An important part of many actors' work is to take on an accent that isn’t their own. The American accent is one of the hardest to master, since it has so many variations depending on which part of the USA the speaker comes from. Yet there are some actors who did an excellent job when taking on the American accent in their movies and TV shows.
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British actors have it easier than actors of other nationalities because English is still their first language, just like with Americans. Despite that, not every British actor can pull off an American accent no matter how talented they are. That’s why it’s so intriguing for the viewers to see talented British actors whose American accents are nearly indistinguishable from those of American-born actors.
7Henry Cavill
Superman is one of the greatest American symbols of all time, and it doesn’t matter that he’s a fictional character as he represents what the country should stand for. In the light of this, it’s quite interesting thatone of the best portrayals of Superman was offered by a British actor.
The previous notable Superman actors, such as George Reeves, Christopher Reeve, and Brandon Routh, were all Americans. Henry Cavill, despite hailing from the UK, lived up to their legacy, right down to his American accent. Cavill once again showed his convincing American accent in the successful Netflix showThe Witcher,where Geralt of Rivia speaks with a mostly American accent.
6Kate Winslet
Kate Winslet is one of the most talented actresses of her generation, and any part she plays is bound to be memorable.Some of her most famous moviesinvolved Winslet sporting an American accent that an untrained ear would have a hard time distinguishing from the real thing.
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In the iconic movieTitanic(1997), Winslet used a Philadelphia-based accent accurate to the time period of 1912. But some of her best American accent work comes from movies that take place in modern times, such asEternal Sunshine of Spotless Mind(2004) where Winslet stars opposite Jim Carrey.
5Andrew Lincoln
The Walking Deadis a major hit and one of the most successful zombie TV series of all time. Andrew Lincoln’s character Rick Grimes is abig part of its popularity. In a world full of dangers coming both from zombies and humans as well, Rick Grimes does his best to survive, and it’s easy to cheer on him thanks to the determination Lincoln puts in the role.
Many fans who watched the show had no idea Lincoln was actually British, that’s how convincing his American accent was. And it became even better as the show progressed.
4Idris Elba
Another British actor connected to a famous American show is Idris Elba. What’s more, many fans don’t even know he is from the UK. The talented actor starred in many successful movies, but the role that introduced him to many American viewers was Stringer Bell in the crime showThe Wire.
The captivating show with a strong cast, Elba included, drew the audience in and immediately became a hit.Elba has many amazing British roles under his beltas well, such as the crime seriesLutherwhere he plays an unusual investigator.
3Hugh Laurie
Hugh Laurie is a good example of an actor who played one part so long that it’s difficult to hear his name without immediately recalling it. Gregory House is a genius, a man who doesn’t really get along with people but excels at what he does. He also speaks with a flawless American accent, despite the fact that Laurie is as British as they come.
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Laurie’s American accent is so good that it even fooled Bryan Singer, who directed the show. Those viewers who would like to hear his native accent in an excellent British comedy can check out the seriesBlackadder, for example, where Laurie appears alongside another iconic British actor, Rowan Atkinson.
2Millie Bobby Brown
Millie Bobby Brown is still very young, born in 2004. Despite that, the British-Spanish actress mastered an American accent and fooled the whole world when she appeared in her breakthrough role as Eleven inthe hit Netflix showStranger Things.
Actors who want to learn another accent will often work with a dialect coach, but Millie Bobby Brown chose a different approach. She commented in some of her interviews that she learned an American accent when she was watching the Disney Channel show Hannah Montana with Miley Cyrus as a child.
1Tom Holland
Spider-Man is one of the most popular American superheroes, and he hails from Queens, New York. However,his latest actor Tom Holland is actually from London. Holland is one of the actors who worked with a dialect coach in order to learn a convincing American accent. The effort paid off, as many MCU fans had no idea Holland was British until they watched an interview with him.
Holland has spoken about his accent work and mentioned, among other things, that he likes to practice his American accent while he takes a shower so that he doesn’t forget how to do it. He’s also demonstrated his ability to switch between the British and the American accent in some of his interviews.
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