Sometimes the allure of the silver screen just isn't enough. Actors come straight off the bus and see Hollywood as a big bright shining star, a glittering mountain to be conquered, the greatest of challenges a human being with perfect bone structure and a capacity for memorising lines can hope to overcome. Then they settle into a career and the magic slowly disappears, leaving them with just another job. Some are fine with that; some are restless, start causing trouble; others give up and go direct-to-video; others diversify. Once you've realised that acting's a sinch, what's stopping you from getting into any number of other creative industries? This pretending to be other people lark is easy enough, surely music will be just as simple a nut to crack (no it isn't, Keanu). Why perform in front of a camera when you can do the same in front of a canvas? Then there are the thespians who think they have some business acumen, and pour their wealth into their actual loves in life. The down time between acting jobs and promotion cycles can be dangerous. The devil makes work for idle hands and all that. Hollywood stars have recorded albums, opened restaurants, and a whole lot more else besides. Here are ten of the strangest actor vanity projects.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
