Top 10 Times Actors Nailed Real People's Accents Perfectly
#10: Meryl Streep as Julia Child “Julie & Julia” (2009)
Top 10 Meryl Streep Performances
It’s never easy capturing a real person’s voice accurately, but the great Meryl Streep continues to prove that for her, it is simply child’s play. Her turn as the New Zealand-born Australian Lindy Chamberlain in “Evil Angels” was overwhelmingly praised. But one of her best performances came in 2009’s “Julie & Julia,” in which Streep plays the widely celebrated chef Julia Child to pastry perfection. Child was known, not just for her trailblazing recipes, but for her affluent Mid-Atlantic accent and unique bouncy vocal rhythm. Streep fully embodies all of this, crafting a voice that is nearly impossible to differentiate from that of the real life Child. It came as no surprise when she earned her 16th Oscar nomination for the role.
#9: Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill “Darkest Hour” (2017)
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The world was stunned to see Gary Oldman’s physical transformation into the role of Winston Churchill for “Darkest Hour.” Even though that is mostly attributed to the makeup and hairstyling team, Oldman’s commitment to the portrayal cannot be understated. While Churchill was also English, Oldman famously had to relearn his native accent, having spent many years living in America. The process paid off, as Oldman fully commands attention in the shoes of the formidable British Prime Minister. Not only does he disappear into the role physically, he also nails the distinctive lisp and stutter in Churchill’s speech. That, and his deep emphasis on certain words. It was, truly, an acting masterclass!
#8: Natalie Portman as Jacqueline "Jackie" Kennedy “Jackie” (2016)
To prepare for the hefty responsibility of portraying former U.S. First Lady Jackie Kennedy, Natalie Portman buried herself in extensive research. She watched countless hours of videos, read around twenty biographies and listened to recorded interviews of Kennedy. In addition to all of that, Portman worked with a dialect coach to achieve the specific rhythms and distinctive vocal range that Kennedy was known for. Even for an Oscar-winning actress like Portman, this proved to be a challenge at first, but in the end, she perfectly captured Kennedy’s old-time New Yorker cadence. From her delicate public voice to her deeper, more breathy tone in private, Portman skillfully pulls back the curtain on one of America’s most iconic women.
#7: Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles “Ray” (2004)
Top 10 Jamie Foxx Performances
Prior to playing the great Ray Charles, Jamie Foxx was mostly known for his comedic roles on “In Living Color” and his own sitcom “The Jamie Foxx Show.” He blew everyone away with his uncanny performance in “Ray,” which earned him an Oscar for Best Actor and catapulted his acting career. Foxx fully immerses himself in the role, even going as far gluing his eyes shut to give a more accurate portrayal of the blind singer and pianist. More than just a physical transformation, Foxx draws from his own Southern heritage, nailing Charles’ accent and unique raspy voice. A master impressionist, Foxx definitely also proved his worth as a phenomenal dramatic actor.
#6: Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury “Bohemian Rhapsody” (2018)
While working with a dialect coach for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury, Rami Malek devised his own system of adopting the Queen frontman’s accent. As Mercury was from a Parsi-Indian background, Malek first perfected his mother’s Gujarati (goojuhRAWtee) accent. He then proceeded to learn an accent that was half Gujarati, half British, then worked his way up from there until he had just the right mix of both. But in order to capture the essence of Mercury’s speech pattern, Malek also had to learn to speak with prosthetic teeth, as the rock star was born with four extra incisors. Just like his co-star Gwilym Lee does with Brian May, Malek nails every single quirk of Mercury’s specific idiolect, totally earning his Best Actor Oscar.
#5: Philip Seymour Hoffman as Truman Capote “Capote” (2005)
Top 10 Best Philip Seymour Hoffman Performances
One of the first things anyone notices when they watch a clip of the late Truman Capote is his distinctive voice. The prolific writer was well known for his shrill tone and his unique Southern drawl. For his performance in the eponymous 2005 film, Philip Seymour Hoffman embodies all these eccentricities, swapping his regular baritone for Capote’s high-pitched, childlike voice. Hoffman layers this with just the right emotion and delivers a portrayal that is equal parts heartwarming and haunting, mostly with just the power of his voice. He was awarded the Best Actor statuette at the 78th Academy Awards for his phenomenal work.
