Using Actors In Place of the Real Thing

Did you catch Gwyneth Paltrow’s performance at the Country Music Awards a couple of weeks ago (watch it on YouTube)? Paltrow is, of course, an Oscar-winning actress, and with more than forty movies under her belt, is probably intimidated by nothing. But it had to give her pause, appearing before many of the most talented, experienced performers in the world of country music – at an awards show, no less, where everyone is already in a judgmental state of mind – and pretending to be a country singer herself in her public singing debut.

Paltrow stars as a washed up country singer in the upcoming movie Country Strong. Gee, that sounds awfully familiar; wonder where they came up with that idea? Of course, copying Crazy Heart isn’t a bad strategy, considering that it won Jeff Bridges an Oscar. And playing a country singer on the big screen also has some mojo; just ask Reese Witherspoon, who got an Oscar for her portrayal of June Carter in Walk the Line.

But Witherspoon’s portrayal had something important in common with Jamie Foxx’s performance in Ray (another Oscar-garnering appearance). They were portraying real performers who were either dead or no longer active. When you can’t get the actual person to play themselves, it’s natural to look for an actor who can do a credible job.

Which brings me to my mild complaint about Paltrow being cast as a country singer. Don’t we already have enough real country singers who are also gifted actors? Did they have to look for someone with no musical background (being married to a rocker doesn’t really count), who had to learn to sing, and learn to talk country, and learn to have big hair, to play this role?

As good as Paltrow is, I can’t help thinking that someone like Carrie Underwood, Reba McIntyre, or Faith Hill could do just as good a job on the acting front while being completely authentic as a country musician (and let’s not get into bickering about the state of country music today, ‘k?).

It’s all about box office buzz, I know. Gwyneth Paltrow’s name on the poster guarantees an additional xx millions of revenue for the movie, and that’s fine. I like Gwyneth Paltrow, and I’m very impressed with her poise and, yes, her voice. And it didn’t hurt her credibility to be paired onstage with Vince Gill. But puh-leeze don’t try to tell me that she’s got a future in country music. Let her take a show on the road through East Texas and Missouri and Southeast New Mexico and Gillette, Wyoming for a few years and then let’s talk. In the meantime, we’ve got plenty of ladies who’ve earned the right to represent country music.