Automoderated users, Autopatrolled users, Bureaucrats, Comment administrators, Confirmed users, Moderators, Rollbackers, Administrators
213,377
edits
Non-Actor Vehicle: Difference between revisions
m
removed Category:Non Actor Vehicle using HotCat
(Import from TV Tropes TVT:Main.NonActorVehicle 2012-07-01, editor history TVTH:Main.NonActorVehicle, CC-BY-SA 3.0 Unported license) |
m (removed Category:Non Actor Vehicle using HotCat) |
||
| (23 intermediate revisions by 8 users not shown) | |||
Line 1:
{{trope}}
[[File:
Hiring of a big celebrity in a '''starring role''' (''not'' a supporting or minor one), even if it's not the sole major role, in a movie, play, or TV show. Only, this celebrity isn't known for acting. In fact, this may be the celebrity's first acting job. A close cousin of [[Stunt Casting]], only with a bit more risk, since the stunt castee doesn't have much experience (if any), and is practically carrying the project despite that inexperience.
Line 8 ⟶ 7:
You are most likely to see [[I Am Not Leonard Nimoy]] play throughout the movie. If the work is about the celebrity in [[Real Life]] it overlaps with [[Autobiographical Role]]. If the celebrity's role is doing what they're famous for, it overlaps with [[Cast the Expert]].
{{examples
== [[Anime]] ==
*
* Several members of [[
== [[Film]] ==
* [[Sonja Henie]] in ''One in a Million''. She made quite a few films after that.
* Swimmer [[Esther Williams]] started a similar screen career with a supporting part in ''[[Andy Hardy]]'s Double Life''. A series of star vehicles followed, starting with ''Bathing Beauty''.
* [[Carol Heiss]] in ''[[Snow White and The Three Stooges]]'' was an attempt to make her the next Sonja Henie. It unfortunately didn't work out that well; [[The Three Stooges]] weren't even brought in until the studio realized Heiss couldn't carry the movie.
* [[Britney Spears]] in ''[[Crossroads (2002 film)|Crossroads]]''.
* [[Will Smith]] in ''[[The Fresh Prince of Bel Air]]'', which saved him from bankruptcy and [[Star Making Role|launched his blockbuster acting career]]. Definitely one of the best points in favor of this trope.▼
* [[
* [[David Bowie]] in ''[[The Man Who Fell to Earth]]''. He went on to appear in a number of films in both lead and supporting roles, such as ''[[Labyrinth]]'', and also made a foray into live theater in 1980 as the title character in the Broadway play ''The Elephant Man''. He also played [[
* Cindy Crawford in ''[[Fair Game]]''.▼
▲* [[David Bowie]] in ''[[The Man Who Fell to Earth]]''. He went on to appear in a number of films in both lead and supporting roles, such as ''[[Labyrinth]]'', and also made a foray into live theater in 1980 as the title character in the Broadway play ''The Elephant Man''. He also played [[WTH Casting Agency|Pontius Pilate]] in Scorsese's ''[[The Last Temptation of Christ]]''.
** What many people don't realize is that David Bowie was an acting student ''before'' he started making music. So this is somewhat of an aversion.
* Two big vehicles for [[Shaquille O'Neal
* [[Dwayne Johnson]] in ''[[The Mummy Trilogy|The Mummy Returns]]'' and ''[[The Scorpion King]]'' partially counts - it was more of a 'breakthrough to non-wrestling fans' rather than a direct example of this trope. He's had a decent acting career since then, to the point that he's not even credited as "The Rock"
* [[Randy Couture]] in the [[Direct to Video|straight to DVD]] sequel to ''The Scorpion King'', subtitled "Rise Of A Warrior". He has appeared in a number of action films since then, though his acting skills left a lot to be desired.
* [[Roddy Piper]] in ''[[They Live!]]!'' He [[Throw It In|ad-libbed]] one of the [[Chew Bubblegum|most memorable lines]] in the film and helped choreograph its [[Fight Scene|(in)famous fistfight]].
