Hoping to expand their popularity1, singers often make the switch2 from the stage3 to the silver screen4. Will Smith5 has done it. Madonna6 and Janet7 have too. But it wasn't until recently, when a large number of famous singers like Britney8, Lance9, Joey10 and Mandy11 started making movies, the trend of singers-turned-actors really become a fad12. With so many singers changing to film, people wonder whether they can manage to be as successful as they are as singers.
Acting to Music
The list of singers who are looking to prove themselves as “total13 entertainers” seems endless.
'N Sync's14 Lance Bass and Joey Fatone have recently played in a romantic comedy called On the Line. For Joey, the transition from musician to movie star seemed inevitable. He used to do Shakespeare, one-act plays and musical theater in high school. Like Joey, Lance is also ready to keep both his singing and acting careers at the same time—as long as he has the time. “I love them both equally,” he admits, “I started acting before I did music. And then I just fell into music.”
Britney Spears' first experience with a movie was different. She was a little nervous when she played in her first movie. But soon she gained her confidence. She says, “I really want to challenge myself.”
One thing is common with these singers-turned-actors. They all intend to stick with their totally successful music careers. They are definitely not giving up their musical lives. Mandy Moore says, “Music has always been my first priority15, but if these other things can fit into your schedule16, they cannot only aid in establishing you as a true entertainer, but they add to your character as well.”
Starting Small
While some stars are making a name for themselves in movie theater, others are starting out small before switching to the big screen17.
When she first turned to playing, Beyonce Knowles18, Destiny's Child's19 main singer, played a role in a TV play produced by MTV. She says, “Acting wasn't something I was planning to do. I think music is something where the competition is very severe. We're not going to be the number one group in the world forever, so you have to have something else to fall back on20.” Playing in the TV play was her way of “testing the waters” before turning to movies. But now, she's ready. She is looking for the perfect role.
Justin Timberlake21 felt the same way when he agreed to play a character in Disney's Model Behavior. He says, “As far as acting goes, I'm still thinking about who I am and if acting is going to be a part of my life—that's what I'm experimenting with. But I don't see myself giving up music. Music has always been a big part of my life, and I think it always will be. I can't go five minutes without singing. But I would love to make film and television a part of my life too.”
A Difficult Transition22
Switching to movies represents an attempt to be a triple threat23 on the part of the singer. As Usher24 puts it, “As an entertainer25, it allows you to ensure your longevity26 in this business. I've always loved music, but there's so much more to being entertainer than singing and dancing. To be a triple threat, you have to have the acting.”
But many singers have come to realize that it is not easy to change from a singer to an actor. To guarantee a successful transition, a singer has to make sure that his or her own characters will not present an influence on the roles he or she plays. Sisqo27, one music superstar who's planning to try movies, says, “Hollywood is pretty hard on artists who try to become actors.” He adds that singers have to be careful in the roles they pick so that they don't get pigeon-holed28. They should be able to play all kinds of roles skillfully. A good actor will never let the viewer see his own person in the role he plays. Of course, this is hard for someone who doesn't have any experience of playing in a movie. Britney Spears, who is so appealing and popular as a singer, appears to be naive and stupid in the movie Not A Girl as Lucy. Britney says, “Lucy is very naive29. She's very dorky30. I hope I'm not that dorky.” But if the people really see Lucy as being nave and dorky, Britney is to some extent successful as an actress.
Another reason why it is difficult to make the transition is that singing and playing are quite different from each other. With music, it's that direct reaction from the crowd, when the singer is in front of thousands of people. With movies, it's very weird and embarrassing when the player is doing something in front of a quiet room with a few people around.
Going into film is a bold step for any musician, since it can go either way: you can be either a great success or a total failure. “It's so hard to cross over without losing street appeal31,” just as Usher puts it.
