3 A-List Actors Who Learned To Play Instruments for Leading Blockbuster Roles

Some urban legends note that all musicians want to be actors and all actors want to be musicians. Well, the two fields certainly overlap consistently. Especially when an actor takes on the task of playing a musician in a movie. Whether it be playing an iconic artist or an original character, playing a musician requires more than looking cool on screen. If one wants to do it right, it typically requires voice training, music lessons, and a strong grasp of the craft that needs to be acquired over a short time.

Given that playing a musician requires far more work than the average role, many actors have strayed away from the challenge. However, there a been numerous actors who have seen the opportunity as a role that would solidify them as more than just a movie star. That being so, here a three actors who took on the role of musicians and learned how to play the appropriate instruments.

1. Jamie Foxx in ‘Ray’

Jamie Foxx’s role in the Ray Charles biopic is one of the most prolific roles of his career. To win the 2005 Oscar for Best Actor In A Leading Role, Foxx took a full-on method approach to the character. Foxx lost 35 pounds, wore eye prosthetics that made him blind, studied braille, and most importantly, learned how to play the piano alongside Charles himself.

Foxx had gone to college on a classical piano scholarship, however, he didn’t know how to play the blues, especially like Ray Charles. Thus, Charles taught Foxx how to play the blues just like him in order to give the most authentic performance possible. And the result amounted to one of the best movie biopics of all time.

2. Bradley Cooper in ‘A Star is Born’

Cooper’s 2018 performance in A Star is Born garnered him two Oscar nominations for Best Actor and Best Director. However, it was his role as the fictional rockstar, Jackson Maine, that impressed the world. To perform at the highest level, Cooper learned how to sing, play guitar, and piano. Cooper practiced two hours a day alongside Willie Nelson’s son, Lukas Nelson.

Additionally, Cooper received help from Pearl Jam’s, Eddie Vedder. Cooper said Vedder, “Gave me minor little things that only musicians know about what to do, just aesthetically and the inner workings,” per W Magazine. Needless to say, Cooper’s performance of songs such as “Maybe It’s Time” and “Black Eyes” made him a fictionally bonified rockstar.

3. Robert Downey Jr. in ‘Chaplin’

Downey’s biopic about the first movie star, Charlie Chaplin, is arguably a top-three performance of his career. It makes sense, as Downey learned how to play tennis left-handed, mimic Chaplin’s posture and mannerisms, and how to play the violin.

Prior to the 1992 film, Downey had zero experience playing the violin. He spent an entire year learning how to play the violin, though, there was a twist. Like tennis, Downey had to learn how to play the instrument with his left hand. Given his dedication and performance, Downey was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe.

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