More singers than ever before are looking to cross over to screen acting. Since musical talent doesn't equate to movie star potential, we asked "personologist" George Roman to analyze the faces of these singers for signs of their big-screen possibilities.
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Since the '20s when the movies found their voice, popular singers from Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby to Elvis Presley and Barbra Streisand have trekked from the recording studio to the movie sound-stage. Some have managed to become stars in both fields; most have returned to doing what they do best. With a bumper crop of late '90s recording artists storming movie studio gates, it's time to take a look at the goods these contenders have to offer. Deciding to leave aside such subjective matters as whether or not they can act, we took a scientific approach and enlisted nationally known "personologist" George Roman to apply his expertise to the question of who among these warblers has what it takes to be a screen star. Personology, which is basically a disciplined form of "face reading," correlates physical genetic facial features, such as the set of the eyes, the shape of the nose or the height of the forehead, to specific personality traits. Sounds like an iffy prediction system to you? Compared with anything else in Hollywood, it's quantum physics.
Bijou Phillips
Screen Presence: This 19-year-old wild child of The Mamas and the Papas mastermind John Phillips and actress Genevieve Waite has shed her NYC club rat status, released a well received pop CD, I'd Rather Eat Glass, and acted as a backstage interviewer for the MTV Movie Awards. She'll soon be appearing in Black and White, writer/director James Toback's controversial flick about rappers, then in Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous set in the rock and roil world of the '70s.
Personology Profile: "She has the almond, upturned eyes of someone who overlooks flaws and is very accepting, combined with the angular, pointed chin of an arguer, which suggests she likes to bait people. She also shows what's called 'forward balance'--her ears are set far back on her head, meaning she has a strong ego and needs to be in the limelight." Obviously ready for the big screen, but is the big screen ready for her?
Britney Spears
Screen Presence: The 17-year-old former Mouseketeer showed particularly saucy moves in the videos for her album Baby One More Time. She'll be making her feature debut in a funked-up Alice In Wonderland for MTV Films.
Personology Profile: "The upswept brows indicate she's very dramatic, and the wide irises say she's emotionally expressive and can't hide her feelings. She's tough, though--one of her eyes being set closer to her nose than the other shows that if she's rushed or upset, she can be intolerant." Anyone out there contemplating Grease III?
Usher
Screen Presence: The 21-year-old's ripped bod was the real star of his videos for "Nice & Slow" and "You Make Me Wanna..." On TV, his recurring roles on Moesha and The Bold and the Beautiful showed him to be likably sexy. On the big screen, neither The Faculty nor She's All That asked or revealed much of him, but we'll see more when he costars with James Van Der Beek in Texas Rangers.
Personology Profile: "His large lower jaw area and ears show he's got physical stamina and stay-with-it mental qualities. His angular chin indicates he can be impetuous, argumentative and stubborn. His flared nostrils indicate that, instinctually, he will do only what he feels is right for him. He will survive and will do what he pleases, not what society or Hollywood says." Maybe, but nobody succeeds on the big screen without doing what Hollywood says.
Marc Anthony
Screen Presence: A Sinatra-style stage magnetism transformed this 30-year-old from an appealingly gangly guy into a Grammy-winning salsa sensation, and he steamed it up with Jennifer Lopez in one of his music videos. On-screen he's registered as arresting in small roles in Hackers, The Substitute and Big Night, and Martin Scorsese has said he's the "soul" of this fall's Bringing Out the Dead, in which he plays an urban street prophet.
Personology Profile: "The eyes are melancholic, and the fact that they're close-set indicates intense focus. The slight protuberances on his forehead mean strong imagination. The longer face suggests a lack of confidence, though, and the slightly pointed chin with the cleft means he can be very argumentative." No wonder Scorsese likes him.
Jewel
Screen Presence: Her videos for "Who Will Save Your Soul" and "You Were Meant For Me" showed her to be dramatically compelling, and now billed under her full name, Jewel Kilcher, she's director Ang Lee's leading lady in the Civil War-era romantic epic Ride With the Devil, which also stars Skeet Ulrich and Tobey Maguire.
Personology Profile: "Note that the two sides of her face are very different. That and her fine hair mean she's a moody, ultrasensitive person with strong mental interest. Her high forehead shows great information-gathering capacity. She's got the angular chin that means a willingness to argue. But her delicate skin and fine hair suggest low physical stamina." Just give her the best trailer.
Gloria Estefan
Screen Presence: She's shown an affable, Miami-cool presence in her Latin lite, crossover pop videos, but in Wes Craven's Music of the Heart, she'll be really tested--she shares the screen with Meryl Streep.