* [[Hulk Hogan]] in ''[[No Holds Barred]]'', ''[[Suburban Commando]]'', ''[[Mr Nanny]]'', and ''[[Santa
* [[Howie Long]] in ''Firestorm''.
* [[Harry Houdini]] in ''[[The Master Mystery]]''.
* [[Kurt Thomas]] in ''[[Gymkata]]''.
* [[Neil Diamond]] in ''[[The Jazz Singer]]'' (1980).
* [[Luciano Pavarotti]] in ''Yes, Giorgio''.
* [[Madonna]] in ''[[Desperately Seeking Susan]]'', where she played a pop musician. Led to an almost two-decades-long acting career, in which she generally did well if she was part of an ensemble (as in ''[[Dick Tracy]]'', ''[[A League of Their Own]]'', and ''[[Evita]]''), and... didn't if she was appearing in a star vehicle (as in ''everything else'' she ever did).
* [[Michael Jordan]] in ''[[
* Jordan's then-teammate [[Dennis Rodman]] in ''[[Double Team]]'' (second-billed to [[Jean
* Whichever wrestler is starring in any given [[
** The Rock, as mentioned above.
** ''See No Evil'', starring [[Kane]].
** ''The Marine'', ''12 Rounds'', and ''Legendary'', starring [[John Cena]].
** ''The Condemned'', starring [[Stone Cold Steve Austin]].
** And direct-to-DVD films starring [[The Big Show]], [[Triple H]], [[Mr. Kennedy]], [[Randy Orton]] and [[Ted Dibiase, Jr.]]
* [[Mariah Carey]] in ''[[Glitter]]''.
* [[Ray Allen]] in ''He Got Game''.
* [[The Rolling Stones|Mick Jagger]] in ''Performance'' and ''Ned Kelly''.
* [[
* [[
* College football star (and high-profile NFL flop) Brian Bosworth in ''Stone Cold''. He's done a fair amount of supporting roles since then.
* Brazilian soccer star Breno Mello and track & field athlete Adhemar da Silvain in ''Orfeu Negro (Black Orpheus)''.
* [[Whitney Houston]] in ''The Bodyguard''.
* [[Bjork]] in ''[[Dancer in
* Olivia Newton-John in ''[[Grease]]''.
* Olympic Swimming champion and male model [[Johnny Weissmuller]] as ''[[Tarzan]]: the Ape Man''. His performance proved so successful that [[Typecasting|he was cast in the same role eleven more times]].▼
▲* Anime example: woman pro-wrestler Cutey Suzuki as the voice of [[Iczer]]-3. Also happens with (many) singers who take a turn as voice actors/actresses.
* Olympic gymnast [[Cathy Rigby]] took a turn playing the title character in the ''[[Peter Pan]]'' stage musical in
▲* Olympic Swimming champion and male model Johnny Weissmuller as ''[[Tarzan]]: the Ape Man''. His performance proved so successful that [[Typecasting|he was cast in the same role eleven more times]].
▲* Olympic gymnast Cathy Rigby took a turn playing the title character in the ''[[Peter Pan]]'' stage musical in 1974 -- and did so well that she returned to it in [[The Nineties]] and again in a Branson, MO production in 2009.
* Cellist Yo-Yo Ma in the Atom Egoyan film ''[http://www.bullfrogfilms.com/catalog/sara.html Sarabande]''.
* [[Jackie Robinson]] in ''The Jackie Robinson Story''.
* [[Doris Day]], before starring in ''Romance on the High Seas'', was known only as a singer.
* [[50 Cent]] in the semi-autobiographical crime drama ''Get Rich Or Die Tryin'', which was essentially Fiddy's [[Follow The Leader|answer]] to ''[[8 Mile]]''. He has also appeared in a number of films since then, notably the [[Iraq War]] film ''Home of the Brave'' (2006), and ''Righteous Kill'' (2008).
* Taylor Firth in the 2010 remake of ''Ice Castles''.
* [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] in ''Hercules In New York''.
* [[
* [[Twisted Sister
* In France, ''AB Productions'' was specialized on this... [[Macekre|Among other things.]]
* [[Mickey Spillane]] in ''Ring of Fire''.
