“The Audience Gets Weirded Out By It”: 12 Succesful Actors Who Had Not-So-Succesful Music Careers

By this point, it comes as no surprise when actors announce that they’re going to pursue music. Sometimes, they do it for a publicity boost or even as a promotion for whatever project they’re working on. But other times, the famous individual simply has a lifelong passion for music or wants to express their creativity through a different medium for a while…

However, no matter how passionate a celeb may be about their musical endeavors, critics or the public will often tell them to “stay in their own lane.” Whether it’s albums that never charted or even backlash from fans, many famous people who’ve tried music typically don’t stick with it. From Scarlett Johansson to Eddie Murphy, here are 12 actors who surprisingly had music careers:

She later told the BBC, “I would have put money on me being a singer far more than being an actor. To me, being an actor was so far away. I knew I could do it, but I didn’t know how to get there. Whereas me with my guitar being recorded and going on YouTube…was far more accessible.”

2. Gwyneth Paltrow:

3. Joe Pesci:

However, this comedic album wasn’t Pesci’s first foray into the music realm. In the 1960s, the Home Alone actor was prominent in the New Jersey music scene.

As noted in the Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons musical Jersey Boys, Pesci actually introduced the band to songwriter Bob Gaudio, who would go on to write many of their chart-toppers. For a while, Pesci was also a member of Joey Dee and the Starliters — a band whose claim to fame was that legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix was briefly a member. By 1968, the actor released his first album, Little Joe Sure Can Sing, comprising covers of the biggest pop songs of the day. The album was not critically successful, and Pesci concentrated his efforts on his film career until 1999 — when he announced that he was retiring from acting to focus on music.

The Goodfellas star released a jazz album, Falling in Love Again, in 2003 under the identity “Joey Doggs.” His latest album, Pesci…Still Singing dropped in 2019, shortly after the actor’s appearance in the Netflix film The Irishman.

4. Alyssa Milano:

Despite all four albums reaching platinum status in Japan, Milano refused to release her music in America, stating, “A lot of actors who release albums here are laughed at. I’m not interested in crossing over. I’d much rather have it released where it’s appreciated than laughed at.”

In 2022, the Charmed star made an Instagram post showcasing some promotional materials from her shortlived pop career with the caption, “#TBT my singing career. What?! I even had a ‘best of’ album. I went platinum and debuted ahead of The Rolling Stones. I’ve been given so many different opportunities to express my creativity.”

5. Tom Felton:

The 37-year-old’s musical career was never critically acclaimed — but fans and Potterheads enjoyed his EPs and singles, such as “Hawaii.” However, one of the actor’s newest songs, “Holding On,” which he posted on TikTok in May, wasn’t well received by even his most loyal listeners.

Unimpressed fans flocked to the comments, posting things like: “Tom Felton desperately needs employment. Someone get him in a hallmark movie quickly so he doesn’t release more music.” and “How’s it possible that there’s a worse song already been released this year that’s worse than Jojo Siwa’s ‘Karma.’ What is Tom Felton doing?”

Many believe the song was a reference to Harry Potter co-star Emma Watson opening up about the secret crush she harbored for him while shooting the film series, citing lyrics where Felton referred to himself as “just a boy on a skateboard and saying: ‘I’ll still make your heart skip now like you were 17.”

6. William Shatner:

The negative reviews didn’t deter him from his musical (or rather spoken word) path. The actor released another record in 1977 — a live double album of his onstage musings during a 1971 tour, where he read excerpts from Cyrano de Bergerac and The War of the Worlds.

In 1996, he and Star Trek costar Leonard Nimoy released Spaced Out, a compilation combining the biggest hits of their musical careers. Shatner decided to kick things up a notch in the new millennium and released Has Been in 2004 — his first studio album in 36 years.

Throughout the past two decades, he has released nine more albums and collaborated with many prominent artists, including Brian May, Iggy Pop, and Todd Rundgren. The actor decided to broaden his musical horizons in 2018 and venture into the realm of country music, releasing Why Not Me with Jeff Cook — a founding member of the country band Alabama. Later that same year, he dropped a holiday album titled Shatner Claus, featuring many notable acts. In 2024 alone, he has released two albums, including a recording with the National Symphony Orchestra.

7. Robert Downey Jr.:

8. Scarlett Johansson:

In 2015, she formed an all-female band called The Singles with Holly Miranda, Kendra Morris, Julia Haltigan, and Este Haim on drums. The then-30-year-old told Rolling Stone, “The idea was to write super-pop dance music written and performed by girls. I wanted it to be like those bands [referencing inspirations such as Grimes, the Go-Go’s, and the Bangles]: ultra-pop but also a little ironic, a little in on the joke.”

9. Eddie Murphy:

The song quickly climbed the charts, reaching the number two spot on the Billboard Hot 100 — only outranked by Lionel Richie’s “Say You, Say Me” — and the video received much fanfare on MTV. The Beverly Hills Cop actor wrote in the liner notes for the full album How Could It Be, “To Richard Pryor, my idol, with whom I have a $100,000 bet. No, motherf*cker, I didn’t forget.”

10. Bruce Willis:

11. Jennifer Love Hewitt:

It wasn’t until the release of the horror classic I Know What You Did Last Summer that any of Hewitt’s musical endeavors appeared on the charts, with her single “How Do I Deal” peaking at No. 59 on the Hot 100.

12. Lucy Hale:

However, Hale didn’t let her busy schedule derail her love for music. In 2012, she signed with Hollywood Records and set out to create a country music album. The first single, “You Sound Good to Me,” skyrocketed to the top of the charts, reaching no. 1 on iTunes country and no. 15 overall.

Which one of these actor’s music careers surprised you the most? Do you know of other celebs who tried crossing over into music? Let us know in the comments!