Some of the recent UTCM threads got me thinking about Prince's acting chops and if he could have done more in cinema.

He wasn't AWFUL but I'd hardly call him good and more often than not his dramatic turns detracted from his work more than they added (SOTT movie, Three Chains of Gold, The Diamonds and Pearls thing). I got to thinking about roles he could have played and really pulled off.

- Willy Wonka immediately comes to mind and he couldn't have done any worse than Johnny Depp (who I usually tend to like). The music would have been amazing. Prince practically WAS Willy Wonka in music form; eccentric, rich, famous, reclusive, generous, talented, wore purple, etc. I would loved to have seen it happen.

- Mayyybbbeeee a Batman villain but I can't think of which one. I know he did a Joker spin but I don't see it and Nicholson, Ledger and Leto were really fucking good. Mad Hatter maybe might have worked for Prince

- A cameo as one of the Men in Black aliens ight have been funny. I know that Chris Tucker's role in The Fifth Element was written with Prince in mind for the role and I can certainly picture that. Some sci fi film might have found a role for him.

- Maybe a role as himself in one of the Muppet films. He was pretty good on the TV show but, as usual, seemed to come off a bit self conscious and a tad stiff. I don't think he was entirely comfortable in front of a camera and his aversion to interviews and photos is well documented but just seeing him working with the Muppet band would have been a hoot.

- He might have been good in Moulin Rouge or even Chicago or something like Dreamgirls. I could see him doing Elton John's role as the Pinball WIzard in Tommy! and delivering a funky version of the song.

- There's an old Brian DePalm film called Phantom of the Paradise that's a rock version of the Phantom of the Opera about a songwriter/musician who is robbed of his control over his publishing and songwriting credits/ownership, is forced to write for the company and sign a contract in blood who then adopts an outlandish persona to battle the owner of the Paradise Company and give his work to his muse as a star making vehicle. I could see a remake. Or even Prince as the Phantom on Broadway for that matter.

Thoughts? Who and what would you cast Prince as? Can you think of any roles he would have done better than established actors? Figured it was a fresh topic beyond the usual stuff we see around here.

Funny that you mention Johnny Depp, because when I watched UTCM a few days ago, there was one scene where he reminded me a little bit of Jack Sparrow, it was just one look on his face that made Jack Sparrow pop up in my mind.

herb4 said:

Some of the recent UTCM threads got me thinking about Prince's acting chops and if he could have done more in cinema.

He wasn't AWFUL but I'd hardly call him good and more often than not his dramatic turns detracted from his work more than they added (SOTT movie, Three Chains of Gold, The Diamonds and Pearls thing). I got to thinking about roles he could have played and really pulled off.

- Willy Wonka immediately comes to mind and he couldn't have done any worse than Johnny Depp (who I usually tend to like). The music would have been amazing. Prince practically WAS Willy Wonka in music form; eccentric, rich, famous, reclusive, generous, talented, wore purple, etc. I would loved to have seen it happen.

- Mayyybbbeeee a Batman villain but I can't think of which one. I know he did a Joker spin but I don't see it and Nicholson, Ledger and Leto were really fucking good. Mad Hatter maybe might have worked for Prince

- A cameo as one of the Men in Black aliens ight have been funny. I know that Chris Tucker's role in The Fifth Element was written with Prince in mind for the role and I can certainly picture that. Some sci fi film might have found a role for him.

- Maybe a role as himself in one of the Muppet films. He was pretty good on the TV show but, as usual, seemed to come off a bit self conscious and a tad stiff. I don't think he was entirely comfortable in front of a camera and his aversion to interviews and photos is well documented but just seeing him working with the Muppet band would have been a hoot.

- He might have been good in Moulin Rouge or even Chicago or something like Dreamgirls. I could see him doing Elton John's role as the Pinball WIzard in Tommy! and delivering a funky version of the song.

- There's an old Brian DePalm film called Phantom of the Paradise that's a rock version of the Phantom of the Opera about a songwriter/musician who is robbed of his control over his publishing and songwriting credits/ownership, is forced to write for the company and sign a contract in blood who then adopts an outlandish persona to battle the owner of the Paradise Company and give his work to his muse as a star making vehicle. I could see a remake. Or even Prince as the Phantom on Broadway for that matter.

