The recent action film Top Gun: Maverick wouldn't be the cultural force that it is if it didn't have its big emotional song "Hold My Hand", which was written and performed by the renowned pop star Lady Gaga. Pop stars have always helped elevate film soundtracks, from Beyonce's involvement with the soundtrack album Lion King: The Gift to Lorde's curation of the soundtrack for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1. Aside from lending their musical skills to a film's soundtrack, some pop musicians have also dipped their toes into acting.
Being in the entertainment industry, it's not rare to see famous singers try their hand at other artistic ventures like acting. On Reddit, users have discussed which pop stars have also shown off their supreme acting chops.
Selena Gomez
Selena Gomez actually started as a child actor on the PBS show Barney and Friends. Before she became a pop star, Gomez also held the main role in the hit Disney show Wizards of Waverly Place. As a singer, she released commercially successful albums with her band Selena Gomez & The Scene, as well as solo albums under her own name.
Gomez has plenty of standout performances in films like Ramona and Beezus and The Fundamentals of Caring. Reddit user Bijou21 takes note of Gomez's "comedic timing", which has allowed her to not be overshadowed by her legendary co-stars Martin Short and Steve Martin in the Hulu show Only Murders in the Building.
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez is considered by many as a triple threat since she's an entertainer who knows how to dance, act, and sing. Before starting a career in music, Lopez starred in the blockbuster movies Selena and Anaconda. However, Lopez's acting performances weren't always positively received by everyone.
Lopez reminded her fans and the general public that she has serious acting skills with her performance as Ramona in the 2019 film Hustlers. Redditor JustinJSrisuk points out that "she was genuinely good in the role of Ramona" and even got "Oscar buzz", even though she was ultimately snubbed.
Ariana Grande
The Nickelodeon star began her showbiz career as a performer on the Broadway musical 13 when she was 15 years old. She went on to star in two of Nickelodeon's most successful shows, Victorious and its spin-off Sam & Cat. Grande became a household name after signing with Republic Records and releasing a string of commercially-beloved pop and R&B songs that even made it to movie and TV show soundtracks.
The role of Cat Valentine stuck with Grande for years due to her impeccable performance. On Reddit, bleedin_liberal says that Grande "did the job she was given well" on her Nickelodeon shows and that she's also great for comedy projects based on her impressive performances on Saturday Night Live and the Teen Choice Awards.
Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake started his career early in the entertainment industry as a contestant on the reality TV competition Star Search. He then transitioned to the music industry by joining NSYNC as one of its lead vocalists before starting a solo music career.
Timberlake has played the leading role in a number of films like In Time and Friends with Benefits. User ss2811 writes on Reddit that Timberlake "brings a lot of things to every role". He was particularly impressive in the film The Social Network, where he played the snazzy Napster founder Sean Parker.
Mariah Carey
The cultural impact of Mariah Carey cannot be denied. From her Billboard number one singles "Emotions" and "Visions of Love" to her stint as a judge on American Idol, Carey is a beloved entertainer who has been in the industry for more than thirty years.
The Grammy-award-winning singer has also made appearances in films like Glitter and Tennessee. But arguably, her stand-out role is the social worker Ms. Weiss in the movie Precious, and Reddit user mattysmwift is confident in saying that she held her own opposite the renowned actress Mo'Nique in "one of the best monologue scenes of all time".
Lady Gaga
The 2018 film A Star is Born shows Lady Gaga in a completely new light. While the general public is used to the pop star's bizarre performances, outfits, and antics, Gaga showed that she can also act and embody a role.
In a Reddit thread, xXESCluvrXx says that Gaga "has the potential to be a great movie star, with a few more roles under her belt". While the singer is still busy touring and has no upcoming acting projects, there have been talks of her taking the role of Harley Quinn in the upcoming sequel to Todd Phillips' Joker.
Demi Lovato
Demi Lovato started her showbiz career by being a cast member on Barney and Friends. However, she achieved greater success on the Disney Channel by starring in the musical film Camp Rock, as well as the TV show Sonny With a Chance.
Lovato is also known for her impeccable singing ability and commercially and critically successful pop albums. While she's not acting in a lot of projects today, Redditor BJ22CS highlights how impressive Lovato's performance is on her Disney Channel projects thanks to her great "comedic acting".
Jennifer Hudson
Despite being a fan favorite on the reality singing competition American Idol, Jennifer Hudson only placed 7th during her season. After that, she kicked off an award-winning career by starring in the movie version of the musical Dreamgirls where she beat out other actresses thanks to her show-stopping audition (via Entertainment Weekly).
In a Reddit post about pop stars who can also act, user erinraspberry reminds other users how "Jennifer Hudson won an Oscar in her first ever acting role". She also played the legendary singer Aretha Franklin in the biopic Respect and gave a brilliant performance.
Janelle Monáe
The American singer Janelle Monáe is known for her R&B and pop albums that often feature themes of Afrofuturism and feminism. Her third album Dirty Computer is arguably her best work, garnering widespread critical acclaim for its distinct sound, straightforward lyrics, and sonically adventurous production.
Monáe also knows how to choose the acting projects she stars in, as Redditor youtbuddcody writes that her performances in the movies Hidden Figures and Harriet were "incredible" and "fantastic". Because of her acting chops, some MCU fans want to see her play the coveted role of Storm in the upcoming X-Men projects.
Cher
With a career that spans more than 60 years, Cher is one of the most recognizable talents in the entertainment industry. She gained popularity as a part of the husband/wife musical duo Sonny & Cher. However, she also has an illustrious solo music career with more than 26 studio albums under her belt.
Cher has also tried her hand at acting and received rewards for it. On Reddit, Blueiguana1976 remarks that Cher is "phenomenal in her Oscar-winning role in Moonstruck" and has also starred in great films like If These Walls Could Talk and The Witches of Eastwick.