It’s been more than a decade since Jason Aldean starred in his only acting role, for the 2013 film, Sweetwater, and with good reason. Although some artists, like Reba McEntire and Tim McGraw, have been able to enjoy singing and acting, Aldean is content, for the most part, to stick to being a country music artist.
“What I do know is first and foremost, I’m a musician. I’m not an actor,” Aldean tells Taste of Country Nights. “I don’t pretend to be. I like to stay in my lane on what I do well. I have no plans right now to enter acting again.”
The father of four won’t completely rule out stepping in front of the camera another time, but he does reveal he has turned down plenty of roles in the 11 years since Sweetwater was released.
“It really would depend on what it is,” Aldean shares. “I’ve been offered quite a few things over the years … I don’t really know how much I liked it. It’s hard to say because I only did the one movie.”
Still, although Aldean isn’t necessarily itching to take on another acting role, he would if one famous actor was in the film.
“If I had a chance to act with Clint Eastwood, I might take him up on that because he’s my dude,” Aldean said.
Aldean has plenty to keep him busy with his soaring music career. The Georgia native currently has a Top 20 hit with “Let Your Boys Be Country,” from his Highway Desperado album, released last fall.
“I got a five-year-old little boy who’s growing up in a crazy world right now,” Aldean told Taste of Country of the inspiration behind the song, speaking of his son, Memphis, who now six. “It’s like, man, just let them be kids. Let them be little. Let them go play and do all the things they’re supposed to do and figure things out for themselves.
“Little boys grow up to be men that are supposed to get married and take care of their family and be providers,” he continued. “As parents, you gotta raise them to be that. To me, it was a song that hit home when it comes to thinking about him being little and what’s in store for him later.”
Aldean celebrated his 28th No. 1 hit last year, with “Try That in a Small Town,” a song that was also one of the most controversial ones that Aldean has ever released — not that it bothers him.
“I think for me, I heard this song, and it just kind of explained to me what’s going on in the world,” Aldean said on The Bobby Bones Show, when the song was released. “It resonated with me, I guess is a better word, because of what’s going on in the world. But it’s like, every day, you turn on the news, and you see something else crazy that’s happening, or some heartbreaking story. This is a song that talks about, you wouldn’t get away with that stuff in a small town.
“It’s just a different mindset and different kind of values in small-town America that I wish everybody else would adopt, and probably help some of the things that are going on in the world,” he added.
Aldean is continuing his Highway Desperado Tour into 2024. Find music and tour dates at JasonAldean.com.
