Boy, she can sing
Turns out Keira Knightley is not the only actress with unexpected musical skills
How many times have you watched a movie and found yourself thinking, "Hey, I didn't know she could sing!"
We sometimes tend to think of actresses as just pretty faces, but an awful lot of them have serious musical talent.
Who knew that Nicole Kidman could belt it out like she did in Moulin Rouge? Or how about Renee Zellweger in Chicago?
In Begin Again, opening in cinemas here tomorrow, it's Keira Knightly's turn to serenade us.
She plays a young singer who hooks up with a desperate music producer (Mark Ruffalo) who wants to turn her into a star.
How does her skillz (as the kids say) compare to some other recent songbird thesps?
KEIRA KNIGHTLEY IN BEGIN AGAIN
You might know Knightley as that skinny, pretty British girl who often dresses in frilly outfits.
She's a staple of period films - from action flicks like King Arthur to dramas such as Anna Karenina.
In Begin Again, the 29-year-old shows off another side of her talent. She plays a wry indie girl who ends up recording an album on the streets of New York after being dumped by her rock star boyfriend (Adam Levine).
During a Q&A session at the Apple Store in London, her co-star Mark Ruffalo said: "The tension was thick with anticipation, and then she sang and everyone was like, 'Oh my God, she can sing.'"
She has a singer-songwriter vibe kinda like Michelle Branch, but without the polish and power.
Knightley herself was disappointed she didn't rise to the standard of the mighty Adele.
As she told chat show host Jon Stewart: "I was actually quite disappointed that I didn't sound like Adele.
"You know when you're in the shower and you think, 'Wow, I sound so good I could totally do that Adele thing.'
"And then you get into a recording studio, as I did, and you think, 'Oh, no, I can't do the Adele thing.'"
You can check her out on the Begin Again soundtrack singing the beautiful Lost Stars and four other cool tunes.
SINGING SKILLZ: 6/10
ANNA KENDRICK IN PITCH PERFECT
Kendrick first popped up on our radar playing Bella's frenemy Jessica in the Twilight movies, and then went on to appear in classy productions such as Up In The Air and 50/50.
When she first started belting out a cappella songs in Pitch Perfect, we were gobsmacked.
Apparently, the 28-year-old started out in musical theatre. She appeared in the Broadway production of High Society at just 12 years old, and was even nominated for a Tony. Her rendition of Cups from the Pitch Perfect Soundtrack became a huge hit.
SINGING SKILLZ: 9/10
KRISTEN BELL IN FROZEN
The sassy Bell is still best known for playing the title character in the cult TV show Veronica Mars, adapted into a cool movie - thanks to Kickstarter.
What you might not know is that the 33-year-old's biggest success by far has been the smash-hit Frozen.
She voiced the character Anna, including the singing. In April, a video of her singing Do You Want To Build A Snowman went viral with her singing as Anna as a child, teen and adult. Talk about having range.
This Broadway vet studied musical theatre at the Tisch School Of The Arts in New York.
SINGING SKILLZ: 8/10
AMANDA SEYFRIED IN MAMMA MIA! AND LES MISERABLES
Seyfried's career started off on a weird note - she predicted the weather with her boobs in Mean Girls.
The 28-year-old seemed like just another bimbo, but she proved she was the real deal by singing up a storm in the sleeper hit Mamma Mia! (unlike her tone-deaf co-star Pierce Brosnan).
She gave another rip-roaring vocal performance in Les Miserables (unlike her tone-deaf co-star Russell Crowe).
So much talent in such a bombshell package - it's almost depressing!
SINGING SKILLZ: 7/10
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