Dua Lipa’s world domination continues apace: not content with being one of our era’s most successful pop stars, opening Versace’s Spring/Summer fashion show last autumn and setting up her own lifestyle platform Service95, she’s about to make her acting debut.
Later this year, Lipa will star alongside Henry Cavill in Matthew Vaughn’s upcoming spy-thriller Argylle, which will be released on Apple TV+.
Based on the debut novel by author Ellie Conway, the film follows the story of a spy who, after suffering a bout of memory loss, is duped into believing that he’s actually a spy fiction writer instead. The star-studded cast also includes Sam Rockwell, John Cena, and Samuel L. Jackson.
Although there’s no release date yet, the excitement ramped up on Tuesday after the first teaser image was released.
In it, Lipa dons red nails, gold rings, a sequined gold dress, and blonde bob (classic Bond Girl garbs) and stares into Cavill’s eyes. Cavill on the other hand looks more like Dr. No than Daniel Craig, sporting an emerald velvet suit and an Arnold-Schwarzenegger-in-Red-Heat flat-top.
Behind the embracing couple, there’s a David Lynch-esque floor, a dim red hue over what could be a restaurant, and an archway with a roman statue. It isn’t much to work off, but Lipa fans are already abuzz.
First look!! Coming soon… #Argylle pic.twitter.com/13con52MoP
— DUA LIPA (@DUALIPA) March 10, 2022
Is her pivot to screen a canny move? She joins a long history of musicians turned actors, who have had varying levels of success. Think Awkwafina’s decade-long path from her YouTube hit My Vag to her history-making Golden Globes win for her role in The Farewell last year. And who could forget Cher’s 18-film roster, Lady Gaga’s meme-tastic turns in House of Gucci and A Star is Born, and Justin Timberlake’s success as a shapeshifting jack-of-all-trades?
But, the switch hasn’t been so easy for everyone, and the acting hasn’t always been good. Here we share our most memorable musicians-turned-actors, both great and not so great.
Dolly Parton
It’s hard to say a bad word against Dolly Parton, widely loved as an international treasure, icon and legend. But after Dolly Parton’s Christmas on The Square, a bonkers 2020 Christmas musical also starring Christine Baranski, it’s safe to say that acting is not her strongest suit. Nevertheless, nobody really cares. She’s starred in 12 films, including the legendary 9 to 5 and cult classic Steel Magnolias; she tends to play close to type, but this is more than enough for her millions of fans worldwide.
Will Smith
Will Smith has been around for so long that his job title varies depending on the generation you ask. To some, he is the dad of Willow and Jaden; to others he is the comedic actor who led the Nineties hit The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air; and to still others, he is the superstar of Men in Black, I, Robot and I Am Legend. He has made the musician-actor transition so seamlessly that it was almost a surprise for some to realise they were dancing to Will Smith when his 2005 song Switch became a hit.
In fact, Smith began his career as a rapper, songwriter and musician. He was the MC in hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince. It was only in 1990 that he turned his hand to acting. Now he is an Oscar frontrunner for playing the dad of Serena and Venus Williams in King Richard, and The Fresh Prince has just had a reboot.
Lady Gaga
After her 2018 Oscar-nominated role in A Star is Born, Lady Gaga made the transition from singer to actor look pretty effortless. Although reviews of her most recent film House of Gucci have been mixed, Gaga has largely been celebrated as the real momentum behind this chaotic, titillating, based-on-a-true-story tale.
Awkwafina
She first rose to fame as the YouTube sensation behind the song My Vag, but after several series on MTV as a host, Awkwafina slowly made the foray into acting. And she’s great at it. In 2018 she starred in Ocean’s 8 and Crazy Rich Asians, and in 2019’s The Farewell and Jumanji, to name a few. In February 2021 she became the first Asian-American to win best actress at the Golden Globes for The Farewell.
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez has a place in Noughties romcom history as one of the era’s most iconic actors. From The Wedding Planner, to Maid in Manhattan, to Monster-In-Law, each film was a hit and J-Lo manages to breeze between acting and producing music. Even in the last couple of years Lopez has proven her versatility with a starring role in the 2019 film Hustlers, and performing at the SuperBowl’s half-time show in 2020.
Steve Van Zandt
You may know Steve Van Zandt best as Silvio Dante, Tony Soprano’s right hand man in the game-changing HBO series, The Sopranos. But Van Zandt is first and foremost a musician, and is best known as a member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band. Incredibly, aged 49, when he took up the role, he had no acting experience.
Madonna
Since 1979, Madonna has been in 22 films as an actress. The results have been... patchy. The most famous, of course, was her turn as Eva Peron in Evita, which saw her pick up a Golden Globe award in 1996. She wanted the role so badly she sent director Alan Parker a four-page letter. But she’s also been in some rather infamous flops, including Shanghai Surprise with then-husband Sean Penn, and Swept Away, directed by then-husband Guy Ritchie, both of which saw her awarded a Razzie award for Worst Actress. Her attempts at directing haven’t gone much better: her 2011 biopic about Wallis Simpson tanked at the box office and got a drubbing from critics.
Rihanna
Since 2016, Rihanna fans have been begging for another album. Instead, the artist has given the world the high-end fashion line Fenty, cosmetic brands Fenty Beauty and Fenty Skin, and lingerie line Savage X Fenty, and in the process, turned herself into a billionaire.
Rihanna has also turned her hand to acting, most notably in Ocean’s 8 where she played a talented hacker opposite Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett and Anne Hathaway. While she held her own against these Oscar-winning actresses, there wasn’t a feeling that acting was her artistic destiny. Rihanna is best as a genre-busting business mogul, and dare we hope… as a singer-songwriter too.
Harry Styles
Today, Harry Styles is just as well known for his Gucci campaigns, glorious coiffed locks and gender-fluid wardrobe as he is for his singing. But while he has been touring the world, performing sold-out shows, the musician has also turned his hand to acting. In 2017 he starred in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, and guess what? He wasn’t bad. In fact, he impressed critics.
As a result, it looks like his acting career is just taking off. In 2021 he played a small role in Marvel’s Eternals, and he stars in two films coming out this year: Don’t Worry Darling opposite Florence Pugh (and directed by his now-girlfriend Olivia Wilde) and My Policeman, alongside Emma Corrin and Rupert Everett.