Thoughts? Who and what would you cast Prince as? Can you think of any roles he would have done better than established actors? Figured it was a fresh topic beyond the usual stuff we see around here.

NorthC said:

The thing about being an actor is that you have to take notes from a director and that's not something Prince was very good at. Yet he was a great actor. He created his own character and played it so well that nobody, including himself, knew the difference between Prince the person and Prince the persona anymore.

I read Let's go Crazy and the woman that gave them acting lessons even said that Prince was really good. She said that you could give him a role and he'd do it pretty well.

NorthC said:

herb4 said:

Prince did have an aversion to having his photo taken; at least unless it was a staged photo shoot. Him not liking ti have his picture taken is rather well documented. But that's not really why I started this thread or what it's about.

I'd hardly refer to Prince as a "great actor" - like at all - but I think he could excel in the right role. He had a lot of charisma and a strong presence but you couldn't cast him as, say, a cop, a private detective, an action hero, a gang member, an elected official, a banker, a soldier, a suburban every man or a scientist for instance. There'd be no way to buy it and his mere presence would outweigh and overtake the role.

Surprised no one's really come up wth much so far beyond Jack Sparrow. I remember Bowie playing Pontius Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar and thinking that Prince would make a really good King Herod. As long as we're talking about Depp, Prince might have made an interesting Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland or the title character in The Wizard of Oz.

He was inconsistent, not experienced enough, not working from particularly strong scripts, and rarely directed by good directors. But there are moments of true potential. HIs comedic timing and charm in UTCM works; the romantic scenes do not. The subtle dramatic scenes in Purple Rain (after his dad's attempted suicide, his subtle little conversation with dad about dad's music) worked well; Prince attempting to be a bad ass in PR (his spinning around saying motherfucker was a bit cringey..LOL) didn't work quite as well. He was a bit stiff in the Muppets show but also charming (and its not easy to act among puppets...LOL). He was delightful in New Girl--warm, quirky, and funny. I think about Frank Sinatra sometimes when I think about Prince. I have seen every FS movie and when he first started in bit parts in movies (Step Lively, High and HIgher, even Anchors Aweigh) he was charming but a bit stiff. It took years to develop a film persona. Prince would never have been Daniel Day-lewis but he could have been as strong as FS got by the 50's. Also think about Mariah Carey's strong performance in Precious. She sucked in her first film but when she was forced to strip down the glamour and just be a character, she wasn't bad at all. Prince had potential if he could have gotten out of his own way and was realistic about how his baby-faced looks and slight build would limit him.. He had charisma, mostly naturalistic delivery (mostly), a good speaking voice, a sense of comedic timing, and an expressive face. His sense of theatricality on stage was also extremely strong. He might have been able to be someone like Kevin Hart (on the comedic side) or like a black Dustin Hoffman on the dramatic side (wiry little dudes, In other words.) He might have been able to play a banker etc if the makeup was taken off and he was willing to listen to directors and trust their imput. . Or he could have done the character in Fifth Element if he was willing to make full fun of his image (part of the reason, I liked him in New Girl.) Stage Prince was a performance anyhow. But unless Prince Rogers Nelson was willing to throw out "PRINCE" he was going to struggle with characterization beyond parody of his own image. Considering Madonna had real directors, Prince had much more potential. (But even Madonna was good in Desperately Seeking Susan (spoof of herself) and League of their own (Italian American caricature) and Evita (all singing)

[Edited 11/12/17 11:54am]

This is a really good question - and I don't want this thread to die...I shall ponder!

OK, so thinking about this carefully, I can see him in fantastical films - like Labyrinth, or one of those Lemony Snicket novels-turned-films - a handsome, malevolent goblin-type character, with a twinkle in his eye...
.
OR...
.
Something where his doe-eyes and good looks would marry beautifully with his penchant for extravagent costume and heels; a seducer / villain-made-good perhaps - something where he could be a dandy-like character with a dark but mischievous sense of humour. I am thinking a period comedy drama set in the French Revolution like the Musketeers, or Dangerous Liaisons. Maybe he could be a black Dick Turpin, even?

