Movie Accent Expert Breaks Down 32 Actors' Accents | WIRED

Movie Accent Expert Breaks Down 32 Actors' Accents | WIRED — WIRED

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Key ideas

  • Dialect coach Erik Singer emphasizes that vocal success relies heavily on oral posture—the resting position and mechanics of the jaw, tongue, and lips—which actors like Daniel Day-Lewis integrate directly into character development. (14:26)
  • Technical inconsistencies such as rhoticity vacillation, missing vowel breaking, and failing to devoice final consonants frequently undermine otherwise recognizable dialect performances. (6:17)
  • Failed on-screen accents rarely stem from poor acting talent alone; they typically result from systemic production issues and insufficient prep time granted to performers. (15:53)

Detailed notes

## Background Published by WIRED on YouTube on November 16, 2016, this video features dialect coach Erik Singer evaluating the vocal performances of some of Hollywood's most prominent actors. The feature explores how accurately these screen stars replicate regional and foreign dialects, analyzing technical authenticity across dozens of film roles.

## TL;DR Dialect coach Erik Singer systematically examines 32 cinematic accents, breaking down phonetic mechanics, vowel placements, oral postures, and rhoticity across famous performances. He contrasts standout technical masterclasses—such as Philip Seymour Hoffman in *Capote* and Daniel Day-Lewis in *There Will Be Blood*—against notable misfires like Kevin Costner in *Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves* and John Malkovich in *Rounders*. Along the way, Singer unpacks why performers struggle with specific regional traits like Southern vowel breaking or German devoicing, while emphasizing that dialect failures typically stem from inadequate production prep time rather than a lack of talent.

## Atmosphere & style The presentation is analytical, engaging, and playfully candid, striking a balance between accessible film criticism and rigorous linguistic pedagogy. Singer demonstrates phonetic quirks and facial mechanics with infectious enthusiasm, moving seamlessly from good-humored bewilderment at bizarre performances to genuine reverence for transformative voice work. Watching it feels like sitting in on an intimate, fast-paced masterclass that pulls back the curtain on the hidden muscular mechanics behind cinematic storytelling.

## Bulletin - [14:26](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=866s) Dialect coach Erik Singer emphasizes that vocal success relies heavily on oral posture—the resting position and mechanics of the jaw, tongue, and lips—which actors like Daniel Day-Lewis integrate directly into character development. - [06:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=377s) Technical inconsistencies such as rhoticity vacillation, missing vowel breaking, and failing to devoice final consonants frequently undermine otherwise recognizable dialect performances. - [15:53](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=953s) Failed on-screen accents rarely stem from poor acting talent alone; they typically result from systemic production issues and insufficient prep time granted to performers.

## Key takeaways - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=0s) Brad Pitt's Aldo Raine in 'Inglourious Basterds' misses GOOSE fronting, a fundamental vowel placement characteristic of Southern and Tennessee dialects. - [00:41](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=41s) Will Smith defaults to a generalized African cadence in 'Concussion' rather than replicating Dr. Bennet Omalu's specific Americanized Nigerian accent and dentalized fricatives. - [01:18](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=78s) Philip Seymour Hoffman's portrayal in 'Capote' stands out because the accent is perfectly executed and fully integrated into the emotional core of the character. - [02:22](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=142s) Oral posture often separates good accents from authentic ones, as seen in Kate Winslet's overly open jaw in 'Steve Jobs' compared to Meryl Streep's tighter posture in 'Sophie's Choice'. - [05:31](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=331s) Heath Ledger mirrors Ennis Del Mar's interior repression in 'Brokeback Mountain' through a clenched jaw and tight lips that physically anchor his Texas dialect. - [06:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=377s) Kevin Costner's performance in 'Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves' represents a classic cinematic dialect failure due to haphazard shifts between rhotic and non-rhotic American patterns. - [08:38](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=518s) Historical accents present a delicate compromise between absolute period accuracy and audience accessibility, which Daniel Day-Lewis balances in 'Gangs of New York'. - [10:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=644s) Cate Blanchett successfully captures Katharine Hepburn's timbre and intonation in 'The Aviator' but misses Hepburn's distinct high and forward jaw setting due to open-mouthed theater habits. - [11:36](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=696s) Angelina Jolie captures aristocratic Received Pronunciation in 'Maleficent' by retaining historical short ending vowels on words like 'royalty' and 'gentry'. - [11:58](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=718s) John Malkovich commits an unnatural error in 'Rounders' by over-palatalizing every English consonant, a mistake native Russian speakers do not make. - [12:48](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=768s) Brad Pitt misses German final-obstruent devoicing in 'Seven Years in Tibet' but successfully masters nuanced Belfast diphthongs in 'Snatch'. - [15:04](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=904s) In 'There Will Be Blood', Daniel Day-Lewis builds his vintage Californian persona entirely around vocal tract mechanics, bracing his tongue high against the upper molars with loose cheeks. - [15:53](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=953s) Accents represent a vital storytelling layer, and flawed performances like Don Cheadle's in 'Ocean's Eleven' are usually attributable to tight production schedules rather than lack of effort.

## Detailed walkthrough ### [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=0s) Introduction and Brad Pitt’s Southern Accent in *Inglourious Basterds*

Dialect coach Erik Singer introduces his work helping actors master film and television accents before diving into clips of famous Hollywood performances. He begins with Brad Pitt portraying Lieutenant Aldo Raine in Quentin Tarantino’s *Inglourious Basterds*. Pitt delivers lines hunting down German forces, but Singer notes a defining regional phonetic feature that Pitt misses: Tennessee and broader Southern American dialects heavily feature "GOOSE fronting." In these accents, the vowel sound found in words like *goose*, *Jew*, *humanity*, and *cruel* should be pronounced further forward in the oral cavity. Demonstrating the target pronunciation, Singer notes that Aldo Raine’s vowel stays back rather than achieving that distinct fronted placement:

> “He doesn't really get that.”

[00:41](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=41s) Will Smith’s Nigerian Accent in *Concussion*

Evaluating Will Smith's performance as real-life forensic pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu in *Concussion*, Singer highlights a disconnect between the source subject and the actor's execution. Bennet Omalu speaks with a distinct, Americanized Nigerian accent. Rather than replicating Omalu’s specific vocal identity, Smith delivers a generic, pan-African or broadly Nigerian cadence:

> “Smith doesn't seem to be going for Omalu's voice so much as a kind of generalized Nigerian or African accent.”

Singer draws attention to Smith's dental mechanics. When delivering lines like “this is bigger than they are,” the English voiced dental fricative ("th" sound) ought to be properly dentalized in this accent (*dis*, *dey*), a detail Smith overlooks in his delivery.

[01:18](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=78s) Philip Seymour Hoffman as Truman Capote in *Capote*

Turning to biographical drama, Singer examines Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Oscar-winning portrayal in *Capote*. Hoffman's performance stands out as an exceptional technical and artistic triumph:

> “The accent is dead on perfect, and the accent's totally integrated; it's integral to the character and what the actor is doing as the character.”

Hoffman captures Capote's idiosyncratic vocal timbre, high pitch, and mannerisms seamlessly. Rather than coming across as an applied vocal trick or a shallow impression, the accent functions as an organic extension of his physical and emotional life on screen.

[01:52](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=112s) Michael Keaton’s Boston Dialect in *Spotlight*

In *Spotlight*, Michael Keaton portrays Boston journalist Walter "Robby" Robinson. Keaton aims for a working Bostonian accent, attempting the stereotypical low-back vowel adjustments (often categorized around the *LOT* / *CLOTH* vowels). However, his delivery lacks consistency:

> “He says ‘on’ one time, and he says ‘on’ the next time.”

Keaton shifts between an open vowel in “come on” and a different rounded shape in “something was going on.” In addition, he fails to apply proper lip rounding to key words like *confirmation*, dropping the phonetic ball where an authentic local accent demands rounding.

[02:22](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=142s) Kate Winslet's Oral Posture in *Steve Jobs*

Kate Winslet’s Polish-accented performance as Joanna Hoffman in *Steve Jobs* is commended as strong overall, but Singer identifies a subtle structural issue regarding oral posture (the habitual resting setting and mechanical openness of the vocal tract):

> “A thing that she doesn't quite get is the oral posture: her mouth is very open, again, maybe theater training—the more you open your mouth, the more sound comes out.”