Personology Profile: "She's got the charismatic, persuasive sparkle in her eyes that our entire culture responds to. The set of her mouth and 'the oral expression lines' around it suggest she's good with words. Her wide face means she's confident and inspires confidence." Which comes in handy for anyone deciding to become an actress at 42.
Alanis Morissette
Screen Presence: She's been compelling and dramatic in her breakthrough videos "You Oughta Know" and "Thank U." In the controversial film Dogma, she'll be seen playing writer/director Kevin Smith's vision of God.
Personology Profile: "She's the thin, tall ectomorphic body type personified--very affected by mood, very much a loner. Her wide irises and high forehead also say she's fussy and a thinker. That long face says she lacks confidence and her jawline indicates she's not a take-charge type. The downturn in the outer corners of her mouth indicates pessimism. But the shape of the top of her head suggests a forcefulness that drives her to try things, even if they terrify her." What do you play after you've played God?
Sheryl Crow
Screen Presence: She was street sexy in her breakthrough video "All I Wanna Do," and funky in "Everyday Is a Winding Road." On the big screen, she did a glamorous little cameo in 54, but more will be revealed when she appears as the victim of a philosophical killer (played by her offscreen beau Owen Wilson) in the upcoming indie The Minus Man.
Personology Profile: "Note the high point at the back of her head--she needs to get things done right away or she could lose interest. Her brows suggest she's dramatically expressive. She's another one with that angular arguer's chin that suggests an ability to resist pressure, actual or perceived. The visible eyelids mean a bottom-line, action-oriented person you shouldn't bore with details." Let's hope somebody bores her with details like the no-nudity clause.
Pras
Screen Presence: The Fugees star sometimes known as Prakazrel Michel won laughs in Mystery Men wearing retro "Superfly" threads and a 'Fro, but he graduates to a lead role in writer/director Robert Adetuyi's Ghetto Superstar, from Madonna's company.
Personology Profile: "The square forehead says he's career-minded, and the wide face speaks of confidence and self-reliance. The protruding mouth area tells you he's impetuous and those protuberances over his brow say, 'Don't screw with my method, because I want things done a certain way.' You can see the whites under his eyes here, which indicates great stress." And he hasn't even read his reviews yet.
Mariah Carey
Screen Presence: The Betty Boop-meets-Charo body she likes to show off in such videos as "Butterfly" will get a chance to shimmy up to Chris O'Donnell when she plays one of his ex-lovers in The Bachelor.
Personology Profile: "That full lower lip means she's automatically generous with her time, heart and material goods. The fine hair reveals sensitivity. The full lips say she aims to please, but that angular chin spells argumentativeness. The wide irises say she needs constant reassurances." Is she ready for her close-up, or what?
Marilyn Manson
Screen Presence: He's shown a calculatingly out-there will towards drama in his videos for "I Don't Like the Drugs, But the Drugs Like Me" and "The Dope Show," and now he's set to cowrite, star in and do the soundtrack for Marilyn Manson's Holy-wood, a reportedly Pink Floyd The Wall-style epic.
Personology Profile: "His long, thin face means he lacks inherent confidence, but gains it through knowledge. The close-set eyes mean low tolerance, a judgmental nature and a tendency to be quick to react. The nose tells you he knows the monetary value of things. The full lower lip means he's both verbal and impetuous. His slanted-back forehead means he's decisive, but he's not built to be in charge." He's a shoo-in for Beetlejuice II.
Master P
Screen Presence: The silver-tongued rapper/actor/ writer/producer/director has produced his own videos disguised as feature movies - I'm Bout It, I Got the Hook Up and MP Da Last Don. He survived the box-office brick_ Foolish_, and will next be starring in the independent comedy 911.
Personology Profile: "The forcefulness you see from the high back of his head means he'll push his way through and dominate situations. His strong jaw means he's self-reliant, adventurous and pugnacious. He's thick-skinned and built for endurance. The ears stick out and that says he likes to acquire and possess." He could certainly benefit from acquiring and possessing a real name.
Lisa Stansfield
Screen Presence: She's looked sassy and take-charge in the videos for her best-selling records, and she'll be making her movie debut as a jazz diva in Swing.
Personology Profile: "Her thin, long face marks her as someone who lacks inner confidence, but the high back of her head means she's someone who likes to be boss, and the jut of her chin says she must win." How about producing?