We haven't seen much of him under a real director, so it's hard to say how good he really was. But IF he was a great actor (I think we haven't seen his full potential), I think he could've played everthing, because that's what makes an actor great, right?

ThatWhiteDude said:

We haven't seen much of him under a real director, so it's hard to say how good he really was. But IF he was a great actor (I think we haven't seen his full potential), I think he could've played everthing, because that's what makes an actor great, right?

Not sure I agree with that statement.

I mean, Ned Beatty is a great actor but I wouldn't cast him as Dracula. Hoffman is usually fantastic but he wouldn't make a good Batman. Cathy Bates is really good but I can't picture her as Joan of Arc. Tim Robbins probably couldn't pull off The Godfather.

Some actors can sort of "do anything". Michael Keaton, Jodie Foster and Denzel Washington immediately spring to mind but I don't think being able to do everything is what makes someone great. I doubt you could cast Jack Nicholson as a boxer and make it work.

If Prince were to have developed as an actor, it would have had to have been in quirky niche roles I think. I could see a place for him in several Tim Burton films.

I think he got better the more he did, he was atrocious in Purple Rain, along with just about everyone else but he wasn't quite as bad in UTCM, and later. In the Partyman video, at least how he played to the camera with his expressions was about as great an acting job as I've seen, although it wasn't speaking parts.

herb4 said:

Some of the recent UTCM threads got me thinking about Prince's acting chops and if he could have done more in cinema.

He wasn't AWFUL but I'd hardly call him good and more often than not his dramatic turns detracted from his work more than they added (SOTT movie, Three Chains of Gold, The Diamonds and Pearls thing). I got to thinking about roles he could have played and really pulled off.

- Willy Wonka immediately comes to mind and he couldn't have done any worse than Johnny Depp (who I usually tend to like). The music would have been amazing. Prince practically WAS Willy Wonka in music form; eccentric, rich, famous, reclusive, generous, talented, wore purple, etc. I would loved to have seen it happen.

- Mayyybbbeeee a Batman villain but I can't think of which one. I know he did a Joker spin but I don't see it and Nicholson, Ledger and Leto were really fucking good. Mad Hatter maybe might have worked for Prince

- A cameo as one of the Men in Black aliens ight have been funny. I know that Chris Tucker's role in The Fifth Element was written with Prince in mind for the role and I can certainly picture that. Some sci fi film might have found a role for him.

- Maybe a role as himself in one of the Muppet films. He was pretty good on the TV show but, as usual, seemed to come off a bit self conscious and a tad stiff. I don't think he was entirely comfortable in front of a camera and his aversion to interviews and photos is well documented but just seeing him working with the Muppet band would have been a hoot.

- He might have been good in Moulin Rouge or even Chicago or something like Dreamgirls. I could see him doing Elton John's role as the Pinball WIzard in Tommy! and delivering a funky version of the song.

- There's an old Brian DePalm film called Phantom of the Paradise that's a rock version of the Phantom of the Opera about a songwriter/musician who is robbed of his control over his publishing and songwriting credits/ownership, is forced to write for the company and sign a contract in blood who then adopts an outlandish persona to battle the owner of the Paradise Company and give his work to his muse as a star making vehicle. I could see a remake. Or even Prince as the Phantom on Broadway for that matter.

Thoughts? Who and what would you cast Prince as? Can you think of any roles he would have done better than established actors? Figured it was a fresh topic beyond the usual stuff we see around here.

I didn't find him atrocious in Purple Rain. Rather all over the place. Some of his dramatic turns were quite good I felt (the "never get married" scene with his father, for instance). Then again, Purple Rain was basically Prince playing himself so it's not like he had to stretch much. The Revolution, Appolonia and Jill Jones were far worse than Prince.

"The Acting" is not usually the first thing people cite when they praise the Purple Rain film anyway but Prince did project a healthy bit of charisma in it and certainly had his moments.

I would have liked to see what he could do with something a little more far out that was tailored to his strengths and his persona under a solid director.

herb4 said:

I didn't find him atrocious in Purple Rain. Rather all over the place. Some of his dramatic turns were quite good I felt (the "never get married" scene with his father, for instance). Then again, Purple Rain was basically Prince playing himself so it's not like he had to stretch much. The Revolution, Appolonia and Jill Jones were far worse than Prince.