歌手往往会离开舞台去“触电”，以期扩大自己的声望。威尔·斯密斯这样做了，麦当娜、珍妮特也这样做了。但是直到最近随着大批有名的歌手比如布兰妮、兰斯、乔伊以及曼迪开始进军影坛，歌手触电才真正成为一种时尚。许多歌手都转向影坛，人们想知道他们是否能做到演电影同唱歌一样大显身手。
唱歌、拍戏两不误
无数的歌手都在试图证明自己是全能的艺人。
超级男孩乐队的兰斯·巴斯、乔伊·费通最近在一部叫做On the Line的浪漫喜剧中扮演了角色。对乔伊而言，从歌手到影星的转变是迟早的事情。上高中的时候，他曾演过莎士比亚、独幕剧和音乐剧。像乔伊一样，兰斯也准备唱歌和演电影两不误——只要他有时间。他承认， “唱歌和演电影我同样热爱。在我开始唱歌之前就演过电影，之后我才全身心投入歌唱之中。”
布兰妮演电影的经历有所不同。她第一次演电影的时候有些紧张，但很快建立起自信心。她说，“我真的想挑战自己。”
对这些纷纷触电的歌手而言，有一点是共同的——他们都打算继续他们十分成功的歌唱生涯，他们决不会放弃自己的音乐生涯。曼迪·摩尔说，“音乐一直是我的首选，但是如果其它的东西同你的计划不冲突，它们不仅能帮助你成为一个真正的艺人，而且还能发展你的个性。”
从小做起
有些明星通过演电影而名声大噪，而另一些则在正式进军影坛之前尝试演电视剧。
比雍斯· 纳沃斯是美国“真命天女”合唱团的主唱歌手，在由音乐电视出品的电视剧中担任一个角色。她说，“我以前并没有打算去演戏，但歌坛中竞争激烈，我们不可能永远是全球第一的合唱组，因此你得做点别的，好给自己留条后路。” 演电视剧是她进军影坛前的热身活动，现在她已经准备好了，正在寻找一个完美的角色。
贾斯汀抱有同样的想法，所以他同意在迪斯尼出品的“模范行为”中扮演一个角色。他说，“就演戏而言，我依然在思考我是个什么样的人，演戏是否会成为我生活中的一部分，这正是我现在尝试做的事情。但我认为我不会放弃音乐，音乐一直是我生活中重要的一部分，我认为将来也是如此。我5分钟不唱歌就受不了。但我很愿意让电影和电视也成为我生活的一部分。”
艰难的转变
歌手触电表明他们都试图成为一个三栖明星，就像亚瑟小子所说的那样，“作为一个艺人，演戏能够使你延长自己的艺术生命。我一直热爱音乐，但是作为一个艺人，远远不仅仅只是唱歌和跳舞。要成为一个多面手，你得去演电影。”
但是，许多歌手开始意识到完成从歌手到演员的转变不是件容易的事情。要确保转型成功，歌手应该确保他们的个性不影响他们所扮演的角色。西斯克是个超级歌星，正打算试试电影，他说，“好莱坞对想当演员的人要求很严。”他补充说演员要对自己选择的角色小心处理，避免出现被“打入冷宫”的现象。他们应该能够娴熟地表演各种各样的角色。好的演员从不会让观众从他所扮演的角色中看出他本人性格的影子。当然，这对一个没有演电影经历的歌手来讲是困难的。布兰妮作为歌手可谓具有很大的感召力、深受人们的欢迎，但她在电影Not A Girl 中扮演的露茜却既无知又愚蠢。她说，“露茜很无知，也很愚蠢。我希望我没那么愚蠢。”但如果人们都认为露茜是无知、愚蠢的，那么布兰妮在某种意义上讲是个成功的演员。
转型艰难的另一个原因是唱歌和演电影完全是两码事。就唱歌而言，歌手站在成千上万的人前面，是一种直接的反应。而演电影，演员面对的是寂静的屋子，周围人很少，这是一种奇怪、尴尬的局面。
从音乐到电影这是大胆的一步，因为事情可能朝两个不同的方向发展，你要么成功，要么失败。就像亚瑟小子所说的那样，“完成从歌手到演员的转变而依然受人欢迎是件很难的事情。”
1． popularity n．声望
2． switch n．转换
3． stage n．舞台
4． silver screen 银幕
5． Will Smith 威尔·斯密斯，美国歌手、演员，1968年9月25日出生于美国费城。
6． Madonna 麦当娜，1958年8月16日出生于密歇根的罗切斯特，她成为80年代最成功的流行女歌手。
7． Janet Jackson 珍妮特·杰克逊，1966年4月14日出生于著名的音乐世家，80到90年代流行乐坛的最成功的女歌星之一。
8． Britney Spears 布兰妮
9． Lance Bass 兰斯·巴斯，1979年5月4日出生。
10．Joey Fatone 乔伊·费通，1977年1月28日出生于美国纽约州的纽约城。
11．Amanda Leigh Moore 曼迪·摩尔，于1984年4月10日出生于美国新罕布什尔，当年以“国歌美少女”姿态进军流行歌坛。
12．fad n．时尚
13．total adj．全能的
14．＇N Sync 美国超级男孩乐队
15．priority n．优先考虑的事情
16．schedule n．计划、安排
17.the big screen 宽银幕，指电影
18．Beyonce Knowles比雍斯·纳沃斯，1981年9月4日出生于美国德克萨斯州的休斯顿，真命天女演唱组（Destiny＇s Child）主唱手。
19．Destiny＇s Child 美国“真命天女”合唱团
20．fall back on 依靠，依赖
21．Justin Timberlake 贾斯汀，超级男孩（＇N Sync）成员之一，是布兰妮的男友。
22．transition n．转变
23．triple threat 具有三种专长的多面手
24．Usher Raymond 亚瑟小子，1978年10月14日出生在美国德克萨斯的达拉斯。
25．entertainer n．艺人
26．longevity n．长寿，长久
27．Sisqo 西斯克，原名Mark Althavan Andrews，出生在美国马里兰州巴尔的摩港市。
28．pigeon－holed为pigeon－hole的过去分词，意为“类型化的”
29．naive [．无知的
30．dorky adj．愚蠢的
31．appeal n．吸引力