* ''[[Purple Rain]]'', created as a showcase for the singer [[
* [[The Beatles (
* [[Disney Channel]] sitcoms like to do this a lot. Isn't it convenient that all of their stars can sing and "act"?
* Rudolf Nureyev (ballet dancer) as Rudolph Valentino (silent movie star) in ''Valentino''.
*
* Shirley Manson, lead singer of the band Garbage, as Catherine Weaver in [[The Sarah Connor Chronicles|Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles]].▼
* [[Bette Midler]] in ''The Rose''; though she had dabbled in the theatre in her early career, it was her first movie role. She went on to have a long and fairly successful career as an actress, reaching her peak in both fields at about the same time (the late [[The Eighties|1980s]] and early [[The Nineties|1990s]]).▼
▲* ''[[Weird Al Yankovic]]'' in [[UHF (Film)|UHF]], but its not as much a leap for him as he was already accustomed to delivering comic performances and the movie was basically "what would TV be like if Weird Al did that instead of music parodies?"
* John Wayne Bobbitt: ''[[Incredibly Lame Pun|Uncut]]''.▼
▲* Bette Midler in ''The Rose''; though she had dabbled in the theatre in her early career, it was her first movie role. She went on to have a long and fairly successful career as an actress, reaching her peak in both fields at about the same time (the late [[The Eighties|1980s]] and early [[The Nineties|1990s]]).
** ''[[The Girlfriend Experience]]'' stars porn actress Sasha Grey as a high-class callgirl.▼
** ''[[Haywire]]'' stars [[
* The new ''[[The
* Filipino celebrity chef Boy Logro of all people starred in the 2013 action-comedy film ''The Fighting Chefs''.
* Filipino boxer [[Manny Pacquiao]] appeared in a number of films since the early 2000s, where he usually played the role of, well, a boxer. Some of them like ''Anak ng Kumander'' and ''Wapakman''.
* Billiards legend Efren "Bata" Reyes starred alongside [[Fernando Poe, Jr.]] in the 2003 action-comedy star vehicle ''Pakners'', which eventually became FPJ's swansong prior to his presidential candidacy and death shortly after. Reyes is definitely more suited towards what he does best though, as his acting skills were beyond wooden and his lines were delivered as if he merely recited the scripts he was given.
* [[Lewis Hamilton]] and Jenson Button, amongst other McLaren drivers, starred in ''[[Tooned]]'' in 2013 to promote their racing team. The drivers' voice acting is passable more or less, but they sure had fun with their parts. And F1 fans appear to like it as well, with some wishing for similar productions starring drivers from other teams.
** Hamilton did play bit and cameo roles in a number of films as well, notably in the ''[[Cars]]'' franchise and in ''[[Zoolander 2]]''. And as a mechanic in ''[[Call of Duty]]: Infinite Warfare'' of all things.
* Formula 1 driver Niki Lauda co-starred in the little-known [[Made for TV Movie]] ''[[Top Kids]]'' as a Doc Brown-esque guide to a teenage boy named Eric, played by ''[[Airplane!]]'' alum Rossie Harris (i.e. the boy who rubbed elbows with [[Kareem Abdul Jabbar]] and read ''Nun's Life'' magazine).
* Prior to Pacquiao, Gabriel "Flash" Elorde appeared in a number of films to capitalise on the success of his boxing career. He played [[As Himself]] in the autobiographical film ''The Flash Elorde Story'' in 1961 and alongside [[Fernando Poe Jr.]] in ''Mano-mano'' (1964). Elorde was also remembered for a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tw7XcmqnCOs San Miguel Beer commercial] where he appeared alongside notable Filipino celebrities Bert Marcelo and Rico J. Puno, uttering "... isang platitong mani!" (A plate of peanuts!).
* While [[Tony Hawk]] starred in his [[Tony Hawk's Pro Skater|eponymous video game series]] alongside his skater colleagues, he along with the rest of the Bones Brigade team starred in the direct-to-video movie ''[[The Search for Animal Chin]]'' about the titular Asian skateboarder who was said to have invented the sport [[In-Universe]].
