Jake Owen is expanding his career into a new acting role. The country star has officially announced that he will be appearing in a new movie, The Friend, which is based on a true story and has been adapted from an award-winning essay by Matthew Teague that originally appeared in Esquire in May of 2015.

The original essay, titled "The Friend: Love is Not a Big Enough Word," tells the story of the narrator's relationship with his terminally ill wife, and with his best friend, who moves into the couple's home after the narrator's wife receives her diagnosis. Owen will act alongside an accomplished cast of actors that includes Casey Affleck, Dakota Johnson, Jason Segel and many more. The film, directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite (Blackfish), is currently being shot in Fairhope, Ala., which is also where the story takes place.

Owen will be balancing the new project in addition to several exciting musical and personal ventures. The singer has had plenty of practice in front of a camera during his run as a judge on the first season of the televised singing competition Real Country. He has also announced the release of his sixth studio album, Greetings From ... Jake, which is due out at the end of March. His first two singles off the new project, "I Was Jack (You Were Diane)" and "Down to the Honkytonk," have both hit No. 1 at country radio.

Additionally, the singer has a busy 2019 touring schedule, and is also up for an ACM Award for the first time in 10 years. In personal news, Owen has also shared that he is expecting his second child, a daughter, with his girlfriend, Erica Hartlein.

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