Scarlett and the Slashes

The path of an actor/musician is a difficult one. While they're both creative endeavors, their respective criteria are completely opposite. Generally speaking, audiences expect musicians to live their art -- if you're a cowboy or a punk or a sad sack, people expect you to be that same person when you get off stage. If not you could be labeled as inauthentic, a phony, or a fake. On the other hand, the most respected actors are not the ones who live like their characters do, but the ones who succeed at disappearing into their roles. Actors who just play themselves in movies are simply dismissed (or relegated to Michael Bay summer smashes).

The thing is, you can either be great at one, or mediocre at both. So, ahem, with news of the new Scarlett Johansson album in the works, let's take a look back at some dreamy starlets who dropped their glamorous acting lives in order to tour in a smelly van and live off per diems. Here's a quick rundown of some gals who have tried the ol' crossover. - Brian Battle



Name: Jenny Lewis
Movie History of Note: Love interest to Fred Savage in 1989's Nintendo cross-promo film The Wizard. Also Troop Beverly Hills, Growing Pains, Mr. Belvidere, Golden Girls, Baywatch, Big Girls Don't Cry...They Get Even annnnnnd Pleasantville.
Music History: A "solo" LP, Rabbit Fur Coat, plus a number of solid albums (and one questionable one) with Rilo Kiley.
Comments: Growing pains, indeed. Jenny always had more singing chops anyway, so we're glad to have her on stage and far away from the screen.

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