Actors who sing, singers who act: The Hollywood entertainment-industrial complex is rife with false starts from aspiring professionals tempted by success in one field to try their luck in another.
Just ask Oscar winner Russell Crowe, whose band, 30 Odd Foot of Grunts, has yet to find success. Or even Eddie Murphy and John Travolta and their vocal stylings of yesteryear. In the other direction, there’s multiplatinum hip-hop artist Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye. Following his acclaimed 2021 Super Bowl halftime show, Tesfaye starred in “The Idol,” about a sleazy Los Angeles club owner. The series was canceled after one critically panned season.
But in recent years there have been successes. Moving from music to acting, a handful of talents such as Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler, Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez and Dwight Yoakam have transfigured their medium from melody to melodrama. And most recently, Oscar nominee Michael Shannon recorded his own voice to portray country music legend George Jones in the limited series “George & Tammy.”
Which brings us to the current generation of musically talented actors who earned Emmy nominations this summer for performances that showcase, or in some cases, obscure, the range of their talents.
Actor John Hawkes brought his musical talents to an episode of HBO’s “True Detective: Night Country.”
(Michele K. Short / HBO)
John Hawkes in “True Detective: Country of Night”
Emmy nods: Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie. Also nominated in the category of Original Music and Lyrics for composing the series “No Use.”
Background story: Before turning to film, Hawkes sang and played guitar in an 1980s punk band called Meat Joy, which was followed by Gangster Folk and King Straggler. He contributed a melancholy Americana song to the 2010 Ozark Mountains drama “Winter's Bone,” in which he played a pivotal role alongside Jennifer Lawrence.
Musical Life Test: While filming in Reykjavík, Iceland, Hawkes played a local concert attended by “Night Country” creator Issa López. She encouraged Hawkes to add lyrics to an instrumental for the series that came to be known as “No Use.” In Episode 5, Hawkes’ corrupt cop character, Hank, sits on his bed strumming a guitar and singing the sad, Leonard Cohen-esque tune when Jodie Foster’s police chief comes to visit. The words bode ill for Hank while also evoking the show’s depressing mood: “There’s no love / None lost, none found / There’s no God / No hallowed ground.”
Emmy-nominated singer Selena Gomez stars as Mabel in Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building.”
(Patrick Harbron/Hulu)
Selena Gomez in “Only Murders in the Building”
Emmy Dating: Lead actress in a comedy series.
Background story: When producers cast the chart-topping Gomez in 2020 as Mabel — the deadpan millennial awkwardly joining the podcaster gang with her much older neighbors Charles and Oliver (Steve Martin and Martin Short) — it might have seemed like a case of stunt casting. But Gomez actually knows how to act, having learned her craft as a teenager and appearing on the Disney Channel sitcom “Wizards of Waverly Place.” Her shift toward music in 2013 immediately resulted in a No. 1 album, followed by dozens of hit singles in which she played the role of the pop princess to perfection.
Test of metromusical Ilife: None. Gomez doesn’t dance or sing in the third season of “Murders,” even though this season’s plot centers on the making of a musical. Instead, Gomez’s Mabel defers to her Emmy-nominated co-star Meryl Streep, who puts her “Mamma Mia!” triumph behind her by singing the heartbreaking ballad “Find the Light.” Gomez does hint at some serious musical talent when it comes to her jokes — her timing is impeccable.
Steve Martin, seen here with Meryl Streep, has long been known for his musical talents, which he got to showcase on Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building” this season.
(Patrick Harbron/Hulu)
Steve Martin in “Only Murders in the Building”
Emmy Dating: Lead actor in a comedy series
Background story: At 17, Martin taught himself to play the banjo, which later became part of his comedy routine. Decades later, Martin played banjo alongside bluegrass legend Earl Scruggs on the dead-serious “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” and, more recently, teamed up with the Grammy-winning Steep Canyon Rangers.
Test of metromusical Ilife: There’s no banjo in sight, but Martin shows off his singing and dancing chops in the Season 3 musical “Death Rattle,” performing the tongue-twisting “Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It.” Meanwhile, Martin’s Emmy-nominated co-star Martin Short keeps his considerable singing talents largely under wraps while tapping into the hysteria-prone persona he displayed alongside Jason Alexander in their 2003 Los Angeles production of “The Producers.”
Donald Glover, star of Prime Video’s “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” has separated his identities by using the name Childish Gambino for his musical work.
(David Lee / Prime Video)
Donald Glover in “Mr. and Mrs. Smith.”
Emmy nods: Lead actor and screenwriter of a drama series
Background story: Glover, who trained in sketch comedy at New York University, separated his musical and acting identities by creating his rapper alter ego Childish Gambino in 2009. Between seasons of his Emmy-winning series “Atlanta,” Glover released an uncompromising rap song, “This Is America,” in 2018, which racked up 924 million views and beat out Kendrick Lamar, Drake and Lady Gaga to win four Grammys, including record and song of the year. After filming “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” Glover returned to music and in July released “Bando Stone & the New World,” billed as his final project under the Childish Gambino moniker.
Test of metromusical Ilife: None. Glover doesn’t rap or sing in “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” as his character, John, is focused on forging a relationship with his spy “wife” Jane (Maya Erskine) and killing people. Like “Atlanta,” “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” finds Glover in a zone of zero overlap where acting is acting and music is music and the two will never meet.
