Common

Common


It seems that today's musicians are not content with just having a musical career, the same could be said for many actors trying their hand at music, as so many musicians are making the transition onto the big screen.

Common is just the latest to give the old acting ago as he teams up with former rapper Queen Latifah for their new movie Just Wright. And he has enjoyed some success in recent year with date Night, Terminator Salvation, Smokin' Aces and American Gangster all under his belt.

So to celebrate the release of the movie Just Wright we take a look at some of those musicians who have become a double threat.

Will Smith has mixed music and movies for most of his career rising to fame as a rapper under the name the Fresh Prince in the late 1980s before cementing that fame in the Fresh Prince of Bel Air television show.

But with sci-fi movies Men in Black and Independence Day Will Smith has arrived as a big screen movie star.Since then he has become one of the most popular and successful film stars.

He is the only actor in history to have eight consecutive films gross over $100 million in the domestic box office. He also has had two Oscar nominations for Best Actor for his role in Ali and In The Pursuit of Happiness and could land a third for his new movie Seven Pounds.

Mark Wahlberg began his career as one of the original member of New Kids on the Block but not wanting to be part of their squeaky clean image left the band and began to record as Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch.

After a stint modelling he moved into movies finding major success with Boogie Nights, Three Kings and The Italian Job.

But it was the role as the foul mouthed Massachusetts State Police detective that earnt him a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination.

Cher has also made a successful transition from her music career into movies winning an Oscar for her role in Moonstruck as well as a Best Supporting Actress nomination for Silkwood, she is back on the big screen with Burlesque later this year.

Beyonce has found success as well as failure as she moved away from her music career. Her first couple of movies, The Pink Panther and Austin Powers in Goldmember, looked like things were not going to work out to well.

But she managed to turn it around with the release of Dreamgirls in 2006, based on the history and evolution of American R&B music during the eras of doo-wop, soul, the Motown Sound, funk, and disco.

For her role as The Dreams band member Deena Jones she secured a Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical nomination at the Golden Globes. The film went on to be nominated for eight Oscars, but was left out of Best Picture.

She moved onto Cadillac Records, in which she played soull legend Etta James, in a film that follows the life of the influential Chicago-based record-company executive Leonard Chess.

But for some the acting didn't turn out too well! Madonna's dabble with the movie industry was nothing short of a disaster with only her role in Evita gaining any real critical praise.

How can you forget the awful Body of Evidence? but she did one worse with Swept Away, what was Guy Ritchie thinking?

But that hasn't put our Madge off as she steps behind the camera for the first time for Filth and Wisdom which has been universally panned, give it up love.

But a whole host of rappers have taken up acting in recent years Ice-T took on roles in New jack City and Ricochet before going on to become a permanent fixture in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

After appearing in Deep Blue Sea, S.W.A.T and Any given Sunday LL Cool J can now be seen starring alongside Chris O'Donnell on the small screen in NCIS: Los Angeles.

Chris Brown makes his third movie appearance later this year with heist film Takers while T.I makes his fourth movie with the same film. Christina Aguilera is also set to make her big screen debut at the end of the year with Burlesque.

Just Wright is released 17th September.


by for www.femalefirst.co.uk
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