21 actors you probably didn’t know were musicians
From Scarlett Johansson's foray into folk rock to Jeff Goldblum's journeys in jazz, you might be surprised by some of these musically inclined thespians
Music Features Leonard Cohen
The cliché goes that actors want to be rock stars and rock stars want to be actors, and in some cases, the two worlds do overlap. There are obvious names that have done both relatively well, like Johnny Depp, who’s been performing with the Hollywood Vampires; Keanu Reeves and his band Dogstar; Donald Glover, who certainly made waves as Childish Gambino; and the tongue-in-cheek escapades of Jack Black in the mock metal duo Tenacious D.
But there are plenty of other movie and TV stars who have musical talents that they’ve put to use over the years—including some who might surprise you. Trying to get a wider audience to recognize that talent can be tricky. It’s one thing to moonlight in the musical arena, and it’s another to lure people into one’s more serious side on the screen. Here, in alphabetical order, is The A.V. Club’s list of thespians who are also musicians on the side—and some have definitely curated a special experience for their fans.
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This is Mary Elizabeth Winstead erasure and you should be ashamed of yourself.
Two things:
1. if you have watched any of Katey Sagal’s work after Married… With Children, and you didn’t know she was also a musician, then I’m not sure what to tell you.
2. You made a list of actors you probably didn’t know where musicians and you passed on the opportunity to make a Bacon Number joke? Or did you just miss that half of The Bacon Brothers is KEVIN BACON?
Likewise, it’s pretty common knowledge that Minnie Driver left acting to be a musician (which is why they have to reference some 25 year old movies to discuss her acting career). Personally, I wonder if Zoe Deschanel is actually better known as an actor or if the question is “did you know the woman from She and Him also starred in a sitcom.”
Not quite sure if you are serious there, but Driver has worked steadily in acting for the past 25 years, and no I don’t think it’s common knowledge that she is also a musician. I’d also say that about 99% of people know Deschanel as an actor before they know her as a singer.
Zooey Deschanel’s inclusion, and the way you put it, makes me realize I’d have almost expected Donald Glover to be on the list, like, “Hey, did you know the guy from Community also makes music!?”
Fun fact: did you further know that guy who played the Jareth the Goblin King in Labyrinth (1986) also released a few albums?
Bullshit. No way. Doesn’t seem like a musically inclined person at all.
She’s alway been a singer/songwriter, she sang and co-wrote Tidal Wave on the Bomb The Bass album Clear in 1995.
Or…in Elf.
Ding.
“Personally, I wonder if Zoe Deschanel is actually better known as an actor or if the question is “did you know the woman from She and Him also starred in a sitcom.””
Wow. Just wow.
The AI bot would’ve put more effort into this.
ChatGPT suggested Jared Leto, Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, Jared Padalecki, Johnny Depp, and Hugh Laurie as additions to the list (as well as Zooey Deschanel).
I’ll throw in Jeff Daniels as well, got to see him play in concert a few years back and that was a good time.
It’s not a great start to your article entitled “21 actors you didn’t know were musicians” when the first example literally says “It’s no secret that famed character actor Fred Armisen is a drummer (and singer and guitarist)…”
They don’t even mention that he was (is?) the bandleader for Seth Meyer’s talk show. But that blurb also reveals that Adam Palley is a musician, which I had no idea. So I guess it kind of blundered into doing what it set out to do.
Mostly seems that the ones I did know were musicians (Armisen, Martin, Dechanel, Goldblum) mostly reinforce the point that a lot of actors seem to take on vanity side projects as musicians, with predictable results. I didn’t get two minutes into that Juliette Lewis clip. My god. And I felt like Jeff Bridges fell into the trap that grabs a lot of actors, that playing a musician somehow qualifies you for the role (don’t get me wrong, love Bridges, but he was basically singing in his Rooster Cogburn voice).
It was very weird to be in our small town’s dinky music venue and see a tiny poster for Alicia Witt buried among dozens of others. I guess her musicianship is fairly well known, but it blew my mind to learn she’d performed here.“How can this beeeee?”
Hold up…Pattinson may have made a ton of cash from Twilight, but his “strong movie career” is due to everything that followed. Also, and I’m sure I won’t be the only person saying this: many of these are not secrets.
Yes, it’s true, not one single person knew that Jeff Goldblum, Steve Martin, Zooey Deschanel, and Scarlett Johansson, in particular, have music careers. I am especially shocked that Steve Martin, who has won multiple Grammys for his music, is a musician.
In some defense of this list, I honestly didn’t know about Goldblum.
Really? That surprises me a bit, just because it seems to come up in every interview he gives. Though, if you don’t watch a lot of his interviews, that makes sense that you weren’t aware.
Yeah, it’s probably been since the first Jurassic Park since I deliberately watched an entire interview with Jeff Goldblum.
I only recently became aware since I’m not a jazz guy, but apparently he’s reasonably well-respected in the genre.
I knew all of these except ScarJo.
I didn’t know Scarlett Johansson was a musician, but I knew all of the other ones you mentioned.
His banjo-playing was such an integral part of some of his stand-up bits, but I for one never dreamed it would amount to anything past “what if Nixon opened his speech appearances with ‘Foggy Mountain Breakdown’?”
