# Movies where the actors actually sing/play the music. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 10, 2002, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-actors-actually-sing-play-the-music/127828 "2002-09-10T18:04:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2002, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-actors-actually-sing-play-the-music/127828/41 "2002-09-11T12:33:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sublight \* > \*\*I read in a review that Jane Horrocks did all her own singing in _Little Voice_. Is this true? \*\* Adding t0 **Kalasdad’s** post – yes, she did all her own singing and the “voices”. _Little Voice_ was written specifically for her by a friend as a way of showcasing the incredible aptitude she has for mimicking those great performers. It was originally a stage play called “The Rise and Fall of Little Voice”. As they were trying to get it made into a film, it took so long to get backing that Jane Horrocks never thought she would actually end up playing the part in the movie. Back to the OP: In _The Thing Called Love_, River Phoenix played and performed all his numbers. He and Dermot Mulroney both wrote songs that were performed in the movie (the filck was about aspiring young songwriters). I don’t remember the song that Dermot wrote, but I think River’s was called “Lonestar State of Mind.” ---
**Author:** ![Jervoise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jervoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jervoise)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2002, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-actors-actually-sing-play-the-music/127828/42 "2002-09-11T12:43:25Z")
Rupert Everett and other cast members sing “Say A Little Prayer For You” in **My Best Friend’s Wedding**. Jim Carrey sings “Somebody to Love” in **The Cable Guy** (I think that was the movie). ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2002, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-actors-actually-sing-play-the-music/127828/43 "2002-09-11T14:19:52Z")
I believe that Holly Hunter actually played **The Piano**. ---
**Author:** ![Second\_Guest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/87869e/32.png) [@Second\_Guest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Second_Guest)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2002, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-actors-actually-sing-play-the-music/127828/44 "2002-09-11T14:32:30Z")
Robert Duvall in **Tender Mercies** ---
**Author:** ![SuperNelson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@SuperNelson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuperNelson)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2002, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-actors-actually-sing-play-the-music/127828/45 "2002-09-11T14:36:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Semp \* > \*\* > > I’m going off memory here, and it’s been 16 years, but I’m positive I saw the True Stories cast soundtrack album in a store on vinyl. I could be mistaking it for a 12 inch single of Wild Wild Life for all I know, but memory is telling me it was the cast album. \*\* I’ve got both, and to be honest, there’s a lot of the cast album I like better - especially Pops Staples’ version of Papa Legba ---
**Author:** ![Judith\_Prietht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b19c9b/32.png) [@Judith\_Prietht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Judith_Prietht)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2002, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-actors-actually-sing-play-the-music/127828/46 "2002-09-11T14:43:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lamia \* > \*\* > > Ewan McGregor also sings in **Emma** (in fact, he got the part in **Velvet Goldmine** partially because of this), and of course the already-mentioned **Moulin Rouge**. > > Jude Law did his own horn playing in **The Talented Mr. Ripley**. Interestingly, the character in the novel is a painter, not a musician. Maybe Jude Law can’t paint. 🙂 > \*\* Ewan McGregor also did a bit of singing with Cameron Diaz in **A Life Less Ordinary** , in their duet of “Beyond The Sea.” And Matt Damon learned some piano (although most of it was cut out of the film), and sang “My Funny Valentine” in **The Talented Mr. Ripley**. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2002, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-actors-actually-sing-play-the-music/127828/47 "2002-09-11T15:37:12Z")
The actors did their own singing in “Waiting For Guffman.” –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![sjc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@sjc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sjc)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2002, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-actors-actually-sing-play-the-music/127828/48 "2002-09-14T18:02:38Z")
Wow! I’m impress by the number of responses. Sorry I didn’t post sooner than this, but after I started this thread I couldn’t get to the internet for awhile. Many of you are asking about what to include in this post, but I don’t really care so much about what you all discuss here. I just thought that this would an interesting and broad thread topic. Having said that, I think that movies like **The Commitments** are what really interest me. I am trying to think of other movies that did the same thing, casting unknown (or at least relatively unknown) musicians to play musicians in a film, usually fictional. Having said _that_ I want to reiterate that I like to hear about other movies that don’t quite fit the bill. I _love_ the **Beatles** movies and I liked alot of **Moulin Rouge**. This is really a free for all about movies that have cool music. (On that note, I recommend the space musical **American Astronaut**. It is a lot of fun and I hope it becomes a cult classic. I don’t imagine you 'll find it in many video stores. ---
