Does Ed Sheeran Acting Role Spell The End Of Music Career?

Ed Sheeran came into the music business the traditional way. Ed spent a long time writing songs, busking and playing in pubs and clubs whilst “sofa surfing” before his career took off. Sheeran paid his dues playing open mic nights in the U.K. and in Los Angeles before his career started to take off in 2011. Since then, Sheeran’s music career has scaled almost unimaginable heights, as Ed has become a household name. Sheeran has now sold millions of albums and is the most streamed artist on Spotify, with his songs having been streamed over one billion times. Sheeran recently became the first solo artist to sell out the 80,000-capacity Wembley stadium.

Despite his huge success, Sheeran’s feet remain firmly on the ground. It was recently reported in Inquisitr that the thing Sheeran loves best about his success is that he can now treat his parents to anything they want. Sheeran may be hugely successful as a musical artist, but Ed has made no secret of his desire to land acting roles. Back in 2008, Sheeran auditioned for a role in a British TV drama, Britannia High, and he has hinted that he would love a role in Game Of Thrones.

Now, it has been reported that Sheeran has landed a role in a new TV drama created by Sons Of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter, who is a friend of Sheeran’s. According to the Independent, Sheeran will have a recurring role in the show, a “blood-soaked medieval epic” called The Bastard Executioner.

According to the Daily Mail, filming for the show has already begun, and they report that Sheeran has been cast as “ambitious and deadly” character Sir Cormac. Ed recently teased fans when he revealed that the show is “a medieval TV show and it’s really, really dark.”

“It’s gruesome and it’s going to be fine because my friend wrote it… I feel like people would expect me to be in a rom-com or something, so I wanted to be in something people don’t expect me to.”

The question that Sheeran’s fans will want answered is what impact Ed’s new TV role will have on his music career? Earlier this year, Sheeran hinted that he was sick of the Hollywood lifestyle and sparked speculation that he might quit the music business, at least temporarily.

Sheeran has touring commitments booked in the U.S. and Canada in September, and he is heading to Australia and New Zealand later in the year. To date, Sheeran has not given any indication as to his plans for next year and beyond. It could well be that Ed Sheeran is planning some time away from music, perhaps his burgeoning acting career will provide a means of escape.

[Photo by Christopher Polk / Getty Images]