Mary Steenburgen had a brain reaction to anesthesia several years ago and started literally thinking in music. And she worked with folks who helped her channel this new presence in her mind and now is an acclaimed songwriter.
https://www.indiewire.com/awards/consider-this/mary-steenburgen-jessie-buckley-wild-rose-glasgow-best-original-song-1202189233/
After hearing multiple Shatner albums, I am surprised to learn that he is a musician. Where can I hear his music?
When I was working for a comic book store a lifetime ago, a fellow did come in and ask if we had Shatner’s first album. We didn’t, but we did have Nimoy’s. He thought about buying it, but as it was a gag gift for a friend, he really wanted the Shatner.
Nimoy at least had a voice and used it. Dare I say he carries hints of Johnny Cash and Gordon Lightfoot (while certainly not being nearly as great as those two giants).
His spoken-word rendition of Pulp’s “Common People” is fucking fantastic, and turns an jaded, aloof English whine into full-on class warfare. I fucking love it:
I mean mostly it’s just Shatner being Shatner and ‘ Spoken ….Wording his way through….music’ which is fun .And then there’s That’s me trying which was Written by Ben Folds and author Nick Hornby , and has Aimee Mann and Folds on backing vocals, and it just …works, and is genuinely a great song.
Honestly “Has Been” is pretty great all over. Maybe barring that novelty track with Henry Rollins, who displays as much talent for spoken word with musical accompaniment as he does for everything else.
His take on Pulp’s Common People is my favorite (first time I heard it I had the most confused look on my face for the entire run time), and his halting delivery actually works with the theme of the song.
I know I’m old for several reasons (including… well, I’m old), but this list and the comments here have given me several more, mostly variations on “How did people not know X was a musician?” (Steve Martin? The dude who played the banjo on stage during literally every one of his standup performances?) and “How has nobody mentioned this thing that AVC writers/regulars would have mentioned by now?” (Like how has nobody mentioned Hailee Steinfeld?). One of the latter was definitely Shatner’s cover of “Common People”, which used to be common knowledge around here, so thank you.
I’m surprised, no Shocked! that there was no mention of Shat’s greatest album to date – Seeking Major Tom. Though not quite up to Johnny Cash levels of covering songs better than the original, Shat still does often comical versions of such musical treasures as David Gilmour’s “Learning to Fly”, Peter Schilling’s “Major Tom (Coming Home)“, Elton’s “Rocket Man” and Golden Earring’s “Twilight Zone”.One day, I hope to see Shat and Weird Al on tour…. fingers crossed, but no holding my breath.
Hugh Laurie is a damn good jazz / blues pianist.
Christopher Lee was amazing. That is all.
What is Juliette Lewis wearing in that video?
Adding Jamie Bower (aka Peter, aka Henry, aka 001, aka Vecna) to the list. Both as lead of former band COUNTERFEIT., and solo work.His first solo outing from about two years back (oh! the voice!)
30 Odd Foot of Grunts is going to get you.
Apparently you didn’t know Hugh Laurie is a musician.
Although in that special he was completely outclassed by Tom Jones.
GWAR’s Tiny Desk Concert has been up at NPR for more than 8 hours and I haven’t seen a peep about it at the AV Club. That ain’t right.
Thank you. I will need to check that out.
This is the perfect opportunity to share perhaps the greatest thing ever to appear on AVClub (back when it was cool):
Man, I miss AV Undercover. This one and Lambchop doing “Best Ever Death Metal Band In Denton,” which I’m not finding the video for, are my favorites.
I mean jesus now there in fucking LA and they can’t relaunch AVC Undercover? The bands are right there!!
Wish there had been more examples of Broadway ->TV/movie stars! For example, I recently learned that Meghann Fahy (Daphne from “The White Lotus”) got her start on Broadway. She has an incredible voice!
Not only is David Duchovny a musician but he has a bad late 90s song about him too. Back when the song came out, I use to go see a movie with my buddy almost every weekend. The movie ad reel that played while people got seated didn’t change for like two years and it had a little interview with the girl who sings it and would always play this song. Its terrible
I always felt bad for Bree Sharp. She’s actually really good (especially with her subsequent band, Beautiful Small Machines), but became one of those one hit wonders because she wrote a novelty song that took off.
Aw, I’ve always had a soft spot for that song. Duchovny was the perfect subject for a song like that, random enough to be a bit WTF while also being attractive enough that a lot of people agreed with her. Him being famous for playing a quirky alien-hunting FBI agent added some nice geek crush cred.
I always felt the thing that no one but the X-Files got right with Duchovny is that his energy works best when he’s playing someone absolutely unaware of how hot they are and also a huge dork. To many roles after the X-Files tried to push him as the sexy hot dude and it didn’t work so well. Mulder was never a hot dude who also knew some of this weird alien stuff. He was the biggest dork at the D&D table snorting Mountain Dew out his nose who just happened to look like David Duchovny
No mention of Jensen Ackles (Supernatural’s Dean Wincheswter/The Boys Soldier Boy)?