Real-life footage of Joanna Hoffman reveals a much closer, higher jaw setting with minimal clearance between upper and lower teeth when she speaks. Winslet, by contrast, drops her jaw wide open. Singer compares this with Meryl Streep’s Polish accent work in *Sophie’s Choice*, where Streep maintains a tight, restricted jaw posture.

```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: Oral Posture Comparison for Polish Accents accDescr: Visualizing the differences in jaw posture between Winslet, Streep, and real speaker Joanna Hoffman.

subgraph Native["Authentic Polish Accent Posture"] A["Joanna Hoffman<br/>(Real Person)"] --> B["High, close jaw setting<br/>Restricted interdental space"] end

subgraph Cinematic["Screen Performances"] C["Kate Winslet<br/>(Steve Jobs)"] --> D["Open jaw / wide mouth cavity<br/>Typical of stage projection"] E["Meryl Streep<br/>(Sophie's Choice)"] --> F["Tight, narrow jaw posture<br/>Closely matches native setting"] end ```

[03:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=182s) Tom Cruise's Belfast Accent in *Far and Away*

Discussing Tom Cruise’s Irish dialect in *Far and Away*, Singer diagnoses an inconsistent execution, suggesting Cruise was likely not granted adequate dialect prep time:

> “The vowel sounds in like ‘Why can't you say you like my hat?’—keep going all over the place.”

In Cruise's delivery of lines such as “Can't you say you like my hat?”, the vowel targets fluctuate wildly across syllables. At moments the sounds drift near Belfast phonology, but just as quickly they wander into ungrounded territory, betraying a lack of sustained muscular muscle memory.

[03:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=215s) Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s French Accent in *The Walk*

Evaluating Joseph Gordon-Levitt playing Philippe Petit in *The Walk*, Singer terms the result largely successful despite minor irregularities. Gordon-Levitt achieves an accurate open vowel in words like *stop*, but his rhotic consonants fluctuate:

> “Sometimes he's got a French uvular [r], sometimes a more American sounding 'r'—but people are inconsistent, that's real.”

Crucially, Gordon-Levitt masters the dentalized voiced consonant in phrases like “mad with this,” avoiding the common native-French substitution traps and delivering an authentic linguistic profile.

[04:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=255s) Idris Elba as Nelson Mandela in *Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom*

Singer praises Idris Elba’s portrayal of Nelson Mandela in *Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom*, noting how Elba captures Mandela’s characteristic back-of-the-mouth resonance and vocal stance:

> “He's actually got a little bit of a retracted, a pulled-back tongue root.”

However, Elba falters on one prominent feature of Xhosa-influenced South African English: the *SQUARE* lexical set. When delivering words like *prepared*, Mandela naturally pronounced it as a pure monophthong. Elba accidentally articulates it as an English diphthong, sliding between vowel targets instead of holding the singular vowel steady.

[04:56](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=296s) Nicolas Cage’s Southern Accent in *Con Air*

Singer assesses Nicolas Cage's performance as Cameron Poe in *Con Air*, expressing bewilderment over the dialect decisions:

> “I don't know what happened to the actor's prep here; my first thought would be 'not a lot.'”

Cage fails to register foundational Southern dialect markers: - **Vowel breaking**: Words like *creep* and *freak* in authentic Southern dialects undergo vowel breaking, producing a glide or "wiggle" (*cree-up*, *free-uk*). Cage pronounces them flatly. - **Lower onset on diphthongs**: In words like *plane*, the starting point of the vowel should begin lower in the mouth, an inflection completely missing from Cage's delivery.

[05:31](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=331s) Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger in *Brokeback Mountain*

Analyzing *Brokeback Mountain*, Singer praises both leading men for distinct, accurate western regional choices. Jake Gyllenhaal hits the mark for a Wyoming accent, pulling vowels in words like *one*, *once*, and *couple* deep into the back of his mouth.

Heath Ledger's Texas accent is applauded equally for its psychological integration:

> “The character's tightness and repression and kind of struggle with himself is mirrored in his posture.”

Ledger anchors his performance in a physically clenched jaw and tight lips, conveying Ennis Del Mar's interior suppression through vocal tract tension so convincingly that the character visibly listens through that muscular posture.

[06:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=377s) Kevin Costner’s English Accent in *Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves*

Kevin Costner's turn in *Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves* is cited as an infamous benchmark for cinematic dialect failures:

> “So this is like the paradigm of bad movie accents; this is the one everybody brings up, for good reason.”

Costner vacillates between rhotic and non-rhotic speech, unable to decide whether to pronounce his *r* sounds at the end of syllables or omit them as non-rhotic English dialects do. Costner drops in and out of contemporary American speech patterns haphazardly, leading Singer to summarize that “nothing's right here.”

[06:48](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=408s) Leonardo DiCaprio’s Krio Accent in *Blood Diamond*

Leonardo DiCaprio tackles the English-based creole language of Sierra Leone—Krio—in *Blood Diamond*. Singer rates the effort as a creditable, respectable attempt:

> “It's a creditable job, but it's a little marred by some West Indian intonation; otherwise it's pretty good.”

While DiCaprio’s vowel placements and syntax mimic West African speech well, his pitch contours occasionally drift into Caribbean or West Indian pitch-tunes rather than preserving Sierra Leonean musicality.

[07:19](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=439s) David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King Jr. in *Selma*

In *Selma*, David Oyelowo portrays Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., opting for an artistic evocation rather than a straight acoustic impression:

> “David's not doing an impersonation; it's more of an evocation, which means he's just suggesting this very familiar voice.”

Singer demonstrates that while Oyelowo captures the gravity of King’s cadence, he does not access the expansive acoustic landscape of the real man. King used a massive dynamic pitch range across his sermons and speeches, rising and falling dramatically, whereas Oyelowo operates within a comparatively compressed vocal register.

[07:55](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=475s) Idris Elba’s Baltimore Accent in *The Wire*

Idris Elba’s long-term performance as Stringer Bell in HBO's *The Wire* receives high marks, reflecting years of study:

> “Elba was working on this accent for years.”

Despite its convincing execution, Singer points out that Elba misses a hyper-specific phonetic feature found in working-class African-American Baltimore speech: the distinct fronted vowel shift on the *TO* / *YOU* lexical sets (*tew*, *yew*). Singer contrasts Elba’s vowels with native Baltimore actors on the series—highlighting Robert F. Chew's performance as Proposition Joe—who land that specific local sound effortlessly.

[08:28](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=508s) Mickey Rooney in *Breakfast at Tiffany's*

Singer shows a brief clip of Mickey Rooney's exaggerated performance as Mr. Yunioshi in *Breakfast at Tiffany's*. Rather than offering technical analysis, Singer expresses disbelief and dismay at the infamous yellowface caricature:

> “Who the... let this happen?”

[08:38](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=518s) Daniel Day-Lewis's 19th-Century New York Dialect in *Gangs of New York*

Daniel Day-Lewis takes on the challenge of historical voice work as Bill "The Butcher" Cutting in *Gangs of New York*. Dialect coaches and actors always face a delicate balance when reconstructing extinct periods:

> “It's always tough to do a historical accent: do you go for absolute accuracy at the risk of alienating the audience and making it inaccessible?”

Day-Lewis balances accessibility with historic authenticity. He brings the tip of his tongue forward against the back of his front teeth, introduces heavy nasality, and preserves theatrical color and dynamic expression without compromising the archaic, mid-19th-century New York flavor.

[09:21](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=561s) Mel Gibson’s Scottish Dialect in *Braveheart*

Revisiting Mel Gibson’s portrayal of Scottish rebel William Wallace in *Braveheart*, Singer suggests history has been unnecessarily harsh to the actor:

> “You know, I think maybe Gibson gets a bad rap for this performance. It does slip out, but when it's on, it's pretty good.”

Though Gibson occasionally slips into Australian or generic vowel coloring during long monologues, his battle speeches feature surprisingly solid Scottish vowel placements and consonant taps when he is fully locked in.

[09:48](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=588s) Viggo Mortensen's Russian Accent in *Eastern Promises*

In David Cronenberg’s *Eastern Promises*, Viggo Mortensen portrays Nikolai Luzhin, a driver embedded in the Russian mafia in London. Singer finds the technical construction competent but musically detached:

> “It's not that the sounds are off—they're all pretty good—it just feels a little stiff and a little careful; the accent hasn't quite settled in yet, not like a real person speaking.”

Mortensen hits the requisite phonetic checkpoints, but the mechanical precision prevents the dialect from feeling fully integrated into an effortless conversational rhythm.

[10:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=617s) Matt Damon’s Afrikaans Accent in *Invictus*

Singer examines Matt Damon playing South African rugby captain Francois Pienaar in Clint Eastwood’s *Invictus*. Afrikaans-influenced English is notoriously treacherous for North American actors to master, but Damon prepared thoroughly:

> “Damon prepped really, really well for this role, and it's just a great job on an accent that's usually really hard for Americans.”

Damon executes the bulk of the difficult vocal shapes with fidelity, though Singer notes that when scrutinizing vowel uniformity across paired words like *chosen* and *know*, even well-drilled performances show minor inconsistencies.

[10:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=644s) Jon Voight and Cate Blanchett: Baffling Choices vs. Vocal Posture

Erik Singer examines Jon Voight's performance in *Anaconda*, where Voight attempts a Paraguayan accent with lines like, “Never look into the eyes of those you kill. They will haunt you forever.” Singer is entirely perplexed by the execution, bluntly confessing, “I have no idea what that accent was.”

Turning to Cate Blanchett's portrayal of Katharine Hepburn in *The Aviator*, Singer calls her work “a great evocation of Katharine Hepburn's particular idiolect.” However, he notes a small technical critique regarding physical mechanics: “If I had to quibble with it, I'd say that Blanchett relies really strongly on Hepburn's timbre and intonation.” While Blanchett hits the vocal inflections, she misses the physical setting of Hepburn's mouth. Blanchett maintains a very open jaw—likely stemming from her classical theater training—whereas Hepburn famously spoke with a high, tight, and slightly forward jaw posture.

[11:36](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=696s) Angelina Jolie and John Malkovich: Posh RP vs. Over-Palatalized Russian

In *Maleficent*, Angelina Jolie tackles an English accent, which Singer praises as a successful realization of an older, upper-crust dialect. “So Jolie's going for a slightly old-fashioned, very posh English accent here, what we'd call Received Pronunciation, and she does a great job of it.” Singer points specifically to how she pronounces the final vowels in words like *royalty*, *nobility*, and *gentry*. These words feature short ending [ɪ] vowels, an aristocratic touch that has largely disappeared from modern British accents.

By contrast, John Malkovich's Russian mobster accent in *Rounders* receives heavy criticism. While Russian speakers speaking English do insert a subtle "y" sound into certain words (such as *alligator*), Malkovich goes wildly off course: “And what Malkovich does here is something that no Russian speaker speaking English would actually do, which is palatalize everything.” His pronunciation of words like *money* becomes comically over-enthusiastic, producing an exaggerated sound no native Russian speaker would ever make.

[12:48](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=768s) Renée Zellweger and Brad Pitt: Estuary Nuances and German Devoicing

Singer applauds Renée Zellweger's London accent in *Bridget Jones's Diary*, noting that her musicality and oral posture work seamlessly together. She successfully adopts an Estuary English quality, highlighted by an advanced linguistic mechanic: “She does lateral plosion on words like *gentlemen*—that's exploding the T sound straight into the L sound, and is difficult for a lot of people.”

The analysis then moves to two contrasting roles from Brad Pitt:

```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: Brad Pitt Accent Analysis Comparison accDescr: Diagram comparing Brad Pitt's accent flaws in Seven Years in Tibet against his strengths in Snatch.

subgraph SevenYears["Seven Years in Tibet (German)"] A1["Final Consonant Voicing Error"] A2["Says voiced 'v' in 'have' instead of devoiced 'f'"] A3["Says voiced 'd' in 'kind' instead of devoiced 't'"] A1 --> A2 A1 --> A3 end

subgraph Snatch["Snatch (Belfast / Pikey)"] B1["Accurate Belfast Vowel Shifts"] B2["Hits unique diphthongs in words like 'car'"] B3["Contrast with The Devil's Own failure on 'sea' and 'sleep'"] B1 --> B2 B1 --> B3 end ```

In *Seven Years in Tibet*, Pitt attempts an Austrian German accent, but fails to implement German final-obstruent devoicing into his English: “In German, the consonants at the ends of words are devoiced, and this carries over into English.” A native German speaker would pronounce the final consonant of *have* as an [f] and *kind* as a [t]. Pitt leaves them voiced, which is noticeably unnatural for a native German speaker.

However, in *Snatch*, Pitt's Belfast-influenced traveler accent works brilliantly. Singer notes that while Belfast English is notoriously difficult for American audiences to parse, Pitt captures the exact vowel nuances, particularly in words like *car*. Singer contrasts this success with Pitt's earlier Irish role in *The Devil's Own*, where Pitt completely failed to nail the local vowels in words like *sea* and *sleep*.

[14:26](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=866s) Heath Ledger, Keanu Reeves, and Daniel Day-Lewis: Physical Idiosyncrasies and Non-Rhoticity

In *The Dark Knight*, Heath Ledger crafts a unique vocal delivery for the Joker. Singer describes it as a strange, idiosyncratic American accent tailor-made for an idiosyncratic character. “I love the way he's able to maintain his accent even with this weird tongue-flicky-outy gesture that he does that's part of the character.”

Keanu Reeves's English accent in *Bram Stoker's Dracula* falters due to inconsistency with rhoticity. Because standard Southern English accents are non-rhotic, speakers drop the "r" sound after a vowel unless followed by another vowel. In the phrase *blue inferno*, Reeves hesitates and inconsistently voices the "r", leading Singer to remark, “He can't make up his mind whether to do it or not.”

Daniel Day-Lewis earns immense praise for his vintage California accent in *There Will Be Blood*. Singer observes that Day-Lewis constructs both the accent and the persona from the inside out using oral posture: - “I love the way he seems to build the accent, and even the character, around the oral posture.” - The tongue is bunched high in the center of the mouth and braced firmly against the upper molars. - The cheeks are kept loose, allowing the speech to resonate distinctively beneath his period-accurate mustache.

[15:53](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=953s) Don Cheadle and the Realities of Dialect Acting

Don Cheadle's Cockney accent in *Ocean's Eleven* is singled out as an example of an actor being set up to fail. Singer immediately excuses Cheadle, arguing, “There's no way the actor was given enough time to prepare.” In lines such as, “It'll be nice working with proper villains again,” none of Cheadle's vowels manage to hit their authentic Cockney targets.

Wrapping up the masterclass, Singer emphasizes empathy for the actors, noting that taking on dialects is an enormous artistic gamble: - “Look, this stuff isn't easy. Good or bad, these actors all took some serious risks for our entertainment.” - Dialect failures are rarely due to sheer lack of talent; rather, “When an accent doesn't go right, it's usually not the actor's fault. It's usually a combination of actor, coach, and production, and often is about not having enough time to prepare before shooting starts.” - Singer leaves viewers with a fundamental takeaway on cinema craft: “If there's one thing to remember, it's that accent is a crucial layer of storytelling.”

## Notable quotes > [15:53](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=953s) If there's one thing to remember, it's that accent is a crucial layer of storytelling. — Erik Singer

> [15:53](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=953s) When an accent doesn't go right, it's usually not the actor's fault. It's usually a combination of actor, coach, and production, and often is about not having enough time to prepare before shooting starts. — Erik Singer

> [08:38](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=518s) It's always tough to do a historical accent: do you go for absolute accuracy at the risk of alienating the audience and making it inaccessible? — Erik Singer

## Mentioned Erik Singer, Brad Pitt, Inglourious Basterds, Will Smith, Bennet Omalu, Concussion, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Truman Capote, Capote, Michael Keaton, Walter Robinson, Spotlight, Kate Winslet, Joanna Hoffman, Steve Jobs, Meryl Streep, Sophie's Choice, Tom Cruise, Far and Away, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Philippe Petit, The Walk, Idris Elba, Nelson Mandela, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Nicolas Cage, Con Air, Jake Gyllenhaal, Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain, Kevin Costner, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Leonardo DiCaprio, Blood Diamond, David Oyelowo, Martin Luther King Jr., Selma, The Wire, Robert F. Chew, Mickey Rooney, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Daniel Day-Lewis, Gangs of New York, Mel Gibson, Braveheart, Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises, Clint Eastwood, Matt Damon, Francois Pienaar, Invictus, Jon Voight, Anaconda, Cate Blanchett, Katharine Hepburn, The Aviator, Angelina Jolie, Maleficent, John Malkovich, Rounders, Renée Zellweger, Bridget Jones's Diary, Seven Years in Tibet, Snatch, The Devil's Own, The Dark Knight, Keanu Reeves, Bram Stoker's Dracula, There Will Be Blood, Don Cheadle, Ocean's Eleven, WIRED

## Video description Dialect coach Erik Singer analyzes the accents of some of Hollywood's biggest names. How accurate were they really?

Check out more from Erik here: http://www.eriksinger.com/

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Movie Accent Expert Breaks Down 32 Actors' Accents | WIRED

Created by: Joe Sabia

[Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE)

中文简报

电影口音专家解析32位演员的口音表现 | WIRED 方言教练 Erik Singer 系统剖析了32种电影口音，对多部著名表演中的语音机制、元音位置、口腔姿势及卷舌音特征进行了拆解。他将卓越的技术范本（如 Philip Seymour Hoffman 在《卡波特》中的表现及 Daniel Day-Lewis 在《血色将至》中的演绎）与显著的翻车案例（如 Kevin Costner 在《侠盗王子罗宾汉》中及 John Malkovich 在《赌王之王》中的口音）进行了对比。在此过程中，Singer 解释了演员为何难以掌握如南部元音裂化或德语清音化等特定地域特征，同时强调口音失败通常源于制作前期准备时间不足，而非演员缺乏才华。 方言教练 Erik Singer 强调，发音成功很大程度上依赖于口腔姿势——即下颌、舌头和嘴唇的静止位置与运动机制——像 Daniel Day-Lewis 这样的演员会将其直接融入到角色塑造中。 (14:26) 技术上的不一致（如卷舌音的不稳定、缺失元音裂化以及未能对词尾辅音进行清音化）经常会削弱原本具有辨识度的方言表演。 (6:17) 银幕口音的失败极少仅仅是因为演技欠佳；它们通常是由体制性的制作问题以及给予演员的准备时间不足所致。 (15:53)

