Feature: The Singing Actor Versus The Acting Singer

Hollywood has always had a love affair with musicals. Whether it be Golden Age classics, ambitious Broadway adaptations, or animated adventures, American audiences flock to theaters to see a film that features some toe-tappin' tunes.

While these movies are often box office hits, they face considerable scrutiny from theatre lovers and the Broadway community due to studios casting high-profile Hollywood stars instead of trained dancers and singers that would be better suited for the role. While I would love to live in a world where Broadway actors got a fair chance in Hollywood, it's understandable that audiences are far more likely to come see blockbuster draws like Hugh Jackman in Les Misérables than they would Alfie Boe.

Sometimes these casting choices work out for the best, and we're treated to the wonderful surprise of our favorite stars actually being able to sing; other times, it's a complete disaster. When studios do make the choice to cast trained singers or musicians in their movies, it more often than not leads to terrific performances that stand out above the rest. In the last 20 years, we've seen the movie musical rake in awards AND crash and burn hideously (ahem, Cats!)...

Let's take a look at five actors who proved their pipes, five who should keep their singing to the showers, and five singers/musicians that brought an unexpected acting prowess to their performances.

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Good Singing by a Hollywood Actor

1. Anne Hathaway (Les Misérables)

Tom Hooper's recent version of one of the greatest treasures in the musical theatre canon is a subject of great debate amongst theatre lovers. While I would argue that the style of the movie and the liberties it allows the actors to take with the music is an ingenious way of translating the work to the medium of film, I'll save that debate for another day. Whatever your opinion on the movie may be, we can all agree that Anne Hathaway steals the show. Hathaway won an Oscar for her performance despite being on screen for a mere total of 15 minutes. But, let's get away from her brilliant physicality and captivating emotional depth for a second and talk about the singing. While her version of "I Dreamed a Dream" may not be the most technically proficient by any means, I'll take Hathaway's version over most others any day of the week. Her breath control throughout the song is very impressive and she pulls off a stunning rendition of a broadway staple in a way that gives it more weight than any other I am familiar with. She sings through tears and uses the song's dynamic shifts to paint a beautiful picture of a broken woman barely grasping on to her last vestiges of hope. What's great about this version is the knowledge that it was done in one take and is most likely one of those rare moments CAUGHT ON CAMERA that simply cannot be repeated live.

2. Ewan McGregor (Moulin Rouge!)

Ewan McGregor is one of those actors who seemingly can't fail. He's able to pull off heroin addicts, corrupt criminals, romantic leads, Jedi knights, and dancing candles all wonderfully. But who would've guessed that Obi-Wan Kenobi was such a great singer? Baz Luhrman's intoxicating 2001 Moulin Rouge! will probably be remembered as the last truly successful live-action movie musical that didn't come from Broadway. Moulin Rouge! stands the test of time for many reasons, one of which is McGregor's sensational performance. What I love most about watching McGregor sing is that he seems to be having genuine fun. We see big name actors straining themselves in song so often that it is a joy to watch McGregor's voice soar in each number he has. Nicole Kidman isn't half bad either, but Ewan's performance sticks out to me because he fluctuates between rock star bravado and a sweet, gentle, romantic voice that just makes any viewer swoon every time he hits a belting high note.

3. Meryl Streep (Mamma Mia!... and everything else)

This was an obvious choice. Even if Meryl sounded like a squealing pig, she would still be praised for every performance. She simply can do no wrong. Yet, we DON'T have to worry about ever cringing when she starts to sing because she is an absolute delight. Something about her voice is relatable. There's a quality to it that just feels comforting, and Meryl seems more like a real person than the household name we know her to be. Meryl Steep is arguably the greatest actress of all time. She's built a career performing in heavy, dramatic films and bringing heightened realism to detailed characters in extreme circumstances. This is why watching her sing is so wonderful. She's not the genius, acting god that she is in most movies. She's just a woman singing. We love it! Mamma Mia! is one of my favorite movies of all time because it's just so ridiculous and fun throughout, but the movie wouldn't be such a smash hit without Meryl's grounding performance. Her renditions of "The Winner Takes it All" and "Slipping Through My Fingers" are prime examples of a great actor making a song their own. I find myself sobbing at these moments in a movie where I just watched James Bond sing ABBA on a boat with a Greek chorus. Nobody does it like Meryl can. Hopefully one day she'll release an album so we can listen to her sing all the time.

4. Oscar Issac (Inside Llewyn Davis)

Now, this movie may not be the typical movie-musical, but Isaac's performance is too great not to have on here. Often overlooked, this film about a struggling singer in the 1961 Greenwich Village folk scene is one of the Coen Brothers' greatest accomplishments. For the film, Isaac mastered a special guitar picking technique known as Travis picking and performs every song live. Typically in this type of movie, actors are often brought back in with professional musicians to re-record musical moments in order to fix timing issues with the movie. This was not necessary for Inside Llewyn Davis because Isaac was able to keep perfect tempo, allowing them to seamlessly cut between takes. Isaac has the challenge of performing somewhere around 8-10 songs in the movie, and each one is beautifully filled with authentic pain and soulful resonance so often found in folk singers of the era. I'm a big folk, Americana, and bluegrass fan, and the soundtrack from Llewyn Davis is one of my go-to's on Spotify. That's how great he is!

5. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (Moana)

This was a tough decision. I know there will be a lot of anger about certain actors being left off this list and I'M SORRY for anyone who feels angry about this decision. However, I just couldn't leave out The Rock. He's the only person on here from an animated movie, and he only has one song, but he earns his money in that studio. It just brings me so much joy to see this massive action superstar, who rose to fame in the WWE, smiling and singing a Disney song. Not only does Johnson nail the difficult rhythms in his rapping sections, but he does so while coloring his voice with character and keeping a flow that makes you wanna see him as the next Alexander Hamilton. Take a break from reading and just picture how awesome that would be for a second. Ok, now come back. Aside from his rhythmic timing, The Rock shows off some serious pipes! He's belting out notes and controlling his breath like he was born to it. He sounds like a true Broadway performer on "You're Welcome" and he stands out because his performance says something important. It's important for young men, and men of all ages, to see a guy like The Rock allow himself to have fun while singing. Our masculine icons DON'T have to be muscle-headed sports nuts who drive fancy cars and date supermodels. They can be kind-hearted, loving souls who sing show-tunes and dance! It makes me smile every time I hear this song and it earns him a place on this list.

Bad Singing by a Hollywood Actor

1. Russell Crowe (Les Misérables)

Les Mis starts our list once again. I'm sorry, Russell. I know I'm not the first guy to ruthlessly attack your singing in this film, but when thinking about actors who should stick to acting, your name is always first to come to mind. From the moment he sings his first note, it's clear that the studio would have been better off casting anyone else to sing Javert's beloved baritone parts. Crowe sounds like he's embarrassed every time he sings in this movie. It's what it sounds like when you force your kid to sing for your extended family at christmas and they just want to get it over with. He made "Stars" and "Javert's Soliloquy" sound like a drunk guy at karaoke that makes us all regret going to Applebees on a Wednesday night. This is one of those instances where the casting just seems completely nonsensical. I mean, did you not even see if he could sing before you gave him the role in an operetta? It's not like he sings some of the time, he only sings! It's too bad because every other performance in this movie is at least decent, and his performance is just distracting. Why not hire any of the millions of talented performers who can sing this role? Whatever, I'm clearly not upset about it at all and I wish the best for Mr. Crowe as long as he stays out of musical theatre from here on out.

2. Johnny Depp (Sweeney Todd)

I'll admit I'm a little bit biased here. Sweeney Todd is my favorite musical of all time, and for that reason I find myself being more critical of the Tim Burton movie than most. While Depp is perfectly creepy and his acting is as fine as it usually is, his singing is subpar. The role of Sweeney Todd is not one where the performer is expected to hold high notes for extended periods of time or carry melodic ballads throughout. The music requires a singer with a rich, deep baritone and a mastery of rhythmic timing that's accentuated by scary, threatening emotions that come to a boil at various points in the musical. Depp doesn't deliver any of that. He does what you would expect from a Depp/Burton collaboration, where he is very quiet, creepy, and brooding. These are all fine choices for the character, but they DON'T work when you try to perform the songs. "My Friends" is boring and stale, "Epiphany" is disappointing, and, in the end, Depp's performance is forgettable. The whole movie doesn't do justice to Sondheim's haunting music, but Depp's turn in the title role stands out as the problem. I'm just constantly left wanting more from him and I'm disappointed at every turn.

3. Emma Stone (La La Land)

La La Land is one of those movies that simultaneously received too much praise and too much hate. I'm happy it lost at the Oscars, but I didn't think it deserved to be torn apart by the internet just because it was up against an industry altering film like Moonlight. It's a good movie, DON'T get me wrong, but it's far from perfect. The singing just wasn't up to snuff. There's a part of me that is okay with Emma Stone's singing in La La Land for a majority of the time because she's playing a struggling actor. Her voice has a realistic quality that tells me that she's just not destined to be a superstar. But in the end, she books a major movie role and becomes a famous movie star. Every single actor watching rolled their eyes during the scene where she's standing at the audition and begins singing. She sounds terrible! She would be laughed out of any audition room if she walked in and sang like that, and you want me to believe that this character is a previously undiscovered talent? No thank you! She may have won the Oscar for this performance, but her singing didn't do her any favors.

