English singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran has had a decade to remember since the release of his debut album “+” in 2011, becoming one of the biggest selling music artists in the world, winning multiple awards and even getting to star in an episode of Game of Thrones. While his cameo role in the George R. R. Martin TV series gained some very mixed reviews, it looks like the Yorkshire-born star is about to add to his acting resume by joining Black Panther’s Danny Sapani, Peter Serafinowicz, Jamie Winstone and Jennifer Saunders in action-comedy Sumotherhood, as revealed by The Hollywood Reporter.
Smotherhood comes from director Adam Deacon, who made his directorial debut in 2011 with Anuvahood and has been on a long hiatus since. The film is set to start camera rolling in February, with an aim to release later this year, and Sheeran is the latest star to sign onto the movie, although exactly how big a role in the movie is unknown. Considering the rest of the cast have been in place for some time, it seems likely that the Shape of You singer will have a smaller role, which would continue on the long string of cameos that he had produced alongside his various albums in recent years.
Sheeran has tended to play himself in many of his appearances, which for that reason have usually been fleetingly brief. This list of cameo roles have included soap operas Shortland Street and Home and Away, as well as feature films Bridget Jones’ Baby, the comedy Yesterday and most recently in Red Notice, the biggest movie on Netflix. When it comes to other roles, he played Sir Cormac in the FX series The Bastard Executioner, voiced Brendan in an episode of The Simpsons and had an uncredited cameo as an alien in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Although Sheeran is clearly happy to appear in many movies and series, the small roles he takes on seems to suggest that he is well aware that acting is not his main talent, and the music industry is not likely to lose him to Hollywood just yet.
Ed Sheeran Will Probably Not Join The Likes Of Lady Gaga In Taking On Big Star Roles
Over the years, there have been many stars from the music industry who have found themselves making the jump to acting with varying levels of degrees. Way back in the 40s and 50s, it was common for stars to blur the lines between singing and acting, with the likes of Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and others jumping from one to the other with ease. As the decades progressed, the likes of Elvis Presley and Cliff Richard enhanced their musical careers with movies that allowed them to promote their songs at the same time as acting. Then came the likes of David Bowie, Sting, Phil Collins, Meat Loaf, Cher, and in recent years singers such as Jennifer Hudson and Lady Gaga have picked up numerous awards for their movie performances after proving their worth as singers.
While Ed Sheeran having mostly only appeared as himself in his roles, it seems unlikely that this latest role is going to see him attempting to kickstart an acting career that would see him abandon his music, but for his fans, it is instead a nice little sideline that gives them a chance to see him somewhere other than in the charts and on tour. Who would begrudge them that small bonus in life?
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