Most People Don’t Know These Famous Actors Are Also Musicians
While most of us are guilty of assuming that a lot of actors just act for a living, that's not necessarily the case. Some actors are major hobbyists whether it's sports, making art, writing, and in some cases, making music. Believe it or not, there are a lot of world famous actors that are committed to their music careers when they're not in front of the camera. While you may never imagine a particular actor singing on stage because of the characters they've played, there's a lot more than you think. So, crank up the volume and discover which famous actors are successful musicians as well.
Scarlett Johannson Performed At Coachella
Scarlett Johansson has already established herself as an incredibly successful actress starring in films such as Lucy, Her, Lost in Translation, as well as the Avengers. Yet, she shocked her fans and the audience at Coachella Music and Arts Festival in 2007 when she performed with The Jesus & Mary Chain. Not long after, in 2008, she released her first album Where I Laid My Head.
Since then, she has been working with singer-songwriter Peter Yorn, as a five-song record titled Apart, which was released in 2018. Just when Johannson's fans thought she couldn't get any better, turns out she's a musician as well.
Bruce Willis
While most people know Bruce Willis as the tough guy in most of his movies, when he's not beating people to a pulp, he likes to play a little music. Just a year before Die Hard came out, Willis released a soul record titled The Return of Bruno. The album was actually a piece of performance art with "Bruno" being a character of a fake HBO documentary that was supporting Willis' album.
Surprisingly, the track "Respect Yourself" became a hit and reached No. 5 on the charts. After a follow-up album in 1989, he never recorded again. However, he played a two-hour set with a blues band at B.B. King's in New York in 2002.
Kevin Costner Is A Country Artist At Heart
When Kevin Costner isn't in front of the camera, the Oscar-winning Hollywood star performs with his own country rock band, Kevin Costner & Modern West. Since the band's beginnings in 2007, they have released four albums, with one of them beingFamous for Killing Each Other in 2012.
The album peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard Country Albums chart, pretty impressive for a man who once played Robin Hood on the big screen. However, that isn't his band's only success. In 2010, they performed at Nashville's renowned Grand Ole Opry, something that not everybody gets to do.
Jeremy Renner has A Documentary Coming Out About Being A Musician
Much like Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner is another Avenger that has been known to showcase his musical talents. As well as starring in films such as The Hurt Locker, The Town, and the Mission Impossible series, Renner is also a singer-songwriter. He even has a documentary coming out soon about his career as a musician.
He's known to take music very seriously, and even incorporates it into his acting methods. He says that he creates a very specific song for each character that he plays to help him fit the mood and get into character.
Zooey Deschanel Is A Musician Almost As Much As She Is An Actor
Known for starring in New Girl and numerous films, Zooey Deschanel is a lover of vintage pop music and has been playing with her indie group She & Him since 2008. The band was formed in 2006 when Deschanel met musician M. Ward while making the film The Go-Getter. Since they formed their band, they have released six albums under She & Him, including two Christmas records.
Their cover of "The Last Christmas Waltz" has been described by Rolling Stone as one of the greatest rock and roll Christmas songs ever. The group has also proven successful enough to perform at events such as Coachella, Bonnaroo, and even overseas.
Keanu Reeves Slaps The Bass
Keanu Reeves is more than just the action star in films like The Matrix, Point Break, and John Wick. While starting out as a young actor, he was also the bass player for the band Dogstar. The group released two albums between 1996 and 2000 and even took some time in order to tour.
However, there was a rumor going around that he dropped out of the sequel to Speed in order to perform with Dogstar. In 1996, Keanu Reeves put this rumor to rest while giving an interview on CNN. Although Dogstar may no longer be playing as a band, Keanu Reeves is still known to pick up his bass every now and then.
Ryan Gosling Had A Rather Unusual Music Project
Ryan Gosling has been one of Hollywood's biggest and most adored sweethearts since his breakout role in the 2004 film,The Notebook. On top of being incredibly handsome and a respected actor, in 2009, he was the frontman for a Halloween-themed band called Dead Man's Bones. The group was formed by Reynolds and his friend and film producer, Zach Shields.
Their first album titled Dead Man's Bones was released on October 6, 2009 under Anti-Records, featuring a somber children's choir. Pitchfork described the records as being "a truly unusual and surprising record." Gosling continued to demonstrate his musical prowess in the film La La Land where he sang, danced, and learned to play the jazz piano in just three months.
Johnny Depp Already Looks Like A Rock And Roller
Although it may not come as too much of a shock, Johnny Depp now plays the guitar in a heavy metal rock band super-group called Hollywood Vampires. he plays alongside rock and roll legends Alice Cooper and Aerosmith's guitarist Joe Perry. The band formed in 2015, and have managed to release one album since then.
In 2018, the band went on to play at the Grammys and even went on tour in early 2018. Apparently, Johnny Depp is a good enough guitarist that even Joe Perry has asked him from some pointers from time to time.
Steve Martin Is A Banjo Extraordinaire
Funnyman Steve Martin is best known for his comedic acting in films such as Father of the Bride, The Pink Panther, The Jerk, and many others. Yet, something he's equally as passionate about and almost as successful in is playing the banjo and making music. Over the years, Martin has won three Grammys for his various bluegrass project, more Grammys than he's won for his comedy albums.
In 2015, the musical he co-wrote with Edie Brickell debuted on Broadway. To encourage bluegrass artists to keep making music, each year, he gives a generous donation to an up-and-coming bluegrass artist or band.
