This month Lucy Liu celebrates two openings. On March 17, we’ll see her on big screens as Kalypso in Shazam! Fury of Gods joining Golden Globe winners Helen Mirren and Rachel Zegler as new faces of this comic book movie. And on March 4th is the opening of her latest art exhibition “Lucy Liu: what was” which will be on view in the New York Studio School through April 16, 2023, and will mark the 30^th anniversary of Liu’s artistic career since her very first solo exhibition in New York back in 1993.
We know of a few acclaimed actors who found their passion for art in the course of their film careers in various circumstances. For instance, Golden Globe winner Sharon Stone painted her first-ever painting while under the pandemic lockdown using the numbers kit she got for her birthday in March 2020. Just a month later, she shared her “first attempt at painting without paint by numbers” and has been sharing her new works of art with her Instagram followers ever since.

Kate Winslet’s co-star Billy Zane found his artistic calling in 1997 during the filming of Titanic. We may only assume that he was probably inspired by a sketch of Winslet’s Rose, made ostensibly by Leonardo DiCaprio’s Jack, but as was recently revealed, by director James Cameron whose first love was drawing since he was a kid.
Zane has been painting for 25 years of his 31-year acting career, and he believes that acting and art are not dissimilar, calling himself “a grateful child of both parents.” His painting, drawings, and photography have been exhibited in London, Budapest, Milan, Miami, and Los Angeles where his artworks were recently on view at ACTION! in Santa Monica’s Speedy Gallery and Something Borrowed, Something New at the Beverly Hills Four Seasons Hotel.

Golden Globe winner Jim Carrey found his artistic spirit only in 2011 but he’s been quite vocal since then about art as his core passion while his paintings were on view at his solo exhibition, “Jim Carrey: Nothing To See Here,” in Palm Springs.
In Liu’s case, her artistic career developed years before her breakthrough role as Ling Woo in the Golden Globe-winning Ally McBeal TV series in 1997 or her iconic performance in 2000’s Charlie’s Angels.
Her artistic practice ranges from painting, calligraphy, sculpture, collage, silkscreen, and installation, and since 1993, her work has been exhibited and collected around the world. Her most recent solo exhibitions include “Unhomed Belongings” in the National Museum of Singapore in 2019, and “One of These Things Is Not Like the Others,” Liu’s first US museum exhibit in the Napa Valley Museum in Yountville in 2020.
Speaking of the Napa Valley Museum, their Main Gallery is currently the location of “Jeff Bridges | Pictures,” an exhibition that is on view through April 30, 2023. Multiple Golden Globe winner Jeff Bridges is not only an iconic figure of modern cinema, but his artistic repertoire also spans acting, painting, sculpture, music, and photography.

His lifelong passion for photography created a sterling reputation as a photographer whose work has been published in numerous books and exhibitions. Interestingly, Bridges’ collection of film set photographs began as a personal project. He captured the world of moviemaking through scenes shot on a variety of film sets using his specialized Widelux F8 panoramic camera. His photo books were privately printed and given as gifts to cast and crew. Bridges started taking pictures on the set of King Kong back in 1976, and never stopped ever since.
This story would not be complete without mentioning multiple Golden Globe winner Sir Anthony Hopkins who emerged as a painter in 2005 and has been sharing sneak peeks from his studio with his 4 million Instagram followers.

His vibrant abstract paintings influenced by Oskar Kokoschka and Francis Picabia are featured in distinguished collections worldwide, but he evolved artistically even further by announcing the launch of his first NFT series, “The Eternal Collection.” Hopkins’ collaboration with Orange Comet marks his extraordinary endeavor to expand his artistic expression and makes him the first actor-turned-artist to step into the metaverse.

According to Orange Comet, “The Eternal Collection conceptualizes an interpretation of the vast character archetypes Hopkins has portrayed over his illustrious film career drawing its energy from his stimulating body of art. Through a series of thought-provoking images and animations, the NFT collection immortalizes the actor’s diverse archetypal interpretations of The Eternal.”