The last scene of the hit film “Juno” pointed toward one small path in music’s future: star Ellen Page sitting on a stoop, singing a song by obscure boy-girl folk duo the Moldy Peaches. Her leading man, Michael Cera, sang along, but he was just her backup.
Movie and TV stars always have made music — whether as a legitimate career stream (Rick Springfield), a relaxing side project (Kevin Bacon) or a presumably self-aware joke (William Shatner). But only rarely do thespian efforts in the recording studio affect the shape of pop on a more grass-roots level.
Right now, though, musically savvy stars are becoming a real force in the micro-universe of super-groovy music, leaving the fuzz guitar-loving actors of the previous era to labor in the trenches of the festival circuit. The shift connotes more than the public’s love of a pretty face.
The young actresses proving that they can define trends as skillfully as any blogging boy — Scarlett Johansson is the latest — embody new values for an unstable time. When rocking actors Keanu Reeves, Jason Schwartzman and Jared Leto took up instruments, they played into the romance of the band, the dominant paradigm in the sweaty boy-world of post-punk rock. A few rock chicks, especially Juliette Lewis, adhere to this value system, and it has worked for Leto, who’s now a real (if minor) rock star.
Celebs such as Johansson, whose debut album, “Anywhere I Lay My Head,” drops Tuesday, take a different approach. They favor flexible partnerships over sworn-in-blood band loyalty and rely more heavily on taste and intelligence than on instrumental chops. Their projects reflect underground pop’s increasing fascination with uncovering historical side streams. And by working outside the musical mainstream, they’re supporting and promoting innovators, creating bridges between pop’s avant-garde and the commercial sphere where red-carpet shots define one’s value.
Here’s a snapshot of some actresses whom the music industry seems to have embraced.
Scarlett Johansson
It was Scarlett Johansson’s co-star Thora Birch who got to play the artsy, music-obsessed teen in the 2001 film “Ghost World,” but it’s Johansson who’s embarking on a rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle. She tipped her hand by contributing to the 2006 benefit CD “Unexpected Dreams — Songs from the Stars,” but who knew she had an appearance with cult heroes the Jesus and Mary Chain up her sleeve? Having performed with the reunited U.K. rockers at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April, Johansson on Tuesday releases her debut album, “Anywhere I Lay My Head,” with TV On the Radio producer/guitarist Dave Sitek, and guests include Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and David Bowie, among others. As for the album’s content, Johansson tackled the work of eccentric indie-cult hero Tom Waits.
Zooey Deschanel
Fans have been clamoring for Zooey Deschanel to record an album since she wowed audiences with her slyly cool take on the holiday standard “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” in the 2003 film “Elf.” Now there’s an official Deschanel album. The actress collaborated with indie singer-songwriter M. Ward for their album, “She & Him: Volume One.” Ward often sings as if he’s from another era, his booming voice resulting in a timeless echo over his piano work, and Deschanel’s vocals complement him well, gracing the song with an almost enchanted calmness. The song “When I Get to the Border” will appear in indie film “The Go-Getter.” And for still more Deschanel, check out the album “Nighttiming” by Jason Schwartzman’s Coconut Records, available via most digital download retailers.
Parker Posey
Dubbed “Queen of the Indies” by Time magazine, Parkey Posey’s cult following has been largely confined to the film world. But she’s also dabbled in music, and we’re not talking about her role in “Josie and the Pussycats.” She sang in “A Mighty Wind,” the role for which she reportedly learned to play the mandolin, and her vocals also appear on a 2003 Ryan Adams album, “Rock N Roll.” At the time, Posey was dating the alt-country artist. That same year, Posey showed off her mandolin skills on “Welcome to the Monkey House” by the Dandy Warhols.
Christina Ricci
Christina Ricci dabbled outside the mainstream with a string of indie-minded films, including “Buffalo ’66,” “The Opposite of Sex,” “Pecker,” “Prozac Nation” and “Pumpkin.” So it’s no surprise that she made her recording debut with Beck, an artist who also walks the line between the indie and mainstream worlds. Ricci didn’t exactly sing on the relaxed, electro-folk of “Hell Yes,” where she played the role of a Japanese waitress. But she did provide the vocal hook with the coolly polite refrain of “please enjoy.”
Jenny Lewis
Although Rilo Kiley frontwoman Jenny Lewis has long since abandoned acting, no list of this ilk would be complete without her. That being said, her work in Rilo Kiley, as well as her smashing 2006 solo debut, “Rabbit Fur Coat,” has rendered her acting past a mere afterthought. But alas, it exists. Lewis appeared alongside Fred Savage in “The Wizard” and with Shelley Long in “Troop Beverly Hills.” Her last role was 2001’s “Don’s Plum,” a film featuring Tobey Maguire and Leonardo DiCaprio, and one that was not given a proper U.S. release.
Minnie Driver
Minnie Driver released “Seastories,” her second well-received effort that sees the Englishwoman delving into traditional Americana, even enlisting the help of actress-friendly rock star Ryan Adams. Driver’s music ambitions actually pre-date her acting career. The star of such films as “Grosse Pointe Blank” and “The Phantom of the Opera” was in a band before her breakout role in 1995’s “Circle of Friends.” The act lacked a proper name, Driver recently told Relix Magazine, but it did carry the nickname Puff, Rocks and Brown. In a recent interview, Driver was asked about the stigma attached with actors dipping into music careers. “It’s a really strange and fairly unilateral impoverished response,” she says. “I never understand why people aren’t allowed to do more than one thing.”
Jena Malone
Jena Malone already has won over the indie rock set for her role in 2001’s cult hit “Donnie Darko.” The film’s music was a choice selection of `80s cuts from the likes of Joy Division and Duran Duran, and it arrived just as the hipsters were discovering the `80s-inspired gloom of modern acts such as Interpol. A couple of years later, Malone gave Mandy Moore-starrer “Saved!” some indie cred, and this year she released her first single. Her band, Jena Malone and her Bloodstains, already has played shows with psychedelic guitar rockers Deerhunter, and is sampling songs via Malone’s MySpace page. No word when or if a full album may be coming. Of late, she’s been recording with her new band, the Shoe.
