For many of us, singing is an activity best reserved for the shower or the privacy of our own cars, belting out our favorite hits in the safety of the steamy shower or at a red light. The thought of singing in front of people is so nerve-racking it's enough to make you lose your lunch. So the idea of singing in front of people, in order for it to then be immortalized on film for anyone and everyone to see for the rest of time? Forget it. Just as singing in public is scary to many of us, it is also intimidating to stars who take on the role that requires them to sing...when they've never done it before.
As viewers, it can be thrilling when an actor we know turns out to have terrific singing chops, or it can be painful when we find out they don't. But whether they're American Idol material or not, certainly we can at least agree that singing onscreen, for a non-singer, is tough. It takes guts, it takes chutzpah. These stars have proved they were up for the task. Here are 10 actors who learned to sing for a role, and totally killed it.
10 Meryl Streep
Is there anything Meryl Streep can't do? The iconic actress took opera lessons as a child and got back to her singing roots as an adult when she was in 2008's Mamma Mia. She was able to put her skill to good use once again in 2014's Into the Woods, in which she played The Witcg, and 2016's Florence Foster Jenkins.
9 Anne Hathaway
Few will forget the big to-do around 2012's film version of Les Miserables, directed by Tom Hooper and starring many actors with household names. Anne Hathaway was one of those stars, and she learned to sing for her role as Fantine. Remarkably, the film was known for not only having its actors sing, but having them sing live rather than having their vocal track previously recorded in a studio. Anne Hathaway's heartbreaking performance left a mark on many, who were impressed by her terrific singing skills and the authenticity with which she played the desperate and downtrodden Fantine.
8 Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise is another star who learned to sing for a role. Before beginning filming for Rock of Ages, in which he played Stacee Jaxx, he took singing lessons with Ron Anderson, under the watchful eye of Rock of Ages director Adam Shankman. And that's not the only skill he had to hone in order to bring this character to life. He also took guitar lessons, and they really paid off. His "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" is one for the books!
7 Sissy Spacek
If her Academy Award and Golden Globe are any indication, Sissy Spacek did a terrific job picking up singing in order to play country legend Loretta Lynn in The Coal Miner's Daughter in 1980. Her voice is said to sound just like Loretta Lynn's. Pretty impressive
6 Reese Witherspoon
Reese Witherspoon was up for the challenge of learning to sing if it meant getting to play a meaty role like June Carter Cash. In Walk the Line (2013), she sings alongside Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash, and fans were delighted at how wonderful they were together. Still, it was hard, she says. "I was so darn nervous I had to have a bucket nearby in case I was going to lose my lunch before I got up on the stage." She even asked Jim Mangold, the film's director, if he could get LeAnn Rimes to sing for her. We're glad he didn't go for it!
5 Bradley Cooper
Perhaps one of the more stunning recent examples of an actor-gone-singer is Bradley Cooper, who belted it out for 2018's A Star is Born. His character's gravel-y, low register took 18 months of vocal training to perfect, and the result is stunning. It couldn't have been easy to hold your own with Lady Gaga singing right next to you, but he totally pulls it off.
4 Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey showed off his pipes in 2004's Beyond the Sea, in which he played Bobby Darin. The accomplished actor took the challenge in stride and sounded amazing as he took on jazz classics with the pitch-perfect affect and tone as the famed singer.
3 Renee Zellweger
Renee Zellweger took on the role of Judy Garland in the 2019 film Judy and did all her own singing. Luckily, she was prepared for the challenge, having lent her own vocals to her character Roxie Hart in Chicago in 2002. Her performance as Judy Garland proved that singing is like riding a bike - she was away from it for almost two decades and still nailed it!
2 Demi Moore
2006's Bobby, directed by Emilio Estevez, saw Demi Moore playing a washed up, alcoholic singer, and you'd never have known she couldn't sing before. She was tasked with singing "Louie Louie" for the film and she plays the role so perfectly it will have you transported in an instant.
1 Emily Blunt
Emily Blunt was nervous about singing when she signed on for Into the Woods, but she made it happen. She tooks "lots of singing lessons" before filming the movie, and what's more, she did it all while pregnant!