"The Acting" is not usually the first thing people cite when they praise the Purple Rain film anyway but Prince did project a healthy bit of charisma in it and certainly had his moments.

I would have liked to see what he could do with something a little more far out that was tailored to his strengths and his persona under a solid director.

it looked amateurish to me, of course it didn't matter, any more than Elvis' acting mattered when he was hot, the music was brilliant and the teen fans like me didn't really care about the acting at the time. What did i Know about brilliant acting when i was 15? Now I see it differently, the music is still incredible, the rest of the movie? Not great.

This was interesting. Siskel and Eberts original review of PR.


https://www.youtube.com/w...X--MPXFGjc

They seemed to think Prince had some acting chops. They liked Appolonia way more than I did. Shit, they liked the film way more than I did but it was neat seeing a sort of time capsule of the period. The commercials cracked me up too.

He should have starred in more movies but with a proper sscript and director.

With no disrespect meant towards Jim Carrey but I've always thought Prince would have made a better E Nigma/The Riddler in Batman Forever.



We know damn well he could have pulled off the wardrobe and with his sense of humor, the riddles would have been much more fun.

herb4 said:

I didn't find him atrocious in Purple Rain. Rather all over the place. Some of his dramatic turns were quite good I felt (the "never get married" scene with his father, for instance). Then again, Purple Rain was basically Prince playing himself so it's not like he had to stretch much. The Revolution, Appolonia and Jill Jones were far worse than Prince.

"The Acting" is not usually the first thing people cite when they praise the Purple Rain film anyway but Prince did project a healthy bit of charisma in it and certainly had his moments.

I would have liked to see what he could do with something a little more far out that was tailored to his strengths and his persona under a solid director.

.

herb4 - completely agree with you on his performance in Purple Rain. I don't get the whole "atrocious" thing when it comes to that performance. Honestly his work in that was pretty extraordinary for an untrained actor in his first role.

.

The only little disagreement I have is putting The Revolution as a whole into the "bad acting" bag - Wendy and Lisa, I feel, were quite convincing in their roles.

.

And you and some others have said, it would've been really great to have seen him branch out to do some acting under the stewardship of a sympatico director (not to say Magnoli wasn't - he was, he also got strong performances out of for those Batman videos).

.

Prince was an absolute natural as an actor. And he exhibited serious range even just comparing PR to UTCM. Maybe as a Prince fan I can't see the forest for the trees, but I honestly believe he was a very capable actor who might've really blossomed had he done more in the field.

herb4 said:

Prince did have an aversion to having his photo taken; at least unless it was a staged photo shoot. Him not liking ti have his picture taken is rather well documented. But that's not really why I started this thread or what it's about.

I'd hardly refer to Prince as a "great actor" - like at all - but I think he could excel in the right role. He had a lot of charisma and a strong presence but you couldn't cast him as, say, a cop, a private detective, an action hero, a gang member, an elected official, a banker, a soldier, a suburban every man or a scientist for instance. There'd be no way to buy it and his mere presence would outweigh and overtake the role.

Surprised no one's really come up wth much so far beyond Jack Sparrow. I remember Bowie playing Pontius Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar and thinking that Prince would make a really good King Herod. As long as we're talking about Depp, Prince might have made an interesting Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland or the title character in The Wizard of Oz.

I believe that was the Scorsese film 'The Last Temptation of Christ'. I can't imagine Bowie glamming it up to play JC Superstar. Step too far i think.

fortuneandserendipity said:

herb4 said:

Prince did have an aversion to having his photo taken; at least unless it was a staged photo shoot. Him not liking ti have his picture taken is rather well documented. But that's not really why I started this thread or what it's about.

I'd hardly refer to Prince as a "great actor" - like at all - but I think he could excel in the right role. He had a lot of charisma and a strong presence but you couldn't cast him as, say, a cop, a private detective, an action hero, a gang member, an elected official, a banker, a soldier, a suburban every man or a scientist for instance. There'd be no way to buy it and his mere presence would outweigh and overtake the role.