Detailed notes — zh

## Background 该视频由 WIRED 官方频道于 2016 年 11 月 16 日发布在 YouTube 平台上。视频由方言教练 Erik Singer 出镜，旨在深度拆解好莱坞多位顶尖演员在经典影视作品中的口音还原度与真实水平。 ## TL;DR 方言教练 Erik Singer 细致点评了数十位演员在影视作品中的口音表现，从南部方言、波士顿腔、伦敦河口英语到历史复古口音一应俱全。他以严谨的语音学视角剖析了口音成功的技术标杆，如丹尼尔·戴-刘易斯的口腔姿态控制以及希斯·莱杰将发音与角色心理的深度融合；同时也指出了尼古拉斯·凯奇、凯文·科斯特纳等演员在元音裂化或卷舌控制上的失误。在视频结尾，Singer 强调口音翻车往往源于剧组缺乏充足的筹备时间，而精准的口音本身就是影视叙事不可或缺的核心层。 ## Atmosphere & style 整部视频洋溢着兼具学术深度与幽默风趣的专业分析氛围。Erik Singer 的点评客观犀利却不失同理心，他既能敏锐抓出发音走调的尴尬瞬间引发会心一笑，又能以极其纯熟的口腔解剖学与方言学知识令人信服。观看过程就像上一堂节奏明快的高阶表演与语音大师课，观众能直观感受到好莱坞演员在声音塑造上的严苛挑战与非凡魅力。 ## Bulletin - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=0s) 影视方言教练 Erik Singer 深度拆解好莱坞 32 位演员的口音表现，指出顶尖口音并非机械套用发音规则，而是依靠口腔姿态（Oral Posture）与角色心理的深度内化。 - [01:18](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=78s) 菲利普·塞默·霍夫曼在《卡波特》与丹尼尔·戴-刘易斯在《血色将至》中的演绎被评为标杆示范，证明了发音器官的微观控制能直接构建角色的内在质感。 - [06:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=377s) 多数银幕口音车祸现场（如《侠盗王子罗宾汉》与《十一罗汉》）主要源于准备时间极度匮乏，以及演员在卷舌/非卷舌、元音定位等基础音变上反复摇摆。 - [16:13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=973s) Singer 强调口音是影视叙事中不可割裂的核心维度，其成败由演员、方言教练及制片流程共同决定，而非演员单方面的责任。 ## Key takeaways - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=0s) 美国南部口音具有显著的“Goose 前移”（Goose-fronting）音变特征，布拉德·皮特在《无耻混蛋》中因后元音未向前推移而失了地道质感。 - [00:41](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=41s) 机械模仿往往浮于表面，威尔·史密斯在《震荡效应》中采用了过于宽泛的泛非洲口音，未还原真实人物特异的齿擦音齿音化特征。 - [01:18](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=78s) 菲利普·塞默·霍夫曼在《卡波特》中不仅还原了原型尖细的音色，更将口音与肢体神态彻底内化，达到音画一体的极致状态。 - [02:22](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=142s) 严格的舞台戏剧训练可能成为特定口音的阻碍，如凯特·温斯莱特与凯特·布兰切特因下颌开度过大，丢失了波兰口音与赫本原型特有的局促下颌姿态。 - [03:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=215s) 语音的不一致有时反而体现真实感，约瑟夫·高登-莱维特在《云中行走》中对法语小舌音与美式卷舌 r 的交替使用符合现实多语者的发音习惯。 - [04:56](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=296s) 南部方言的核心辨识度在于元音裂化（Vowel Breaking / Drawl）与 FACE 元音低起点，尼古拉斯·凯奇在《空中监狱》中完全脱靶。 - [05:31](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=331s) 希斯·莱杰在《断背山》与《蝙蝠侠：黑暗骑士》中展示了惊人的口腔肌肉控制力，即使在吐舌弹舌等夸张表演下仍能维系严密的口音构型。 - [06:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=377s) 凯文·科斯特纳在《侠盗王子罗宾汉》中成为口音反面教材，核心缺陷在于对非卷舌（non-rhotic）规则举棋不定，在英美音之间摇摆。 - [08:38](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=518s) 复原历史口音存在理解门槛与真实度的两难困境，丹尼尔·戴-刘易斯在《纽约黑帮》中通过舌尖触齿与鼻音化实现了兼顾观赏性的绝妙平衡。 - [10:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=644s) 演员模仿异国口音常陷入过度夸张的误区，例如约翰·马尔科维奇在《赌王之王》中对所有辅音全盘腭音化（软音化），脱离了真实俄语使用者的语言规律。 - [12:48](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=768s) 母语底层规律极难被掩盖，德语母语者说英语习惯将词尾浊辅音清化（如 have 念作 /f/），布拉德·皮特在《西藏七年》中因未清化词尾而失真。 - [15:09](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=909s) 银幕口音的严重翻车往往归咎于剧组未在开机前预留充足的方言训练时间，制片机制的仓促是口音失真的主要诱因。 - [16:13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=973s) 口音不仅是发音技巧，更是影视叙事与人物构建不可或缺的核心层，需要制片方、教练与演员三方通力协作。 ## Detailed walkthrough ### [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=0s) 导言与美国南部口音：布拉德·皮特《无耻混蛋》 影视方言教练 Erik Singer 介绍自己的日常工作是协助演员在电影与电视剧中掌握各种口音。他挑选了多部经典影视作品切片，分析好莱坞明星的口音表现究竟有多准确。 首先登场的是布拉德·皮特（Brad Pitt）在昆汀·塔伦蒂诺导演的《无耻混蛋》（Inglourious Basterds）中饰演的阿尔多·雷恩中尉（Lt. Aldo Raine）。皮特在片中需要呈现美国田纳西州乃至整个南部地区的口音。Erik 指出，南部口音有一个非常鲜明的语音学特征叫做“Goose 前移”（Goose-fronting）。这意味着像 goose、Jew、humanity、cruel 这一类词中的后元音，在发音时舌位应该更靠口腔前部（“Jew, humanity, cruel”）。然而皮特在讲到这几个词时并未做出明显的前移，发音依然偏后，因此 Erik 评价道：“He doesn't really get that.”（他并没有真正抓住这个发音要领）。 - **Goose-fronting（Goose 前移）**：美国南部方言的关键音变，将原本靠后的闭后圆唇元音 /uː/ 向口腔前部推移发音。 - **皮特漏掉的词汇样例**：Jew、humanity、cruel。 --- ### [00:41](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=41s) 尼日利亚口音：威尔·史密斯《震荡效应》 威尔·史密斯（Will Smith）在电影《震荡效应》（Concussion）中饰演真实存在的神经病理学医生贝内特·奥马卢（Dr. Bennet Omalu）。真实的奥马卢医生带有一种略带美式发音色彩的尼日利亚口音。 Erik 认为史密斯并没有真正去捕捉奥马卢医生个人的独特嗓音，而是选择了一种更宽泛、程式化的泛非洲/尼日利亚口音。尤其是在齿擦音（th 辅音）的处理上露出了破绽。在台词“This is bigger than they are”中，史密斯的 th 发音不够地道；在正规的尼日利亚口音中，这些齿间音（如 this, they）应该齿音化为类似塞音的清/浊齿音（dentalized：“dis day, dis is bigger than they are”）。 --- ### [01:18](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=78s) 声音模仿的极致：菲利普·塞默·霍夫曼《卡波特》 菲利普·塞默·霍夫曼（Philip Seymour Hoffman）在传记片《卡波特》（Capote）中饰演作家杜鲁门·卡波特（Truman Capote）。Erik 对这段表演赞不绝口，认为从各个维度来看都堪称完美。 霍夫曼精准捕捉到了卡波特标志性的发音质感、尖细音调以及肢体神态。更难能可贵的是，这种口音不是浮在台词表面的炫技，而是与整个角色、肢体语言彻底融为一体。Erik 盛赞道：“The accent is dead on perfect... and the accent's totally integrated, it's integral to the character and what the actor is doing as the character.”（口音精准至极……而且它完全内化了，它与角色以及演员对角色的塑造浑然一体）。 --- ### [01:52](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=112s) 波士顿口音：迈克尔·基顿《聚焦》 迈克尔·基顿（Michael Keaton）在奥斯卡获奖影片《聚焦》（Spotlight）中挑战了极具辨识度的波士顿口音。波士顿口音最典型的刻板特征之一，就是 LOT/CLOTH 词类（如 lot, god, hot）的特定开后圆唇元音（/ɒ/ 音）。 基顿在片中的表现显得有些飘忽不定。他在一次说“come on”时使用了正确的圆唇元音，但紧接着在下一次说“something was going on”时却又滑回了普通发音；在台词“confirmation”中，他也未能保持这种圆唇化（rounding），本应读作圆唇元音，基顿却没有做到，导致整体连贯性打了折扣。 --- ### [02:22](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=142s) 波兰口音与口腔姿态：凯特·温斯莱特《史蒂夫·乔布斯》 凯特·温斯莱特（Kate Winslet）在传记电影《史蒂夫·乔布斯》（Steve Jobs）中饰演乔布斯早期的市场总监霍安娜·霍夫曼（Johanna Hoffman）。Erik 肯定了温斯莱特的整体发音非常扎实，但他指出温斯莱特遗漏了一个关键维度：口腔姿态（Oral Posture）。 Erik 分析，由于温斯莱特可能受过严谨的戏剧舞台训练，习惯了“嘴巴张得越开、声音投射越好”的发声方式。然而现实中的霍安娜·霍夫曼在说话时下颌开口度极小、下巴位置偏高，上下牙齿之间的缝隙非常窄。温斯莱特在念台词时嘴张得过于开阔。作为正面对比，Erik 提及梅丽尔·斯特里普（Meryl Streep）在《苏菲的选择》（Sophie's Choice）中饰演波兰女性时的下颌姿态，斯特里普就极其精准地维持了波兰口音那种紧闭、局促的下颌控制。 --- ### [03:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=182s) 贝尔法斯特口音：汤姆·克鲁斯《大地雄心》 汤姆·克鲁斯（Tom Cruise）在《大地雄心》（Far and Away）中尝试了北爱尔兰贝尔法斯特（Belfast）口音。这段演出被普遍认为是口音模仿的反面教材。 Erik 语气委婉但态度明确，推测克鲁斯当时可能没有获得足够充足的方言准备时间。他在片中的元音发音到处乱窜，完全无法保持稳定。例如在台词“Why can't you say you like my hat?”中，关于 like、my、hat 的元音游离不定，时而有些靠近北爱尔兰发音，时而彻底走样，连最基础的一致性都未能维持。 --- ### [03:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=215s) 法国口音：约瑟夫·高登-莱维特《云中行走》 约瑟夫·高登-莱维特（Joseph Gordon-Levitt）在《云中行走》（The Walk）中饰演法国走钢丝艺术家菲利普·珀蒂（Philippe Petit）。Erik 认为这是一次非常出色的演绎，但在细节处仍有可提升空间。 - **亮点**：在单词 stop 中的元音发音（“they just rise and never stop”）非常地道精准；最困难的是英语中的 th 音（如“mad with this”），母语为法语的人极难掌握，而他完成得毫不费力且恰到好处。 - **关于 r 音的瑕疵与真实感**：有人可能会批评他对 r 辅音的处理前后不一——有时发出地道的法语小舌音（uvular r），有时又滑向美式卷舌 r。但 Erik 解释道：“People are inconsistent, that's real.”（人在现实生活中的发音本来就是不一致的，这种不一致反而很真实）。 --- ### [04:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=255s) 曼德拉口音：伊德里斯·艾尔巴《曼德拉：漫漫自由路》 伊德里斯·艾尔巴（Idris Elba）在《曼德拉：漫漫自由路》（Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom）中饰演纳尔逊·曼德拉。Erik 盛赞艾尔巴不仅模仿了声音，还还原了曼德拉本人的发音习惯、声带放置位置（Placement）以及轻微缩回、后拉的舌根（retracted tongue root）。 唯一的学术性瑕疵发生在 SQUARE 词类元音上。在曼德拉所使用的科萨语背景英语（Xhosa accent）中，prepared 中的 are 应该是一个单元音（monophthong，发作单元音 /eː/）；但艾尔巴在读“I am prepared”时，却把它发成了双元音（diphthong，滑音）。除此微小偏差之外，整体展现极其强悍。 --- ### [04:56](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=296s) 崩盘的南部口音：尼古拉斯·凯奇《空中监狱》 尼古拉斯·凯奇（Nicolas Cage）在《空中监狱》（Con Air）中饰演的主角卡梅隆·波（Cameron Poe）本应带有美国南部口音，但这段表演在方言学上几乎彻底失控。Erik 困惑地表示完全不知道凯奇在前期准备中经历了什么：“My first thought would be, a lot. This doesn't really hit any of the marks.”（我的第一反应是：问题太多了。这段表现基本没有一个点是对的）。 Erik 列举了凯奇错失的核心南部语音特征： 1. **元音裂化（Vowel Breaking / Southern Drawl）**：南部口音在遇到 creep 和 freak 这种前闭元音时，语调会产生特有的弯曲蠕动（“wiggle”），变成多重滑音，但凯奇的发音平淡毫无弧度。 2. **FACE 元音低起点**：像 plane 这样的词，元音起始点应该更低、开口更大，而凯奇的声音里完全听不到这种发音特征。 --- ### [05:31](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=331s) 怀俄明与德克萨斯口音：吉伦哈尔与莱杰《断背山》 在《断背山》（Brokeback Mountain）中，杰克·吉伦哈尔（Jake Gyllenhaal）饰演来自德克萨斯的杰克·特威斯特，希斯·莱杰（Heath Ledger）饰演怀俄明牛仔恩尼斯·德尔玛。Erik 认为这两位演员不仅在口音上登峰造极，更将方言转化为了角色心理的载体。 吉伦哈尔精准拿捏了怀俄明/德克萨斯交界处特定词汇的后移元音。在发 one、once 以及 couple of high altitude 时，其元音发音部位深深地拉回了口腔后部。 希斯·莱杰的表现更是令人赞叹。恩尼斯这一角色内心的压抑、紧张与自我撕裂，完全投射到了他的身体与面部肌肉姿态中。莱杰全程紧咬下颌、收紧嘴唇，甚至在不说话、默默倾听对手戏时，都维持着这种极具压迫感且充满防备的口腔肌肉姿态，方言与表演的结合堪称教科书级别。 --- ### [06:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=377s) 灾难级英音与西非克里奥尔语：《罗宾汉》与《血钻》 凯文·科斯特纳（Kevin Costner）在《侠盗王子罗宾汉》（Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves）中对英国口音的演绎，被 Erik 定性为影史反面教材：“This is like the paradigm of bad movie accents. This is the one everybody brings up for good reason... Nothing's right here.”（这简直就是烂口音电影的代名词。每个人提到糟糕口音都会拿这部电影当靶子，而且理据充分……这里面没一处是对的）。科斯特纳最大的问题是完全拿不定主意到底是保留 r 音还是去掉 r 音（非卷舌化），在英音与普通美音之间反复横跳，错误百出。 相比之下，莱昂纳多·迪卡普里奥（Leonardo DiCaprio）在《血钻》（Blood Diamond）中挑战塞拉利昂当地的西非克里奥尔语——克里奥语（Krio）。莱昂纳多完成得相当体面可信（a creditable job），只是语调（intonation）偶有瑕疵，不自觉混杂了一些西印度群岛/加勒比地区的语调色彩。 --- ### [07:19](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=439s) 唤起式马丁·路德·金与纯正巴尔的摩：《塞尔玛》与《火线》 在传记片《塞尔玛》（Selma）中，大卫·奥伊罗（David Oyelowo）饰演马丁·路德·金。Erik 分析指出，奥伊罗采取的策略并非机械式的单音模仿（impersonation），而是一种“意境唤起”（evocation）——即用神似的方式提醒观众这是那个众人皆知的经典声音。但如果严谨比对原声，真正的马丁·路德·金在发表演讲时音域（vocal range）跨度极大，极富布道感染力，而奥伊罗的音域起伏相对平稳，未完全展现出原声的戏剧性高低波幅。 与此形成鲜明对比的是伊德里斯·艾尔巴在美剧《火线》（The Wire）中饰演的 Stringer Bell。艾尔巴为这个巴尔的摩黑人口音打磨了整整数年，整体表现令人惊叹。不过 Erik 挑出了一个极其细微的本土特征：真正的巴尔的摩非裔在发 to 和 you 等词时有一种独一无二的特异发音（如剧中本土演员饰演的 Prop Joe 读“my nephew”），艾尔巴的发音相比之下略微平滑，缺少了这一点土生土长的极端地域色彩。 随后画面一闪而过米基·鲁尼（Mickey Rooney）在《蒂凡尼的早餐》（Breakfast at Tiffany's）中饰演日本邻居云吉先生的片段，Erik 甚至不屑于进行学术拆解，直接用一句脏话反问是谁允许这种滑稽且带有冒犯色彩的灾难发音发生的。 --- ### [08:38](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=518s) 19 世纪老纽约口音：丹尼尔·戴-刘易斯《纽约黑帮》 丹尼尔·戴-刘易斯（Daniel Day-Lewis）在马丁·斯科塞斯的《纽约黑帮》（Gangs of New York）中饰演屠夫比尔（Bill the Butcher）。Erik 直言，复原历史口音（historical accent）永远是一把双刃剑：如果一味追求历史考古式的绝对精确，很可能会让现代观众产生疏离感甚至难以听懂。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: Historical Accent Balancing accDescr: The dialect challenge in Gangs of New York balancing accuracy and accessibility subgraph Dilemma["历史口音的两难困境"] A["追求历史绝对原貌"] -->|"风险"| B["语言难以听懂，疏离观众"] C["完全现代通用发音"] -->|"风险"| D["丧失时代质感与粗粝历史感"] end subgraph Solution["戴-刘易斯的平衡之道"] E["丹尼尔·戴-刘易斯的折中方案"] E --> F["舌尖前送触碰牙齿（纽约特色）"] E --> G["融入大量鼻音共鸣（Nasality）"] E --> H["保留丰富的情感色彩与声调张力"] end Dilemma -.->|"完美平衡"| E ``` 戴-刘易斯在历史真实度与艺术感染力之间找到了绝妙的平衡。Erik 赞叹道：“I think he walks the line brilliantly here.”（我认为他在这条钢丝上走得极为出色）。从技术细节上看： 1. **舌尖落点（Tongue Tip Placement）**：戴-刘易斯发音时舌尖的位置发生了改变，直接轻触牙齿（hit his teeth），这是传统纽约老口音的绝妙特征（如“tell me”）。 2. **鼻音化（Nasality）**：在台词中注入了恰到好处的鼻音质感，同时丝毫不削弱台词本身的色彩与戏剧张力。 --- ### [09:21](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=561s) 苏格兰、俄语与南非荷兰语口音：《勇敢的心》、《东方的承诺》与《成事在人》 在第一部分的尾声，Erik 接连点评了三部作品中的各色方言： - **梅尔·吉布森《勇敢的心》（苏格兰口音）**：吉布森在这部片中的口音风评往往偏低，但 Erik 认为他遭受了不公平的差评。尽管片中确实偶尔有发音滑脱的情况，但只要他进入状态，其苏格兰口音实际上相当扎实地道（例如台词“Fight, and you may die; run, and you'll live”中的发音十分亮眼）。 - **维果·莫腾森《东方的承诺》（俄罗斯口音）**：莫腾森交出了一份合格的答卷，所有发音音素本身挑不出大毛病。然而 Erik 觉得他的口音整体偏向泛化的模式，缺乏与角色的深度咬合：“It just feels a little stiff and a little careful, the accent hasn't quite settled in yet, not like a real person speaking.”（听起来有点僵硬、过于小心翼翼，口音还没有真正沉淀下去，不太像一个活生生的人在自然说话）。 - **马特·达蒙《成事在人》（南非荷兰语口音 / Afrikaans）**：达蒙饰演南非跳羚橄榄球队队长弗朗索瓦·皮纳尔。南非荷兰语口音对美国演员来说是公认最难啃的骨头之一，但达蒙做了极其扎实的前期功课，表现令人惊艳。尽管严苛挑刺仍能发现个别词（例如 chosen 与 know）在反复念诵时的元音纯度偶有飘移，但整体掌控度已属顶尖水准。 ### [10:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=644s) 辨析巴拉圭、老式贵族英语与夸张俄语口音 在电影《狂蟒之灾》（Anaconda）中，强·沃特（Jon Voight）试图模仿巴拉圭口音，然而最终呈现出来的发音令人摸不着头脑，Erik Singer 评价道：“I have no idea what that accent was（我完全不知道那是哪门子口音）。” ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 口音分析对比 accDescr: 对比强·沃特、凯特·布兰切特、安吉丽娜·朱莉和约翰·马尔科维奇在不同影片中的口音表现与技术细节。 subgraph S1["强·沃特 《狂蟒之灾》"] A["角色：巴拉圭口音"] --> B["发音彻底失真，无法辨识"] end subgraph S2["凯特·布兰切特 《飞行者》"] C["模仿凯瑟琳·赫本个人方言"] --> D["音色、语调绝佳"] D --> E["缺陷：戏剧训练导致下颌过度打开"] end subgraph S3["安吉丽娜·朱莉 《沉睡魔咒》"] F["老式贵族公认发音 (RP)"] --> G["词尾短促的 /i/ 音还原极为地道"] end subgraph S4["约翰·马尔科维奇 《赌王之王》"] H["角色：俄国人讲英语"] --> I["过度腭音化 (Palatalize) 全盘软音"] end ``` 相比之下，凯特·布兰切特（Cate Blanchett）在《飞行者》（The Aviator）中对凯瑟琳·赫本（Katharine Hepburn）个人方言（idiolect）的还原堪称一绝。Singer 赞叹这是极棒的重现，但若非要挑剔细节，布兰切特高度依赖赫本标志性的音色与语调，其下颌姿势却不够贴合。布兰切特受过扎实的戏剧训练，发音时下颌打得很开，而赫本真实的说话姿态则是下颌抬高、紧收并略微前探。 在《沉睡魔咒》（Maleficent）中，安吉丽娜·朱莉（Angelina Jolie）挑战了一种略带复古感、极其讲究的高阶英音（即公认发音 Received Pronunciation / RP）。朱莉的表现极其亮眼，特别是她在念“royalty”、“nobility”和“gentry”这些词时，词尾发出的短促 /i/ 音，现代英国口音中已经几乎听不到了。 而在电影《赌王之王》（Rounders）里，约翰·马尔科维奇（John Malkovich）诠释的俄国口音则走向了另一个极端。讲英语的俄国人偶尔会在词里带出微弱的 /j/ 辅音，但马尔科维奇犯了一个母语为俄语的人绝不会犯的错误——他将所有发音都进行了过度腭音化（palatalize）。他在念“motherfucker”等词时把“m”音软化得异常夸张，这在现实中的俄语使用者身上完全不可能发生。 ### [12:48](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=768s) 伦敦河口英语、德语末尾清化与贝尔法斯特发音 芮妮·齐薇格（Renée Zellweger）在《BJ单身日记》（Bridget Jones's Diary）中挑战了伦敦口音，整体表现相当出色。Singer 特别指出了她对“边音爆破”（lateral plosion）的精准掌握，例如在念“gentlemen”时，舌头直接将 /t/ 的爆破音滑向 /l/ 音，这对于很多非本土演员来说极为困难。齐薇格精准地拿捏住了角色所需的河口英语（Estuary English）特质。 布拉德·皮特（Brad Pitt）在不同影片中的表现则参差不齐。在《西藏七年》（Seven Years in Tibet）中，皮特饰演一名奥地利登山家，需要使用德语口音，但成效欠佳： - 德语的一大核心规律是单词末尾的浊辅音需要清化（devoicing），这一母语习惯往往会带入英语中。 - 像“have”这样的词，德语母语者说英语时结尾更偏向 /f/ 音；而“kind”结尾则会听起来像 /t/ 音。 - 皮特在念“have”和“kind”时依然保留了英文发音习惯，没有把词尾清化，这对真正的德语母语者来说反而极难做到。 随后，Singer 评价了皮特在《偷拐抢骗》（Snatch）中饰演的流民角色。皮特在这部片中精准掌握了贝尔法斯特（Belfast）口音的精髓。对美国观众的耳朵来说，这种北爱尔兰口音非常晦涩难懂，但皮特对“car”等词中元音的处理极度传神。这与他在《致命突击队》（The Devil's Own）中僵硬、不达标的表现形成了鲜明对比，后者在念“sea”和“sleep”时完全找不到北爱尔兰口音的节奏与质感。 ### [14:29](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=869s) 小丑的怪诞发音、德古拉的非儿化音与丹尼尔·戴-刘易斯的声音塑造 希斯·莱杰（Heath Ledger）在《蝙蝠侠：黑暗骑士》（The Dark Knight）中饰演小丑，展现出一种古怪且独具特质的纽约口音。Singer 强调，这是一个为“怪诞、特立独行的人物”量身打造的声音。最让人佩服的是，即使莱杰在表演中频繁做出角色标志性的向外吐舌、弹舌动作，他依然能毫不走样地维持整套口音的发音构型。 在《惊情四百年》（Bram Stoker's Dracula）中，基努·里维斯（Keanu Reeves）的表现则令人失望。英格兰南部口音属于非儿化发音（non-rhotic），在元音后面的 /r/ 音通常不卷舌，比如“inferno”一词中的“r”应当省略。然而里维斯在表演中举棋不定，一会儿发卷舌音，一会儿又不发，显得摇摆不决。 丹尼尔·戴-刘易斯（Daniel Day-Lewis）在《血色将至》（There Will Be Blood）中塑造的老式加州口音则堪称大师级示范。与他在《纽约黑帮》中的发音不同，戴-刘易斯完全是围绕一套极其严密的口腔姿态（oral posture）来搭建口音乃至整个角色的： - 他的舌头在中部紧紧隆起，向两侧抵住上磨牙。 - 双颊肌肉保持非常松弛的状态。 - 标志性的胡子也为这一冷酷、沉稳的早期加州拓荒者形象增色不少。 唐·钱德尔（Don Cheadle）在《十一罗汉》（Ocean's Eleven）里的考克尼（Cockney）口音则成了一场灾难。在说到“villains”等词的台词时，元音几乎全脱靶了。Singer 为其开脱道：“There's no way the actor was given enough time to prepare（剧组绝对没有给演员留下充足的准备时间）。” ### [16:13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=973s) 总结：口音是影视叙事不可或缺的核心层 Singer 在片尾总结道，口音学习与表演绝非易事。无论是成功还是翻车，所有演员为了观众的视听娱乐都承担了巨大的风险。当银幕上的口音出现失误时，公众往往将矛头直指演员，但这通常并不是演员一个人的责任，而是演员、方言教练与制片方三方共同作用的结果。 制片流程中最大的症结往往是开机前没有为演员留出充足的训练与准备时间。Singer 提炼了整场分析的核心主旨，郑重提醒观众：“If there's one thing to remember, is that accent is a crucial layer of storytelling（如果说有什么是一定要记住的，那就是口音是故事讲述中至关重要的一层维度）。” ## Notable quotes > [16:13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=973s) If there's one thing to remember, is that accent is a crucial layer of storytelling — Erik Singer > [03:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE&t=215s) People are inconsistent, that's real. — Erik Singer ## Mentioned Erik Singer, 布拉德·皮特, 昆汀·塔伦蒂诺, 《无耻混蛋》, 威尔·史密斯, 贝内特·奥马卢, 《震荡效应》, 菲利普·塞默·霍夫曼, 杜鲁门·卡波特, 《卡波特》, 迈克尔·基顿, 《聚焦》, 凯特·温斯莱特, 霍安娜·霍夫曼, 《史蒂夫·乔布斯》, 梅丽尔·斯特里普, 《苏菲的选择》, 汤姆·克鲁斯, 《大地雄心》, 约瑟夫·高登-莱维特, 菲利普·珀蒂, 《云中行走》, 伊德里斯·艾尔巴, 纳尔逊·曼德拉, 《曼德拉：漫漫自由路》, 尼古拉斯·凯奇, 《空中监狱》, 杰克·吉伦哈尔, 希斯·莱杰, 《断背山》, 凯文·科斯特纳, 《侠盗王子罗宾汉》, 莱昂纳多·迪卡普里奥, 《血钻》, 大卫·奥伊罗, 马丁·路德·金, 《塞尔玛》, 《火线》, 米基·鲁尼, 《蒂凡尼的早餐》, 丹尼尔·戴-刘易斯, 马丁·斯科塞斯, 《纽约黑帮》, 梅尔·吉布森, 《勇敢的心》, 维果·莫腾森, 《东方的承诺》, 马特·达蒙, 《成事在人》, 强·沃特, 《狂蟒之灾》, 凯特·布兰切特, 凯瑟琳·赫本, 《飞行者》, 安吉丽娜·朱莉, 《沉睡魔咒》, 约翰·马尔科维奇, 《赌王之王》, 芮妮·齐薇格, 《BJ单身日记》, 《西藏七年》, 《偷拐抢骗》, 《致命突击队》, 《蝙蝠侠：黑暗骑士》, 基努·里维斯, 《惊情四百年》, 《血色将至》, 唐·钱德尔, 《十一罗汉》 ## Video description Dialect coach Erik Singer analyzes the accents of some of Hollywood's biggest names. How accurate were they really? Check out more from Erik here: http://www.eriksinger.com/ Still haven’t subscribed to WIRED on YouTube? ►► http://wrd.cm/15fP7B7 Get more incredible stories on science and tech with our daily newsletter: https://wrd.cm/DailyYT Also, check out the free WIRED channel on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Android TV. Here you can find your favorite WIRED shows and new episodes of our latest hit series Tradecraft. ABOUT WIRED WIRED is where tomorrow is realized. Through thought-provoking stories and videos, WIRED explores the future of business, innovation, and culture. Movie Accent Expert Breaks Down 32 Actors' Accents | WIRED Created by: Joe Sabia [Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDvESEXcgE)

