Rock of Ages - OUT NOW - Actors turned singers
June 14 2012
To celebrate the release of Rock of Ages, (in cinemas now) here’s a look at actors who have crossed the divide and ventured into the world of singing!
Most people only dream of following their aspirations and perusing their talents. In the case of the individuals below, not only are they supremely talented actors, they are also blessed with being able to belt out songs without destroying our eardrums. Wouldn’t it have been fairer to have shared these talents amongst us normal folk? Evidently not!
Anyway, time to stop being so envious of these multi-talented superstars and give them the credit they truly deserve. First to step up to the mark is House’s leading man Hugh Laurie...
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Hugh Laurie
Hugh has played a variety of instruments from a young age. Predominantly focusing on the piano, he went on to also learn the drums, guitar, harmonica AND saxophone (yes, the list does eventually end). He’s a vocalist and guitarist for Los Angeles’s charity rock band named Band from TV and following Meatloaf’s guest appearance on House, Hugh was invited to play piano for a track on their 2010 album ‘Hang Cool Teddy Bear’! In May 2011, Hugh released his debut album ‘Let them Talk’ which stars Blues and Jazz legend Tom Jones!
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Tom Cruise
Best known for his roles in Mission Impossible and Top Gun, Tom Cruise probably wouldn’t be the first name to spring to mind when casting an eccentric rock star to sing ‘I Wanna Know What Love Is’ half naked on a pool table....One thing that’s for sure is that Cruise most certainly can’t be labelled type cast! Tom had to train his singing voice for up to five hours a day in preparation for Rock of Ages and boy did it pay off, where DID that voice come from!?
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Nicole Kidman
Academy Award winner Nicole Kidman has also ventured into the world of singing. Having starred in films such as Dead Calm and Batman Forever she jumped on the opportunity to star in Moulin Rouge collaborating with Scottish hunk Ewan McGregor. Their cover version of ‘Come What May’ peaked at 27 in the UK singles chart and caught the attention of Robbie Williams who asked Nicole to sing on ‘Something Stupid’ which topped the UK Singles chart!
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Julianne Hough
Our leading lady in Rock of Ages might be a relatively new name to most filmgoers but not amongst fans of country music. In 2008 she toured with country legend Brad Paisley and went on to win top new artist award at the 44th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. Julianne recently finished work on her 2nd studio album which is set for release in this year! Having heard her fantastic voice in Rock of Ages, we’ll definitely be checking it out!
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Zooey Deschanel
Heartthrob cutie Zooey Deschanel has been in the limelight recently with her latest television show New Girl. Best known for her role as Summer in 500 Days of Summer, where she stars alongside Joseph Gordon Levitt (Who is also a musician, actor and a director...). What many people don’t know is that Zooey stars in a duo band called ‘She and Him’ who have released 3 studio albums and toured throughout USA and Europe. For those wondering (we know you’re desperate to know...) the ‘Him’ part goes by the name of Matthew Stephen Ward, check them out!
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Ryan Gosling
The man all women want to be with and all men want to be...Ryan Gosling has taken the world by storm with some show stopping performances on the big screen recently including Drive and The Ides of March. Gosling is also a talented musician! In 2007 he recorded a solo track titled “Put me in the Car” and less than a year later had formed an indie rock band know as Dead Man’s Bones who toured North America in 2009. Word on the street is that Gosling has another album in the pipeline, keep your eyes peeled!
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Christopher Lee
Christopher Lee is a man in demand! He has collaborated with director Tim Burton a whooping five films and blew us all away with his performance as the lead antagonist in The Lord of the Rings trilogy as Saruman. Christopher Lee was born in 1922 which makes him... (Wait for it)...90 years of age! If that doesn’t come as a surprise, the following most certainly will. Christopher Lee is the world’s oldest heavy metal performer in history! In 2010 Christopher released his first album ‘Cahrlemange: By the Sword and the Cross’ – A metal album which won an award at Hammer’s annual awards show. In even better news, Christopher is expected to release a follow up to his debut album very soon!
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Jeff Bridges
Best known as the Dude, Academy award-winner Jeff Bridges has starred in fantastic films such as The Big Lebowski and most recently Tron. One of his recent performances that took everyone by storm is untouchably Crazy Heart where he plays the role of country artist Bad Blake. Jeff released his debut album titled ‘Be here Soon’ in 2000. Last year, he signed a record contract with EMI Music Group and released his self titled album in August 2011.
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Rock of Ages Film Page
Rock of Ages is in cinemas now
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