Surprised no one's really come up wth much so far beyond Jack Sparrow. I remember Bowie playing Pontius Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar and thinking that Prince would make a really good King Herod. As long as we're talking about Depp, Prince might have made an interesting Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland or the title character in The Wizard of Oz.

I believe that was the Scorsese film 'The Last Temptation of Christ'. I can't imagine Bowie glamming it up to play JC Superstar. Step too far i think.

Really? He was made up pretty big in Labyrinth. And the assertion that Bowie wouldn't "glam it up" sort of flies in the face of bascially his entire musical career. Ziggy? Alladin Sane? JCS would have been a step down from the stuff Bowie essentially pioneered.

Gotta say I'm kinda bummed that not many here are offering up roles that Prince might have played. I thought it was an interesting topic and honestly expected more ideas. Guess most of the people left here are still trying to solve Prince's "murder".

herb4 said:

fortuneandserendipity said:

I believe that was the Scorsese film 'The Last Temptation of Christ'. I can't imagine Bowie glamming it up to play JC Superstar. Step too far i think.

Really? He was made up pretty big in Labyrinth. And the assertion that Bowie wouldn't "glam it up" sort of flies in the face of bascially his entire musical career. Ziggy? Alladin Sane? JCS would have been a step down from the stuff Bowie essentially pioneered.

Gotta say I'm kinda bummed that not many here are offering up roles that Prince might have played. I thought it was an interesting topic and honestly expected more ideas. Guess most of the people left here are still trying to solve Prince's "murder".

Yeah Bowie's middle name was 'glam'. But his role in the Scorsese film was as serious as it gets, not to mention his other film roles, Labyrinth aside.

As to potential P film roles, I'm kinda stumped. In Purple Rain, he played 'troubled' Prince, in Cherry Moon, he played 'hyper' Prince, and in Graffiti Bridge, he played a somewhat confusing role as 'existential crisis' Prince. His acting is adequate but I don't think he's stretching.

Prince as a black Mozart / Beethoven - now THAT would have been something...

[Edited 11/16/17 16:56pm]

P's distrust of anything he could not control probably kept directors/producers away. That being said, I'm going to throw out some movies that would have been much different had he been interested and/or approached.

Breakfast Club--P in the John Bender role, played by Judd Nelson

Whiplash--P in the JK Simmons role

Pulp Fiction--P in the Samuel L Jackson role

LadyLayla said:

P's distrust of anything he could not control probably kept directors/producers away. That being said, I'm going to throw out some movies that would have been much different had he been interested and/or approached.

Breakfast Club--P in the John Bender role, played by Judd Nelson

Whiplash--P in the JK Simmons role

Pulp Fiction--P in the Samuel L Jackson role

I just try to imagine that

Dibblekins said:

Prince as a black Mozart / Beethoven - now THAT would have been something...

[Edited 11/16/17 16:56pm]

NorthC said:

The thing about being an actor is that you have to take notes from a director and that's not something Prince was very good at. Yet he was a great actor. He created his own character and played it so well that nobody, including himself, knew the difference between Prince the person and Prince the persona anymore.

LOL! You will never know. Prince the enigma: man with secret habits; larger-than-life onstage/shy offstage; lothario/conservative; career dictator/spiritualism supplicant. He did create a symbol-likeness that he stood by steadily, though. Just say that he was ever-inventive and -transformational.

Oh, and as a movie actor I feel he would have been brilliant had he lended himself to a little direction. He played his roles very well in most of his videos and on the concert stage, though.

Dibblekins said:

OK, so thinking about this carefully, I can see him in fantastical films - like Labyrinth, or one of those Lemony Snicket novels-turned-films - a handsome, malevolent goblin-type character, with a twinkle in his eye...
.
OR...
.
Something where his doe-eyes and good looks would marry beautifully with his penchant for extravagent costume and heels; a seducer / villain-made-good perhaps - something where he could be a dandy-like character with a dark but mischievous sense of humour. I am thinking a period comedy drama set in the French Revolution like the Musketeers, or Dangerous Liaisons. Maybe he could be a black Dick Turpin, even?

Undoubtedly.