Mock Rock: When Actors Play Pop Stars

We know that pop stars want to be actors – and vice versa. But as the new Sean Penn movie proves, actors playing pop stars can be a bad look indeed.

Cheyenne, Sean Penn
“Cheyenne”. Or should we say “Robert Smith”? Or, maybe, should we say “Robert Smith thinking about a crippled kitten?”

Keith Richards, Ben Wishaw
The real Keith Richards is indestructible. This Keith Richards looks like he could be broken in two by a mild breeze.

Elvis Presley, Jack White
Welcome to a vortex where an actual rock titan plays the original rock titan. As a cross-eyed hypnotist.

Bob Dylan, Richard Gere
This is a “vision” of Dylan from Todd Haynes’s I’m Not There. A vision of Dylan as an alcoholic garden maintenance professional.

Phil Spector, Al Pacino
You may not know this but as well as being producer of the Ronettes, Phil Spector also sold condos in Lanzarote.

Joan Jett, Kristen Stewart
OK we get it, Kristen Stewart does teenage angst. And if that means looking like you’ve got stomach cramps then so be it.