Source quotes

[16:13] Erik Singer: If there's one thing to remember, is that accent is a crucial layer of storytelling [3:35] Erik Singer: People are inconsistent, that's real.

Source quotes

[15:53] Erik Singer: If there's one thing to remember, it's that accent is a crucial layer of storytelling. [15:53] Erik Singer: When an accent doesn't go right, it's usually not the actor's fault. It's usually a combination of actor, coach, and production, and often is about not having enough time to prepare before shooting starts. [8:38] Erik Singer: It's always tough to do a historical accent: do you go for absolute accuracy at the risk of alienating the audience and making it inaccessible?

Original transcript

[0:00] then my mother died about you about [0:02] thank you we what else would I do with [0:05] myself hi I'm Eric singer Eric is a [0:08] dialect coach who helps actors with [0:09] their accents in film and television [0:11] let's look at some [0:13] clips southern accent Brad Pit in [0:16] glorious bastards they're the foot [0:18] soldiers of a Jew hating mass murder and [0:20] maniac and they need to be destroyed [0:22] Tennessee accents and Southern Accents [0:24] in general have something called Goose [0:26] fronting sound good which is that the [0:28] vowel in words like Goose Ju Jew [0:30] Humanity Humanity cruel we will be cruel [0:33] to the Germans is fronter in the mouth [0:36] so Jew Humanity cruel he doesn't really [0:39] get that that's what I like to hear [0:41] Nigerian accent Will Smith concussion if [0:45] you continue to deny my work the world [0:48] will deny my work Smith is playing a [0:51] real person here that's it that's all I [0:53] am Bennett omalu who has a somewhat [0:56] Americanized Nigerian accent Sor Wii [0:59] playing me Smith doesn't seem to be [1:01] going for amala's voice so much as uh [1:03] tell the truth kind of generalized [1:06] Nigerian or African accent tell the [1:08] truth listen to those th sounds in this [1:11] this is bigger than they are they should [1:13] be dentalized this day this is bigger [1:16] than they are impersonation of Truman [1:18] capot Philip Seymour Hoffman capot I'd [1:21] only just handed them the final scene [1:23] when the bellhop told me I had a phone [1:25] call this is just amazing in every way [1:27] his particular vocal quality and [1:29] mannerisms are are just like capot I [1:31] think journalism can be taught but I [1:33] don't think creative writing can be [1:34] taught the accent is dead on perfect it [1:38] was my stepfather Joe capot and the [1:40] accent's totally integrated calling to [1:42] say that my mother had died it's [1:44] integral to the character and what the [1:46] actor is doing as the character he had [1:48] quite a lot to say about [1:52] us Boston accent Michael Keaton [1:55] Spotlight this is our town Jimmy [1:58] everybody knew something was going going [2:00] on and no one did a thing he's going for [2:03] a Boston accent that has one of the [2:04] stereotypical markers which is a lot God [2:08] hot valou he says on one time come on [2:11] and he says on the next time something [2:13] was going on he doesn't do that rounding [2:15] on confirmation unless I get [2:18] confirmation confirmation confirmation [2:20] he should we got to put an end to it [2:22] Polish accent Kate Winslet jobs that you [2:26] told her you weren't going to pay for [2:29] Harvard this is really good for the most [2:31] part thank you a thing that she doesn't [2:33] quite get is the oral posture her mouth [2:34] is very open again maybe theater [2:36] training the more you open your mouth [2:38] the more sound comes [2:40] out it's a little thing have a look at [2:42] Johanna Hoffman's jaw all software [2:44] developers it's a much closer jaw it's [2:46] much higher less space between the teeth [2:49] extremely easy to use look at Kate [2:50] Winslet's but what you make isn't [2:52] supposed to be the best part of you much [2:54] more open Merill Streep and Sophie's [2:56] Choice check out her jaw I had a lover [2:59] who was very very good to me Belfast [3:02] accent Tom Cruz Far and Away Grace isn't [3:06] Trump she's a dancer in the burle queue [3:09] she's my sister you know I'm sure this [3:12] could have been better enough the actor [3:14] probably wasn't given enough time to [3:15] prepare said that that's enough the [3:18] vowel sounds in like why can't you say [3:20] you like my sht and hat can't you say [3:24] you like my hat keep going all over the [3:26] place you like my hat sometimes they're [3:28] close sometimes there just say it Tom [3:31] Cruz I've earned this French accent [3:35] Joseph Gordon levit the walk the stairs [3:38] going up go back to the hotel if I'm not [3:41] back in 5 hours look for me at the [3:43] police station yeah so this is pretty [3:44] good there are definitely things that [3:46] could be improved here's a good thing [3:47] listen to the vowel in stop they just [3:50] rise and never stop it's not human [3:52] pretty dead on so you might pull out his [3:53] R Sounds here as being inconsistent [3:56] sometimes he's got a French [3:57] uvular there a scale the scale sometimes [4:00] a more American sounding R they just [4:03] rise they just rise but people are [4:05] inconsistent that's real that th sound [4:07] I'm mad with [4:09] this this is my dream he Nails it and [4:12] it's too easy that's hard for a French [4:15] speaker Idris Elba Mandela long walk to [4:19] Freedom my Lord it is not I but the [4:22] government that should be put in the [4:24] dock this is a great job Elba does a lot [4:27] to capture Mandela's particular vocal [4:30] characteristics and mannerism and [4:31] placement which I hope to live for he's [4:34] actually got a little bit of a retracted [4:36] a pulled back tongue rout listen to the [4:38] word prepared I am prepared as opposed [4:41] to prepared I am prepared prepared [4:45] prepar we call that the square lexical [4:48] set it should be a monong for Mandela [4:50] and HOSA accents generally whereas Elba [4:53] makes it a defon I plead not guilty [4:56] southern accent Nicholas Cage Conair I [5:00] got nothing in common with them with you [5:02] they were insane it's my daughter's [5:04] birthday today I don't know what [5:06] happened to the actor's prep here my [5:08] first thought would be a lot this [5:11] doesn't really hit any of the marks [5:13] Southern Accents have vowel breaking in [5:15] words like creep and freak they somehow [5:17] managed to get every creep and freak in [5:19] the universe which means has a little [5:20] wiggle creep and freak creep and freak [5:23] also a vow in a word like plane on this [5:26] one plane should start lower you're not [5:28] hearing any of that what of my fault [5:31] Wyoming Texas accents Jake Gyllenhaal [5:34] Heath Ledger Brokeback Mountain have you [5:37] been a Mexico Jack twist cuz I hear what [5:39] they go to Mexico for boys like you hell [5:42] yes I being in Mexico gyen Hall Nails [5:44] his Wyoming accent here listen to the [5:46] vowel in one and once how it's all the [5:48] way back in his mouth I did once I did [5:51] once you can also hear it in couple of [5:53] high altitude couple of high [5:54] altitude once or twice a year I [5:57] love Heath's performance here I ain't [5:59] joking the character's tightness and [6:02] repression and kind of struggle with [6:03] himself is mirrored in his posture [6:06] nothing I'm I'm nowhere look the way his [6:09] jaw and his lips are held tight all the [6:12] time you can even see him listening [6:14] through that posture why don't you just [6:16] let me be [6:17] huh English accent Kevin Cosner Robin [6:21] Hood prince of Thieves the chef calls us [6:25] Outlaws but I say we are free so this is [6:28] like the Paradigm of bad movie accents [6:30] this is the one everybody brings up for [6:32] good reason and face that the price for [6:34] it may be dear he can't make up his mind [6:36] whether to leave the RS in or take them [6:38] out he more powerful than 10 hired [6:41] soldiers nothing's right here then I say [6:44] we can win wrong Creole accent from [6:48] Sierra Leon Leonardo DiCaprio Blood [6:51] Diamond you Dam you get one more dead [6:54] body instead of Aeroplane Way full with [6:57] grenade launchers DiCaprio is speaking a [6:59] West African Creole here called Creo [7:02] then go at least go pay me huh all [7:05] rotten a them all rotten a them against [7:08] them government troop against them [7:10] government troop it's a creditable job [7:12] but this no fine huh it's a little [7:14] marred by some West Indian intonation [7:17] are you Chris otherwise it's pretty good [7:19] are you Chris David oowo Selma for we [7:23] shall be victorious in our Quest We [7:26] Shall cross the finish line hand in hand [7:28] David's not doing an impersonation it's [7:30] more of an evocation which means he's [7:32] just suggesting this very familiar voice [7:35] I'm so glad we're here together today [7:39] listen to how much of his vocal range [7:42] Martin Luther King Jr actually uses a [7:44] man dies when he refuses to stand up for [7:47] justice and compare it to David O yell [7:50] will we shall cross the finish line hand [7:52] in hand not quite the same Baltimore [7:55] accent Idris Elba the wire you're not [7:57] going to bring that corner up [7:59] in here you hear me I want this to run [8:02] like a