Beatles to Charli XCX – when musicians play themselves in movies

DCM Editorial Summary: This story has been independently rewritten and summarised for DCM readers to highlight key developments relevant to the region. Original reporting by RTE, click this post to read the original article.

Charli XCX may be primarily known as a pop star, but she is about to enter her multihyphenate era with The Moment, the first of several film projects on her horizon.

In Aidan Zamiri’s new film, Charli plays herself in a fictionalised tale of embarking on a doomed tour in support of her hugely successful BRAT album. It turns out she can act as well as sing – could this be the beginning of a Gen X BRAT Pack?

Here are ten other bands or musicians who’ve played themselves – or thinly disguised versions of themselves – in movies…

1. The Beatles

Elvis may have laid the blueprint for musicians in films, but the Fab Four perfected the formula. The most famous band of all time appeared in five movies together (including cameos in the animated Yellow Submarine and the Let It Be documentary) between 1964 and 1969. Our pick of the bunch has to be 1964’s A Hard Day’s Night, a fictionalised romp recounting their Beatlemania years.

2. The Spice Girls

A film that took its cue directly from the surrealist undertones of A Hard Day’s Night (as well as The Monkees’ Head), Spice World was a huge hit upon its release in 1997. Bob Spiers’ film followed Scary, Posh, Sporty, Ginger and Baby in the run-up to their biggest London gig, with Richard E. Grant playing their manager and a host of cameos from Roger Moore, Elton John and even Bob Geldof.

3. Billy Idol

When your biggest hit is called White Wedding, it makes perfect sense to make a cameo in a film about a wedding singer. The rock icon appeared as himself in The Wedding Singer’s most emotionally impactful scene, encouraging Adam Sandler’s character Robbie to follow his heart and get the girl on a flight to Las Vegas.

4. David Bowie

We already knew that Bowie could act, thanks to his many film and TV roles – but who could’ve known that he could send himself up, too? With a special shout-out to his superb turn in sitcom Extras, Bowie’s cameo in Zoolander, where he referees the iconic walk-off between Hansel (Owen Wilson) and Derek (Ben Stiller), is brilliant.

5. Kneecap

They were already on the road to stardom, but Rich Peppiatt’s film poured rocket fuel on Kneecap’s trajectory in the semi-fictionalised tale of the Belfast hip-hop group’s rise to fame. Moglai Bap, Mo Chara and DJ Provai proved their acting chops and held their own alongside Michael Fassbender, Simone Kirby and more.

6. Eminem

Gritty biopics have become de rigeur in recent years, but 8 Mile was one of the first modern films of that genre to make a mark. With elements of his own backstory dominating the script, Marshall Mathers made his film debut as Jimmy aka B-Rabbit, a white rapper trying to gain a foothold on Detroit’s hip-hop scene. He didn’t win an Oscar for his acting, but the song Lose Yourself picked up the Best Original Song award.

7. Prince

Purple Rain arguably remains Prince’s defining album, but his turn in Albert Magnoli’s 1984 rock musical was equally acclaimed. The then-26-year-old played The Kid, the tormented singer of a Minneapolis band called The Revolution (playing themselves, alongside real-life collaborators Wendy and Lisa.) He would later reprise the character in 1990’s Graffiti Bridge.

8. Seal

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stoppin’ is one of the most underrated musical mockumentaries ever – and Seal’s cameo in it was not only pitch-perfect but exhibited the Kiss from a Rose singer’s willingness to poke fun at himself. His exceedingly silly (yet brilliant) storyline involved him being mauled by ‘Party Wolves’ after his performance provokes them.

9. Snoop Dogg

Snoop Dogg is no stranger to a cameo and has appeared in a plethora of films – both as himself and in character – since the 1990s, from Pitch Perfect 2 to Bruno, to the aforementioned Popstar: Never Stop Never Stoppin’. His turn in 2003’s Old School saw him joining his fellow rapper Kokane to perform at the Mitch-a-Palooza party.

10. Elton John

His reputation as a diva has been well-documented, but in spy-comedy sequel Kingsman: The Golden Circle, Elton John (or his stunt stand-in) got the opportunity to flex his action chops. Alongside Taron Egerton and Colin Firth, he played a comedic version of himself who is kidnapped by arch-villain Poppy Adams. There are flamboyant costumes, foul-mouthed ripostes and flying kung-fu kicks a-plenty; amazing what CGI can do these days.