**Author:** ![sjc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@sjc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sjc)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2002, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-actors-actually-sing-play-the-music/127828/49 "2002-09-14T18:08:46Z")
Wow! I’m impress by the number of responses. Sorry I didn’t post sooner than this, but after I started this thread I couldn’t get to the internet for awhile. Many of you are asking about what to include in this post, but I don’t really care so much about what you all discuss here. I just thought that this would an interesting and broad thread topic. Having said that, I think that movies like **The Commitments** are what really interest me. I am trying to think of other movies that did the same thing, casting unknown (or at least relatively unknown) musicians to play musicians in a film, usually fictional. Having said _that_ I want to reiterate that I like to hear about other movies that don’t quite fit the bill. I _love_ the **Beatles** movies and I liked alot of **Moulin Rouge**. This is really a free for all about movies that have cool music. (On that note, I recommend the space musical **American Astronaut**. It is a lot of fun and I hope it becomes a cult classic. I don’t imagine you 'll find it in many video stores. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2002, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-actors-actually-sing-play-the-music/127828/50 "2002-09-14T18:47:34Z")
In keeping with being a method actor, Robert De Niro actually learned to play saxophone for “New York, New York”. Sources vary as to how much De Niro saxophone playing is actually heard in the picture, but apparently, there is some, and some reviewers claim he played all of it. I remember seeing it with a sax player who said that some of the sax work was crappy enough that it probably WAS De Niro having learned sax just for the movie. ---
**Author:** ![CheWhat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@CheWhat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheWhat)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-actors-actually-sing-play-the-music/127828/51 "2011-11-27T13:33:16Z")
Dermot Mulroney played the cello in Samantha. Stephen Trask was relatively unknown when he did Hedwig and the Angry Inch. ---
**Author:** ![MentalGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/439d5e/32.png) [@MentalGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MentalGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-actors-actually-sing-play-the-music/127828/52 "2011-11-27T14:48:14Z")
Didn’t Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon do the singing as Johnny Cash and June Carter in _Walk the Line_?\*\* ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-actors-actually-sing-play-the-music/127828/53 "2011-11-27T16:04:41Z")
In “Once More With Feeling”, the justly famous musical episode of **Buffy the Vampire Slayer** , Whedon had planned to have the voices dubbed, but the cast members convinced him to let them do their own vocals. And, they did a quite decent job, although Allyson Hannigan begged off with singing only a token phrase, and Michelle Trachtenburg did a ballet number instead of singing. All the rest, plus a couple of cameos from the show’s producers, did their own voices. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-actors-actually-sing-play-the-music/127828/54 "2011-11-27T16:18:26Z")
So if we can mention TV, I’ll chime in with the episode of Quantum Leap, in which Sam leaped into the life of a Broadway musical singer. Scott Bakula did his own singing in that. I particularly liked the parody version of the quest song from “Man of La Mancha” ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-actors-actually-sing-play-the-music/127828/55 "2011-11-27T16:32:47Z")
Jeff Bridges performed a lot of the music in [Crazy Heart](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crazy_Heart_%28soundtrack%29#Track_listing). ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-actors-actually-sing-play-the-music/127828/56 "2011-11-27T16:34:04Z")
The first film that sprung to my mind was “Once” (2006). Glenn Hansard and Markita Irglova perform all their own songs. It’s one of my favorite movies. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-actors-actually-sing-play-the-music/127828/57 "2011-11-27T17:25:36Z")
Bil Murray spent untold years reliving the same day in a small town in Pennsylvania, so YES, that really is him playing the piano in _Groundhog Day_. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-actors-actually-sing-play-the-music/127828/58 "2011-11-27T18:49:19Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > So if we can mention TV, I’ll chime in with the episode of Quantum Leap, in which Sam leaped into the life of a Broadway musical singer. Scott Bakula did his own singing in that. I particularly liked the parody version of the quest song from “Man of La Mancha” Bakula also did Great Balls of Fire while dressed a la Carmen Miranda. Michael J Fox in Back to the Future. Hugh Laurie is an accomplished musician who occasionally plays guitar and piano on House. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-actors-actually-sing-play-the-music/127828/59 "2011-11-27T20:28:48Z")
The movie _[Topsy-Turvy](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0151568/)_ is one of the best movies I’ve ever seen about music and creativity I’ve ever seen. It’s about the creative team of Gilbert and Sullivan and their musical _The Mikado_. Most of the cast sings and does a fine job of it. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-actors-actually-sing-play-the-music/127828/60 "2011-11-27T23:50:03Z")
Just FYI everyone, this thread is more than 9 years old. I wonder if there are any musicals about zombies? It seems like there must be. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-actors-actually-sing-play-the-music/127828.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-actors-actually-sing-play-the-music/127828.md?page=4)