Jeremy Renner belongs on this list. If you haven’t heard his version of House of the Rising Sun, do yourself a favor and go listen to it right now.
I like to think the omission of the insufferable Jared Leto was intentional.
Finn Wolfhard but not Joe Keery?
I know he’s no longer with them but Jason Schwartzman was the drummer for Phantom Planet for a while.Not sure how neither the list NOR the opening paragraph mentioned Jared Leto and 30 Seconds to Mars.Maybe it’s too well known a punchline at this point but anyone want to mention Russel Crowe and 30 Odd Foot of Grunts?Dennis Quaid and the Sharks.Someone else hereabouts mentioned the Bacon Brothers, featuring Kevin Bacon.Peter Weller sometimes actually plays jazz with Jeff Goldblum (something I wish I loved because I’m a Blue Blaze Irregular but I’m not remotely a jazzbo).Etc.(To say nothing of the several mentions in the comments that yeah, a LOT of these “you didn’t know” are very much known.)ETA: I can’t believe I forgot to mention these! Eddie Murphy’s girl wants to party all the time. Don Johnson’s looking for a heartbeat. And Bruce Willis celebrates the return of Bruno.
You didn’t even make it to the end of the headline, did you?
Eddie Murphy also has a boogie in his butt, along with a bunch of other stuff.
So we’re all just going to keep pretending that Jada Pinkett-Smith doesn’t front a shitty nu-metal band? Fine, live in your world of lies.
I mean, I guess a few steps up from whip her hair back and forth.
Is it, though?
No way!!!
Alicia Witt
Shawnee Smith (Fydolla Ho) Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Got A Girl) Milla Jovovich Taryn Manning (Boomkat) Jada Pinkett-Smith (Wicked Wisdom)
Thank you for pre-empting my “BUT WHAT ABOUT MARY ELIZABETH WINSTEAD” take.
I enjoyed Jada Pinkett-Smiths’s song a lot more than I was expecting to. Not a typical metal voice, but a very good voice, and a really good tune also.
There’s also Robert Downey Jr:
“Musicians”
Ryan Gosling had a brief project as frontman for a fun little band called Dead Man’s Bones, which put out out an eponymous album sometime between when he was on the the Canadian tv show Breaker High but before The Notebook…and I will admit I listen to it all the time, do recommend. It won’t be for everyone, but if a (more or less) Halloween-themed album featuring a children’s chorus and songs with titles like “My Body’s a Zombie for You” and “Flowers Grow Out of My Grave” sound like a good time to you, I highly recommend it.
I once read that the four British guys who did the main voices for that weird Yellow Submarine cartoon movie from the 60s were actually started a band together! Apparently it’s not bad!
This particular example would work better if it was actually the Beatles voicing themselves in “Yellow Submarine.”
Really? John Clive, Geoffrey Hughes, Peter Batten and Paul Angelis started a band? I suppose voicing the Beatles might have influenced them a bit in that regard.
I only knew about a couple of these, so it was a little interesting. Also funny. Young ingenues with fledgling pop careers is a little like how everyone in politics has a book.
Why would you write a slideshow exclusively for people who don’t know anything?
This might be kind of elitist, but let’s not get all excited and call some of these actors “musicians” simply because they’ve been in a music video. When you’re a little bit famous, you get to dabble in some unfamiliar skill sets. Keanu Reeves is a musician; he’s been in a band for 30 years. Christopher Lee was amazing in movies, but propping his 80 year old carcass up for a terrible black metal gimmick isn’t legitimate musicianship by any standard.
Most of these side projects are straight-up terrible. I first put Reeve in that category since his presence is probably the only reason Dogstar got gigs even though he’s in the rhythm section, but apparently he’s pretty good.
(Kiefer Sutherland’s) second album, Reckless & Me, hit No. 3 in ScotlandThat must have sold at least five copies. Perhaps even seven.
Mare Winningham was amazing in The Girl From the North Country on Broadway. The show itself was a bit more mixed, but better than a musical of Bob Dylan songs probably has any right to be.
this is a correct take
Who knows Hugh Laurie (House) is a famous Blues/Jazz musician? Started in British comedy? https://www.hughlaurieblues.com/
Forgot Brie Larson.I think she has an album and some appearances with others. I don’t know much about that part but she did really well in Scott Pilgrim. I like Metric but I like the version of the song she sang vocals for, better than the original.
Don’t want to wade through all the comments, so he might be mentioned, but… Hugh Laurie. Really quite the accomplished blues pianist for a white guy.
I am kind of unpleasantly shocked that more people aren’t taking the writer to task for spotlighting Emile Hirsch, who just choked a woman in public and walked away from it still with a film career. Interestingly, like you can tell who is a fuck by who talks to Piers Morgan, you can tell who is a shit by who is still working with Emile Hirsch…Brian Cox seemed like a mixup but since then it has become more clear why he still worked with him…then there’s Mel Gibson…and Kate Bosworth who appears to love working with problematic people (was also married to one of the Polish brothers, who were once promising but who then made weird christian movies and then mel gibson movies and now Gina Carano movies, so it all ties together).In any case, he should be deleted from this article and shame on you.
Wow, you’re being really generous with the term “musician” …