== [[Live-Action TV]] ==
▲* [[Will Smith]] in ''[[The Fresh Prince of Bel
▲* [[Shirley Manson]], lead singer of the band Garbage, as Catherine Weaver in [[The Sarah Connor Chronicles|Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles]].
* Korean Television Stations are frequently used as places where singing idols try and diversify their entertainment value:
** The [[Dogged Nice Guy]] in ''[[Boys Before Flowers]]'' is Kim Hyun Joon from the group [[SS 01]]. He shows up again in ''[[Playful Kiss]]''.
** Almost every lead character in ''[[Dream High]]'' has a [[Real Life]] career in a singing group. This is not surprising, though, as the premise of the [[Korean Drama]] is a bunch of kids at a high school who specializes in the entertainment business (like the 1980's show "Fame").
** ''[[Oh
** Mickey Yoochun, from the music groups TVXQ and JYJ, played the [[Lonely Rich Kid]] in ''[[Sungkyunkwan Scandal]]''.
** ''[[You Are Beautiful]]'' has several, including Lee Hong Ki from the group FT Island and Jung Yong Hwa from CD Blue. In a non-musical reversal, Jang Guen Suk started as a model before the show, and just released his first music album in April 2011.
▲* John Wayne Bobbitt: ''[[Incredibly Lame Pun|Uncut]]''.
== [[Theatre]] ==
▲** ''[[The Girlfriend Experience]]'' stars porn actress Sasha Grey as a high-class callgirl.
▲** ''[[Haywire]]'' stars [[Useful Notes/Mixed Martial Arts|Mixed Martial Arts]] covergirl Gina Carano.
▲** Sodebergh's use of this trope actual started with his surreal 1996 opus ''Shizopolis'' which stars the man himself in not one but two roles. Its probably one of the more interesting examples of the trope because underneath all its weird and surreal humor its really about Soderbergh examining the crumbling of his marriage (his real life ex-wife appears as his characters wife) as well as his anxieties about the future of his directing career in the wake of a series of flops following his debut ''Sex Lies & videotape''.
▲* The new ''[[The a Team (Film)|The a Team]]'' film cast [[Useful Notes/Mixed Martial Arts|former UFC champion]] Quentin "Rampage" Jackson as B.A. Baracus, filling the shoes of Mr. T, who was also known for his tough-guy exploits before getting into acting.
* The 1956 Broadway musical ''Mr. Wonderful'' gave Sammy Davis, Jr. his first starring role; it incorporated a large portion of his nightclub act wholesale.
== [[Video Games]] ==
▲* Several members of [[AKB 48]] took part in the anime [[AKB 0048]]. Quite a few of them havd no acting experience up until now.
* Colin McRae and [[Nicky Grist]] gained mainstream popularity through the ''[[Colin McRae Rally]]'' games since the late 90s. Grist, whose voice became a fixture of many a sim racing fan, later branched out as a presenter and occasional colour commentator for rallying events in the 2000s.
* Young Maylay had no prior acting experience before he voiced Carl Johnson in ''[[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]]''. He is glad that the game brought him into mainstream recognition, but he felt frustrated about being more associated with playing the role of CJ than his rapping career. It later culminated into a furious tirade against Rockstar after he has had enough of fans who kept on pestering him about starring in the next GTA. While Maylay's rants were criticized by many as being immature and unprofessional, his cousin Shawn Fonteno (who voiced a gang member in ''San Andreas'' and later starred in ''[[Grand Theft Auto V]]'') acknowledged and understood Maylay's sentiments, while at the same time left a more level-headed and reasonable response to the issue.
* Bones Brigade alumni Rodney Mullen–of all people–starred in ''[[Ghost Recon|Ghost Recon Breakpoint]]'' as tech mogul Jace Skell. While Mullen has appeared in most entries of the ''[[Tony Hawk's Pro Skater]]'' series and served as a skating stunt double in films, ''Breakpoint'' is so far his only acting credit where he doesn't play [[As Himself]] or in a skateboarding-related role.
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Characters and Casting]]
▲[[Category:Trope]]
| |||