Brandy
Screen Presence: She had sultry charm in the videos for "The Boy Is Mine" and "Have You Ever?" On TV she had spunky allure in TV's Cinderella and agility in ducking Diana Ross's diva-ism in Double Platinum. She showed adequate ability to look scared in I Still Know What You Did Last Summer. While deciding on her next on-screen appearance, she'll voice the female lead in Warner Bros.' animated Osmosis Jones with Chris Rock.
Personology Profile: "She has deadpan eyes in these photos which hide whatever charisma she has. Combined with the almond shape and upturned corneas, it says she lacks critical ability to find flaws and approach problems. They also say she seeks out a lot of acquaintances, but is very selective about her close friends." Hollywood is very selective about who gets to appear on the big screen, too.
Lauryn Hill
Screen Presence: Hip-hop sensation Hill has been on the small screen in As The World Turns, and in small parts on the big screen in Sister Act 2: Back In the Habit and in Steven Soderbergh's King of the Hill. She dropped out of a plum role in Beloved to have a baby, then appeared in the low-budget indie Restaurant, and is now reportedly being courted by Warner Bros. for a possible remake of A Star Is Born and a biopic about Bob and Rita Marley.
Personology Profile: "Her wide face shows confidence, and her slightly sharp, angular chin says she can be argumentative. The upswept brows scream high drama. Her wide-set eyes suggest she could get in over her head by taking on too many things at once." Let's hear it for A Star Is Born with Denzel, and nobody sings.
Geri Halliwell
Screen Presence: The ex-Spice Girl once known as "Ginger Spice" showed-out in the group's videos and in their movie, Spice World. Having gone solo on disc, she's right now choosing her solo big-screen leap, which could well be a Mary Poppins redo called A Spoon Full of Sugar.
Personology Profile: "Look at that jaw--it's the jaw of a commander! Think of George Patton or Winston Churchill. If this girl had to crush you, she would do it, to win at any game. She's a standout in any situation, definitely not a team player." Any of you guys out there brave enough to costar?
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What Our Personologist Says About Musicians Already Doing Movies and TV
Whitney Houston (The Bodyguard, The Preacher's Wife)
"No wonder she's a star. The charisma in those eyes pulls people right in. The visible eyelids say, 'Don't bore me with details.' She's not an analyzer, but an action-oriented person, and the mouth says she's generous and impetuous. She'd be a star at whatever she tried." Time for The Bodyguard II.
Will Smith (Men In Black, Wild, Wild West)
"He has confidence in his wide face, argumentativeness in his chin, and the impetuousness of a born talker in his lower mouth--naturally he's likable and cocky on-screen. The flared-out ears indicate someone who likes to own, collect and possess--his attitude is 'Don't touch my property, my wife, my children.' In business dealings, he's probably relentless and shrewd." Sounds like he'll be nixing Wild, Wild West II.
Ice Cube (Anaconda, Three Kings, Next Friday)
"Lots of political leaders have had the same wide face and massive lower face and jaw, from Benito Mussolini to Bill Clinton--whether they spout bullshit or truth, people believe them. He shows high pugnacity, great melancholy, wide mood swings, a tendency not to think before he speaks." Will compete with LL Cool J for film roles from now on.
Dwight Yoakam (Sling Blade, Red Rock West, Roswell)
"His wide face indicates confidence, but the slim lower jaw area suggests he lacks innate authoritativeness. There's argumentativeness in his chin. His brows show high aesthetic appreciation." Then how do you explain those ripped jeans he always wears?
Randy Travis (Black Dog, The Rainmaker, Baby Geniuses)
"The shape of his brow suggests inner seriousness and he has melancholy in his eyes. The close set of his eyes says he's project-oriented. His straight-across brows means he's interested in harmony and balance. Everything about his face says hell stick things out right to the end." Which is likely to be guest spots on Silk Stalkings.
LL Cool J (Deep Blue Sea, Any Given Sunday)
"This is a forceful, powerful, confident person--the wide face indicates that. He shows charisma in his eyes that draws people in. You'd want to believe this guy, no matter what he said because of the strong lower face. I'd see this person toughing it out to the bitter end. He's a survivor all the way." Once you've gotten the reviews he's gotten, it's time to revert to the name your mother gave you.
Courtney Love (The People vs. Larry Flynt, Man on the Moon)
"Her full lips show she's sensual, dramatically potent, talkative and possibly argumentative. Her high cheekbones mean she likes adventure. The coarse hair means she's rugged, aggressive and potentially insensitive to others' feelings. Her eyes show melancholy; she's a loner type." A rock star or just another pretty good character actress? Which is better?
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