a look at musicians who made the transition to the big screen and compiled a list of five who have had strong roles. See which of our favorite pop stars made the list.
Lady Gaga
Arturo Holmes/Getty ImagesGaga made her acting debut in 2001 as an extra in HBO's iconic crime drama,'The Sopranos,' as Girl at Swimming Pool #2. She also made cameos on 'The Simpsons' and 'Men In Black 3,' but her breakthrough role and our personal favorite came in 2015 in the anthology series 'American Horror Story: Hotel.' Her biggest role to date is starring opposite Bradley Cooper in the remake of 'A Star is Born,' for which she received an Oscar nod for Best Actress in a Leading Role and a win for Best Original Song with “Shallow.” She then starred in the less successful 'House of Gucci' in 2021. Though her acting and outfits were great, the writing and other actors fell flat. Now, she's set to star in the 'Joker' musical sequel alongside Joaquin Phoenix, 'Folie à Deux' in October 2024.
Dua Lipa
Frazer Harrison/Getty ImagesThe Albanian singer-songwriter eased her way into the world of acting after she had two studio albums under her belt. It wasn't until 2023's cultural hit, 'Barbie,' that Dua was featured on the big screen. Her role in the film was small, playing as Mermaid Barbie alongside John Cena (Merman Ken). She wrote the lead single, "Dance the Night" for the 'Barbie' film soundtrack. Now, she landed a supporting role in an action thriller film starring alongside some big names in the industry. In 2024's 'Argylle,' Lipa stars as LaGrange, one of the antagonists in the film who dances with Henry Cavill's character.
Justin Timberlake
Christopher Polk/Getty Images for The Critics' Choice AwardsJustin Timberlake’s first foray into fame started with 'The All-New Mickey Mouse Club' alongside Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Ryan Gosling. He would transition to acting, as well as a career as a solo artist, after a successful turn with the boy band *NSYNC. In 2005, he had his feature film debut with 'Edison,' though it would be 2006 crime thriller, 'Alpha Dog,' that would get him noticed. Timberlake further starred in notable roles, with on to 2010's 'The Social Network' and 'Friends With Benefits' and 'Bad Teacher' a year later. In 2016, he made his debut in the 'Trolls' franchise, voicing a character named Branch.
Jennifer Lopez
Kevin Winter/Getty ImagesJennifer Lopez has successfully been both a singer and actress for decades now. Kicking off her professional career as a dancer at first, it wasn't until 1994 that she landed her first recurring role in the television series, 'South Central.' The following years, she was already starring alongside Woody Harrelson, Robin Williams, Wesley Snipes, and Jack Nicholson before landing her biggest breakthrough lead role in 1997's biopic, 'Selena.' Throughout her ongoing acting career, Lopez has starred in rom-coms, like 'Monster-in-Law' and 'Shotgun Wedding,' as well as thrillers like 'The Mother' and 'Atlas.'
Harry Styles
Kevin Winter/Getty ImagesIn between making albums, Styles made his acting debut in 2017 in Christopher Nolan’s 'Dunkirk.' Though with very few lines, he made an appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe four years later. Styles appeared in the post credits scene of the 'Eternals' as Eros, AKA Starfox. As the brother of Thanos, Styles is expected to make a return in a future MCU film. He finally made it two the leading man in not just one, but two back to back films in 2022: 'Don’t Worry Darling' and 'My Policeman.' With no other pop star taking on acting like Styles, we look forward to see where other projects will take him.