Russel Crowe Was A Musician Before An Actor
While some people might have assumed that Russel Crowe's role in the musical drama filmLes Misérables was Crowe's first crack at singing, they would be mistaken. The Gladiator actor began his career in entertainment as a musician before becoming one of Hollywood's biggest stars. In the 1980s, while still living in New Zealand, he played under the name Russ le Roq, where he released his single "I Just Wanna Be Like Marlon Brando."
In the 90s and into the early 2000s, he performed in the band 30 Odd Foot of Grunts who released three albums before splitting up in 2005. Since then, Crowe has released two single albums and gave his fans a taste of his skills in Les Misérables.
Michael Cera Plays Music You'd Think He Listens To
Throughout his career, Michael Cera has played roles in films where music was one of the biggest themes. Some of these movies include Juno, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist, among others. So, it's not unbelievable to learn that Cera is actually a bit of a musician himself.
While people have only heard snip-its of his musical abilities in his films, in 2014 he released his own record titled True That. Cera has also played alongside other artists such as Weezer, with Vice claiming that he's "really good at music," especially after releasing the track "Best I Can" with Sharon Van Etten.
Jared Leto Is A Master Musician And Actor
Jared Leto is not only an Oscar-winning actor but also an incredibly successful musician. Since the late 1990s, he has been the lead singer for the rock ensemble Thirty Seconds to Mars. The band has released five albums since 2002, managing to land five Top 10 hits on Billboard's Rock chart.
In 2011, the band went on to set a Guinness World Record by playing the most rock concerts to promote a single album, playing 300. However, the band hasn't slowed down, and in 2018, their album America peaked at No. 2 on the charts.
Billy Bob Thornton Has Been Making Music For Decades
Actor Billy Bob Thornton has said before that even before acting, music was one of the first things he ever loved. Although maybe not well-known by many, he has been working on music projects since the 1980s and has continued to do so since. After winning an Oscar for his writing on Sling Blade, he released his first album Private Radio in 2001.
The album featured a song titled "Angelina" about his then-wife Angelina Jolie. He went on to release three more solo albums before starting his own country band the Boxmasters in 2007. Together the band has released three albums so far.
Kevin Bacon And The Bacon Brothers
We already know that Kevin Bacon can act and dance, as seen in his performance in the classic film Footloose. Today, he has over 100 screen credits as well as seven released albums under his country rock duo The Bacon Brothers. Playing with his older brother, Michael bacon, Kevin writes songs, plays the guitar, and sings.
Their duo has been together since the 1990s and are still going strong today. According to Kevin Bacon, his wife, Kyra Sedgwick, is the first person to hear every new Bacon Brother's track and gives her honest opinion before they move on.
Lieutenant Dan Lives On Through Gary Sinise
Actor Gary Sinise didn't just leave his character of Lieutenant Dan from Forrest Gump behind him. Since 2004, he has been playing bass guitar for the group Lt. Dan Band. The band is a cover group that often plays for American military members, and raises money for disabled veterans, something Sinise is passionate about.
According to Sinise's charity, Lt. Dan Band has played more than 150 concerts in the United States and more than 225 fundraising and benefit shows. Thankfully, Lt. Dan lives on in Sinise and is helping to make life better for veterans.
Tim Robbins Has Music In His Blood
Shawshank Redemption star and Oscar-winning actor, Tim Robbins claims that he has always wanted to be a musician. So, he turned his dream into a reality and decided to give it a shot. As it turns out, growing up, his father had been a folk musician, and his brother had grown up to become a film music composer, so music was already in his blood.
In 2010, he hit the road with his band, Tim Robbins and the Rogues Gallery, turning his dreams into a reality. According to Robbins, playing music is way more fun than acting.
Dennis Quaid Likes To Mess Around On Stage
Beloved actor Dennis Quaid has been playing guitar since his grandpa bought him his first one from a Texas K Mart when he was just a boy. Since 2000, he has been playing with his band Dennis Quaid and the Sharks. The band mostly plays covers with a few original tracks here and there.
On stage, Quad describes himself as being a "complete-and-utter fool," as he would rather have fun while performing than trying to make himself look cool. In 2017, Quaid announced to the Chicago Tribune that he was working with producer T Bone Burnett on a new album.
Jason Schwartzman Has Been Involved In A Few Successful Music Projects
Most people know Jason Schwartzman for his work on indie films such as Moonrise Kingdom, I Heart Huckabees, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, and more. Nevertheless, he was originally the drummer for the alternative rock band Phantom Planet for over a decade. The band had an incredibly successful song "California," which put them on the map.
The song was even used as the theme song for the Fox teen drama The O.C. After leaving the band, he started a solo project called Coconut Records, which was relatively successful within the indie music community.
Jeff Bridges Was A Musician Before Crazy Heart
In 2009, actor Jeff Bridges proved his chops in music after his Oscar-winning performance in the film Crazy Heart. In the film, he played a washed-out country singer, however, his die hard fans knew about his musical abilities years before the film.
Bridges has been making and releasing albums since 2000 after he scored a record deal with the help of Michael McDonald. However, after his role in Crazy Heart, he took music really seriously and released his album Jeff Bridges in 2011. Since then, he has released two more albums.
John Corbett Has Been Playing Since He Was A Kid
Actor John Corbett was playing long before he became known as a celebrity hunk with roles on Sex and the City, Northern Exposure, and My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Since 2006, he has released two country albums although he considers the success of his first one to be a total fluke.
Corbett recorded it while visiting Nashville to present at an award show and the album ended up making it onto Billboard's Country Music chart. He's been playing music since he was a kid and considers it to be a major part in his life.