#4: Cate Blanchett as Katharine Hepburn “The Aviator” (2004)
Top 10 Most Impressive Cate Blanchett Accents
Is there any role Cate Blanchett cannot believably pull off? We highly doubt it. The multi-Oscar winning Australian actress has gone from playing the English Queen, Elizabeth I to a Manhattan socialite in “Blue Jasmine.” But the performance in which Blanchett has most flexed her ability to seamlessly move through accents was in her portrayal of screen goddess Katharine Hepburn in “The Aviator.” Blanchett was tasked with playing an actress from the Golden Age of Hollywood, who possessed the mid-Atlantic accent and was thought to sometimes be a caricature itself. Whether you thought of Blanchett’s performance as over-the-top or not, it’s a task she seemed to achieve with relative ease.
#3: Austin Butler as Elvis Presley “Elvis” (2022)
Jacob Elordi as Elvis in Priscilla (2023) VS Austin Butler as Elvis (2022)
Nailing the unmistakable voice of Elvis Presley without sounding like a parody sure was a daunting task for Austin Butler. The former Nickelodeon star got his big break playing the King of Rock and Roll in the eponymously titled 2022 biopic. Butler has received wide acclaim for his performance, garnering particular praise for his flawless imitation of Presley’s low-pitched Southern drawl and his singing voice. But all of that definitely didn’t come easy. To prepare, Butler had to pore through countless hours of interviews and live performances, breaking down each and every word to get the King’s rhythm and cadence down. He also worked with a dialect coach. Butler immersed into the voice so much, he found it hard shaking it off afterwards.
#2: Ben Kingsley as Mahatma Gandhi “Gandhi” (1982)
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As he was a London-trained lawyer who worked in South Africa before moving back to his home country of India, Gandhi’s accent changed throughout his life. And in the 1982 biopic in which Ben Kingsley plays the non-violent freedom fighter, we also hear this change over the course of the film. Starting with an English-sounding diction, to a more Indian one by the end, Kingsley taps into the soul of Gandhi, reflecting the journey he embarks on in his fight for Indian independence. Kingsley, a British actor of Indian heritage himself, reportedly read almost thirty books and studied tirelessly to perfect Gandhi’s accent. Clearly, all of that hard work paid off. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon Northup, “12 Years a Slave” (2013) The British Ejiofor Plays a Convincing 19th Century African-American Man Will Smith as Muhammad Ali, “Ali” (2001) Smith Nabbed an Oscar Nod for Landing Ali’s Distinctive Cadence Christian Bale as Dick Cheney, “Vice” (2018) The British Actor Gained 40 Pounds & a Midwestern Accent for His Hilarious Portrayal of the Former VP Claire Danes as Temple Grandin, “Temple Grandin” (2010) Danes Defies Stereotypes With Her Well-Rounded Portrayal of Temple Grandin’s Voice Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Edward Snowden, “Snowden” (2016) Gordon-Levitt Crafts a Deep, Rich Imitation of Snowden’s Voice That Polarized Audiences
#1: Forest Whitaker as Idi Amin “The Last King of Scotland” (2006)
In portraying the ruthless Ugandan president Idi Amin, Forest Whitaker knew he had a lot of responsibility on his shoulders. The Longview, Texas actor traveled down to Uganda to spend time with people who were close to the dictator and even learned to speak Swahili. In addition, he read several books and studied archival footage of Amin, listening closely to some of his rousing speeches. All of these informed his vocal imitation of the military ruler. Whitaker’s resulting performance featured a near-perfect East African accent that was met with a positive reception from the people of Uganda and from audiences around the world. His efforts were crowned with multiple Lead Actor awards the following year.