trueing business this is amazing [8:05] elbow was working on this accent for [8:07] years one thing this accent doesn't have [8:09] is a really interesting Baltimore [8:11] specific African-American pronunciation [8:14] of words like to you what do you do [8:17] follow to what about you which you can [8:19] hear from other actors in the same show [8:21] who are actually Baltimore natives [8:22] listen to Prop Joe nail it my nephew my [8:25] nephew Japanese accent Mickey Rooney [8:29] Breakfast at Tiffany's you disturb me [8:32] you must have a me who the let this [8:36] happen vintage New York City accent [8:38] Daniel de Lewis Gangs of New York and I [8:41] want you to go out there you nobody else [8:43] to punish the murdering this poor little [8:47] rabbit it's always tough to do a [8:49] historical accent do you go for absolute [8:51] accuracy at the risk of alienating the [8:53] audience and making it inaccessible you [8:55] may have misgivings but don't go [8:57] believing that Jack and I think he walks [8:59] the line brilliantly here the tip of his [9:01] tongue hits a different place hits his [9:03] teeth which is characteristic of a New [9:04] York accent tell me tell me tell me this [9:07] Char does it sit uneasy with you he also [9:09] gets a lot of nasality into the accent [9:11] what in Heaven's name are you talking [9:13] about still maintains a lot of color and [9:15] expression help yourself to some decent [9:17] meat on the way out Scottish accent Mel [9:21] Gibson Braveheart and I see a whole Army [9:25] of my countrymen here in defiance of [9:28] tyranny you know I think maybe Gibson [9:30] gets a bad rap for this performance yes [9:32] I've heard it does slip out why does it [9:35] go but when it's on it's pretty good for [9:38] example fight and you may die run and [9:41] you'll love that's pretty good I give [9:43] you thanks Russian accent vgo mortson [9:48] Eastern Promises if you can prove baby [9:50] was his and girl was under age that is [9:52] statutory rape yeah mortson does a [9:55] pretty creditable job here but please it [9:58] doesn't feel quite integrated it's a [10:00] little general for politic reasons it's [10:03] not that the sounds are off they're all [10:05] pretty good okay it just feels a little [10:07] stiff and a little careful the accent [10:09] hasn't quite settled in yet thank you [10:11] not like a real person speaking I don't [10:13] know what you're talking [10:17] about African's accent Matt Damon [10:20] Invictus Please Mr President it makes [10:23] complete sense to me in the bus on the [10:25] way to the stadium nobody talks Damon [10:28] prepped really really well for this role [10:31] and it's just a great job on an accent [10:33] that's usually really hard for Americans [10:35] this is our destiny there's always [10:36] something to pick on listen to the line [10:38] that has chosen and no in it something [10:41] I've chosen one we all know nails that [10:43] vowel the first time something I've [10:44] chosen not so much the second time when [10:46] we will [10:47] now paraguayan accent John void Anaconda [10:52] never look in the eyes of those you kill [10:55] they will haunt you forever [10:59] I have no idea what that accent was I [11:01] know Kate Blanchet The Aviator he's a [11:04] urologist but it's all tied up inside [11:06] the body don't you so this is a great [11:08] evocation of Katherine heer's particular [11:11] idict if I had to quibble with it I'd [11:14] say that Blanchet relies really strongly [11:16] on hein's Tambour and intonation your [11:19] death she doesn't quite have the posture [11:21] she has a very open jaw perhaps from her [11:23] theater training if you're death you [11:25] must own up to it as opposed to a sort [11:27] of high tight and slightly forward jaw [11:29] that Catherine heon had women and men [11:31] simply are not the same men can't be [11:34] friends with women how they're just not [11:36] the same English accent Angelina Jolie [11:40] Maleficent I really felt quite [11:42] distressed at not receiving an [11:45] invitation so Julie's going for a [11:47] slightly old-fashioned very Posh English [11:49] accent here well well what we'd call [11:52] received pronunciation and she does a [11:54] great job of it oh dear listen to the [11:56] way she says the words Royal y royalty [12:00] nobility nobility Gentry Gentry and [12:04] those short ending I sounds you won't [12:07] really hear that in English accents [12:08] anymore how qu Russian accent John [12:13] malovich rounders and in my club I will [12:16] Splash the pot whenever the I please [12:22] respect is all you have left in the [12:24] morning so Russian speaking English will [12:27] sometimes stick a little Y sound in [12:29] alligator blood and what malovich does [12:32] here is something that no Russian [12:34] speaker speaking English would actually [12:36] do which is palatalize everything the [12:39] way malovich says this m m is over [12:44] enthusiastic you'll never hear that from [12:46] an actual Russian speaker [12:48] mother chck he Tri me London accent Rene [12:53] El wagger Bridget Jones's Diary the [12:55] greatest book of our time one of the top [12:59] 30 music or a posture these things are [13:02] all going really really well thank you [13:05] she does lateral plosion on words like [13:07] gentlemen gentlemen that's exploding the [13:10] T sound straight into the L Sound and is [13:12] difficult for a lot of people gentlemen [13:14] gentle gentlemen and it's that estery [13:17] English accent that she's going for with [13:19] a character [13:20] properly German accent Brad Pit 7 Years [13:24] in Tibet the one raising their Flags in [13:27] honor the Chinese don't don't deserve [13:30] this could be better listen to the words [13:32] have you have the entire Palace in a [13:34] panic and kind kind of difficult in a [13:37] glass house you know in German the [13:39] consonants at the ends of words are [13:41] devoiced and this carries over into [13:43] English so a word like have you have the [13:45] entire Palace is going to have a f sound [13:48] at the end a word like kind kind of [13:50] difficult is going to have more like a t [13:52] sound at the end so he and kind which is [13:54] really hard for a German to do speaking [13:56] English Belfast accent Brad Pit snatch [14:01] brings a f size of you unless they're [14:02] trying to say something they're talking [14:04] right by why the do I want to C around [14:05] it's got no Weirs Belfast English can be [14:07] really hard for American ears to [14:11] understand listen to the vowels in the [14:13] words car car she got car which is just [14:16] great contrast that with in the devil [14:19] Zone when he says see love the rocking [14:21] of the SE and sleep there is no more [14:24] peaceful way of going to sleep and he [14:26] just doesn't have it New York City ACC [14:29] Heath Ledger The Dark Knight but I know [14:31] the truth there's no going back you've [14:34] changed things forever this is a weird [14:38] idiosyncratic American accent you for a [14:41] weird idiosyncratic character complete [14:44] me I love the way he's able to maintain [14:47] his accent even with this weird tongue [14:50] flicky outy gesture that he does that's [14:52] part of the [14:53] character English accent Keanu Reeves [14:57] Bram Stoker's Dracula I know know where [14:59] the bastard sleeps I brought him there [15:03] I've seen many strange things already [15:06] bloody wolves chasing me through some [15:07] blue Inferno so southern English accents [15:10] are non- Ric you leave the r sound out [15:12] after a vow in a word like Inferno blue [15:15] Inferno he can't make up his mind [15:17] whether to do it or not I will give it [15:19] my full attention vintage California [15:21] accent Daniel de Lewis There Will Be [15:23] Blood one night I'm going to come to you [15:26] inside of your house wherever you're [15:27] sleeping and I'm going to cut your [15:28] throat so this is another flavor of [15:31] vintage or early American totally [15:33] different from Gangs of New York is this [15:35] about buying up my tracks here I love [15:37] the way he seems to build the accent and [15:38] even the character around the oral [15:40] posture of course you do of course you [15:43] do he has his tongue bunched up in the [15:45] middle of his mouth and bracing against [15:46] the molers and he lets his cheeks be [15:48] very loose yes I do his mustache is also [15:51] perfect what else would I do with myself [15:53] English Cockney accent D cheel Oceans 11 [15:57] hang on are you accusing me booby traing [16:00] there's no way the actor was given [16:01] enough time to prepare [16:03] oh for example listen to this line it'll [16:06] be nice working with proper villains [16:07] again none of those vs really hit their [16:10] targets you had one job to do conclusion [16:13] look this stuff isn't easy good or bad [16:15] these actors all took some serious risks [16:17] for our entertainment big as risk here [16:21] when an accent doesn't go right it's [16:22] usually not the actor's fault it's [16:24] usually a combination of actor coach and [16:27] production and often is a about not [16:29] having enough time to prepare before [16:31] shooting starts if there one thing to [16:33] remember is that accent is a crucial [16:35] layer of [16:38] Storytelling we like that cool