Worst To Best: Music Stars Turned Movie Stars

Lenny Kravitz

The Music Star: Acclaimed for his ability to mix different musical genres to create something unique, Kravitz cameo’d in Zoolander before impressing in the gritty Precious . Was last seen playing Cinna in The Hunger Games . He’s back next year with Catching Fire .

Lyric That Reflects Their Film Career: “It's getting heavy, But I'm ready, To take on this world and rock steady, So come on, bring it on…”

Bob Dylan

The Music Star: Massive in the ‘60s, but still doing stellar work now, Dylan’s talents extend beyond the music world – he had a small role in Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid , and led Hearts Of Fire and Masked And Anonymous .

Lyric That Reflects Their Film Career: “I courted her proudly, but now she is gone, Gone as the season she's taken.”

Courtney Love

The Music Star: Was married to Kurt Cobain, and had her own super-cool rock band in the form of Hole. Was nominated for a Golden Globe for her appearance in The People vs. Larry Flynt and starred opposite Jim Carrey in Man On The Moon.

Lyric That Reflects Their Film Career:
“Oh, make me over, I'm all I wanna be, A walking study, In demonology…”

Queen Latifah

The Music Star: Born Dana Elaine Owens (‘Queen’ suits her better), Latifah was a rapstar between 1989 and 2002, starting out aged just 19. She hit the big time movies-wise when she appeared in Chicago , which earned her an Oscar nomination.

Lyric That Reflects Their Film Career : “Queen Latifah's here to lay the law down… So I hope you've prepared yourself for what you're in for, This is Latifah's Law…”

Mos Def

The Music Star: Made waves during the late ‘90s in the world of underground hip hop. A mixed bag of movie credits includes The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, 16 Blocks, Talladega Nights and Be King Rewind . On TV, he’s Brother Sam in season six of Dexter .

Lyric That Reflects Their Film Career: “Nobody knows what tomorrow holds, could be pot of gold, Or a mere pot on top ya stove, still ya got to roll...”

Bette Midler

The Music Star: Performed on stage as The Divine Miss M, which was also the name of her 1972 debut album. It sold millions. After winning a Tony for her Broadway contributions, Midler proved she could do big screen comedy ( Ruthless People, Hocus Pocus ) and drama ( Beaches ).

Lyric That Reflects Their Film Career: “I`m always a flop at a top-notch affair, but I`ve still got my health, so what do I care?”

Method Man

The Music Star: Hip hop artist and member of the Wu-Tang Clan. Has mostly stuck to indie films when it comes to the big screen – the well-received Garden State and The Wackness – though he also appeared in George Lucas’ Red Tails and had a role on The Wire .

Lyric That Reflects Their Film Career: “I am, the one and only Method Man, The master of the plan wrappin shit like Saran, Wrap, with some of this and some of that…”

Meatloaf

The Music Star: Born Michael Lee Aday, the ‘loaf sold over 43 million of his Bat Out Of Hell trilogy album and won a Grammy for ‘I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)’. Appeared in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Wayne’s World and Fight Club . Oh, and that dreaded Spice Girls movie…

Lyric That Reflects Their Film Career : “Like a bat out of hell, I'll be gone when the morning comes, When the night is over, Like a bat out of hell, I'll be gone gone gone.”

Bjrk

The Music Star: One of Iceland’s most recognisable exports, Björk Guðmundsdóttir’s musical style is as eclectic as her fashion (remember the swan outfit?). Films-wise, she has just four credits to her name – but that includes the outstanding Dancer In The Dark , for which she received a tidal wave of awards and nominations.

Lyric That Reflects Their Film Career: “This comes from my family and the ancient sea, A prehistoric impression of the modern krill, She feeds the noble whale and offers you longevity.”

Ice Cube

The Music Star: Ranked by no less than Snoop Dogg as the greatest MC of all time, Ice Cube’s also been coming up trumps in the film world since the early ‘90s. Credits include Boyz N The Hood, Friday, Three Kings and the recent 21 Jump Street . (The less said about Ghosts Of Mars the better.)

Lyric That Reflects Their Film Career: “Check my blood pressure, they think they fresher than the Don, Prescription pills to keep me calm, Ni**a, I`m da bomb!”

Josh Winning has worn a lot of hats over the years. Contributing Editor at Total Film, writer for SFX, and senior film writer at the Radio Times. Josh has also penned a novel about mysteries and monsters, is the co-host of a movie podcast, and has a library of pretty phenomenal stories from visiting some of the biggest TV and film sets in the world. He would also like you to know that he "lives for cat videos..." Don't we all, Josh. Don't we all.