4. Emma Watson (Beauty and the Beast)

It'll take all of two seconds for a trained singer to point out that Emma Watson is heavily autotuned in Beauty and the Beast. I could go on for hours about why I hate Disney's live action trend (just make new and original content!) but I'll leave it at this. I will never understand why Disney is obsessed with regurgitating its beloved hits and ruining the music with bad singers. The old Disney cartoons used to have Broadway stars and talented vocalists behind every princess and cartoon animal in the film. Now, they just cast as many stars as money can buy and put out a CGI'd autotuned mess. I love Emma Watson, and she does a great job playing Belle as the strong-willed, powerful woman that she is. But, I really could do without the weak, autotuned singing.

5. Cameron Diaz (Annie)

I'll confess that before writing this article I had never seen this version of Annie. It was widely panned by critics so I didn't bother going and I had completely forgotten about it until I started researching movie musicals from the past 20 years. Instead of feeling anger at Ms. Hannigan or laughing at her like I usually do, when I watched Diaz I just felt...uncomfortable. Every time she sings it feels like her voice is just about to crack and I'm on edge in the worst way. This version of Annie is a mess from top to bottom but Diaz finds her way on this list because she's just horribly wrong for the part. She's the perfect example of a studio just casting a name and seemingly not caring about the performance whatsoever. Audiences care about how the actor actually does. Especially in a musical performance, where we will be even more critical. Hollywood could do better and hopefully future musical movies will have more singers or at least actors who can sing.

Great Performance by a Singer or Broadway Star

1. Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls)

There's not much to say about Jennifer Hudson's performance that hasn't already been said. With this Oscar-winning performance, Hudson solidified herself as potentially the greatest voice that AMERICAN IDOL ever discovered. This movie is a great example of a studio ensuring that the entire ensemble was made up of actors who could carry a tune, and Hudson stands out amongst the likes of Beyoncé and Jamie Foxx. Her rendition of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" is jaw dropping and remains one of the greatest singing performances ever captured on screen. What's even more amazing is that Hudson managed to make the song her own on the heels of Jennifer Holliday's original performance. She delivered a powerhouse performance that earned her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar.

2. Glen Hansard (Once)

It's hard to believe that the Broadway hit Once was actually a movie before it was a musical. Glen Hansard is not an actor, and he hasn't really done anything since this movie, but you'd never know it from this film. Hansard is brilliant in every moment as the heartbroken, Irish singer-songwriter, and his onscreen chemistry with his co-star is truly special to watch. Hansard and fellow singer-songwriter Markéta Irglová share a unique bond on screen that eventually spilled over to a real life relationship and a successful musical duo. The choice to cast a real musician in this role paid off in large part because each song in the movie is performed with a depth that truly allows us to get a deeper understanding of the character since many of the songs describe events that we DON'T get to see in the film. Hansard proves here that if you want to tell a story about singers/musicians, hire a singer/musician.

3. Nikki Blonsky (Hairspray)

Nikki Blonsky wasn't a singer, movie star, or Broadway name when she landed the leading role in the 2007 adaptation of this Broadway classic. In fact, this was her first real acting gig, and she absolutely crushed it. In a film that's teeming with star power, Blonsky shines in every scene as Tracy Turnblad. She is perfectly cast as the star and heart of the movie. She's lovable, her singing is on point, and her dancing is absolutely terrific. Blonsky's story should serve as a message to studio execs to look beyond the A-list when casting musicals. There are talented people all over the world who can stand out when given the chance, and Nikki Blonsky does just that in Hairspray.

Before Queen Latifah became a Hollywood A-lister, she was a rapper and R&B singer. The Queen is the perfect example of somebody who constantly bridges the gap between musician and actor, putting out performance after performance of rich acting and remarkable singing. Latifah steals the show in every movie she's in, and received her only Oscar nomination for playing Matron Mama Morton in 2002's Chicago. Every time I watch that movie, I rewind and watch "When You're Good to Mama" at least three times. Her rendition of "I Know Where I've Been" in Hairspray is goose-bump inducing to say the least, and might only be topped by Jennifer Hudson in Hairspray Live. Queen Latifah is a powerhouse to say the least. Hopefully we get to see her in more movie musicals for many years to come.

5. Lady Gaga (A Star is Born)

I was skeptical for a while about casting this Pop star sensation as the lead role in Bradley Cooper's new version of this timeless classic. Gaga had the challenge of stepping into the shoes once filled by Hollywood's brightest stars: Judy Garland and Barbara Streisand. At the time, it felt like another weird choice to just pick a big name without caring about the actual performance. Gaga proved me and everyone else wrong in A Star is Born. Not only did she prove that she has serious singing chops, but she entirely altered her public image with this performance and solidified herself as one of the greatest artists of our generation. Lady Gaga is raw, real, and captivating throughout the entire movie and she deserves all the praise in the world for what she was able to accomplish with this performance.

Let me know your thoughts on this list! I know there are a lot of opinions out there about this topic so any and all disagreements are encouraged. The movie musical isn't going anywhere! Let's hope that it just keeps getting better.

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