44 Actors Who Are So Good At American Accents, People Were Shocked To Find Out They Were Fake
Lauren Garafano
10 min read
44 Actors Who Are So Good At American Accents, People Were Shocked To Find Out They Were Fake
We asked the BuzzFeed Community which famous actor they were truly shocked to learn isn’t American. Here’s what they said:
1. Millie Bobby Brown
Warner Bros. / Universal / Everett”I knew him from Skins, but his performance and American accent were so good in everything else, I totally forgot he was English.”—niallh459ac7a2b
Where you know his American accent from: Get Out, Widows, Queen & Slim, Judas and the Black Messiah
Where he’s actually from: London
4. Hugh Jackman
20th Century Fox / Everett“I didn’t know Hugh Jackman was Australian until much more recently than I would like to admit. I grew up watching the X-Men series and later saw The Greatest Showman, and it never even occurred to me that he wasn’t American! Not even Les Miserables gave it away!”
—eivor1612
Where you know his American accent from: The Greatest Showman, the X-Men movies
Where he’s actually from: Sydney
5. Toni Collette
A24 / Lionsgate / Everett“I’ve never seen any of her Australian roles, and didn’t realize she wasn’t American until I saw it in a BuzzFeed article. She’s done so many projects with an American accent, and she sounds so natural in all of them.”
—danae9
Where you know her American accent from: Knives Out, Hereditary, Unbelievable, United States of Tara, Little Miss Sunshine, In Her Shoes
Where she’s actually from: Sydney
6. Florence Pugh
Sony Pictures Releasing / A24 / Everett“I first saw her in Midsommar and fell in love with her! Then I followed her on Instagram and watched some of her stories and was totally caught off guard when she started speaking with a British accent. Her American accent is flawless.”
—Lauren Garafano
What you know her American accent from: Little Women, Midsommar
Where she’s actually from: Oxford, England
7. Tom Holland
Walt Disney Studios / Everett Collection“I was completely convinced he was American until I started watching some interviews. I was absolutely blown away by the fact that his accent was fake! I saw a video once where he spent the whole time switching back and forth between his regular British accent and his American accent, and it was wild to see how easy it is for him to turn it on and off.”
—julescayer
Where you know his American accent from: The Spider-Man and MCU movies, The Devil All the Time, Uncharted
Where he’s actually from: Kingston upon Thames, England
8. Alfred Enoch
Abc / Everett Collection“He has the most spot-on American accent. It’s spotless.”
—pengbee1227
Where you know his American accent from: How to Get Away with Murder
Where he’s actually from: Westminster, London
9. Charlie Cox
Netflix“His American accent is especially impressive when he also has to focus on challenging fight scenes.”
—ams2308
Where you know his American accent from: Daredevil
Where he’s actually from: East Sussex, England
10. KJ Apa
Jack Rowand / The CW / Everett Collection“I saw a few videos online where he spoke with a Kiwi accent and got SO confused because I first saw him on Riverdale.”
—Sarah Wainschel
What you know his American accent from: Riverdale, A Dog’s Purpose, and The Hate U Give
Where he’s actually from: Auckland, New Zealand
11. Alan Cumming
Dimension Films / CBS / Everett“He has a verrrrrry believable American accent.”
—adityaaswaminathan
Where you know his American accent from: The Good Wife, Spy Kids, Instinct
Where he’s actually from: Aberfeldy, Scotland
12. Melanie Lynskey
Showtime / Hulu / Everett“The biggest celeb who tricked me (since I’d never heard her real accent until a recent interview) was Melanie Lynskey! She has such a great American accent!” —sheap
“I’ve seen her in so many things, but I just recently found out she’s a Kiwi!!! I had no idea. She gives absolutely no hints in her accent that she’s not American. I was totally floored.”
—elliedarling12
What you know her American accent from: Yellowjackets, Up in the Air, Two and a Half Men, Togetherness, Candy, Don’t Look Up
Where she’s actually from: New Plymouth, New Zealand
13. Daniel Ezra
The CW / Everett“He plays a teenager who grew up in LA, but he’s actually British. I was shocked the first time I heard him speak in real life.”
—stephaniem41f4d4b63
Where you know his American accent from: All American
Where he’s actually from: Birmingham, England
14. Joseph Quinn
NetflixSuggested by itzelgm1018
Where you know his American accent from: Stranger Things
Where he’s actually from: London
15. Tom Payne
Fox / AMC / Everett“It wasn’t until I Googled him to see what other projects he had been in that I discovered he was British. When I tell you I was SHOOOOOK!”
—laidedahunsi
Where you know his American accent from: Prodigal Son, The Walking Dead
Where he’s actually from: Chelmsford, United Kingdom
16. Idris Elba
NBC / HBO / Everett“Idris Elba’s Baltimore accent is so incredibly good. I watched the entirety of The Wire before I ever knew he was British!”
—keziahunter45
Where you know his American accent from: The Wire, Pacific Rim, American Gangster, The Office
Where he’s actually from: Hackney, London
17. Henry Cavill
Warner Bros. / Everett Collection“I had no clue he was British for the longest time. I even had to double-check before posting this because I was still second-guessing myself.”
—ashmed812
“I honestly thought that he was American because he played Superman in Man of Steel and had a very convincing American accent, but nope!! Man is British!”
—graciea02
Where you know his American accent from: The Justice League series, Mission: Impossible — Fallout
Where he’s actually from: St. Helier, Jersey, British Isles
18. Antony Starr
Amazon Prime“His character on The Boys is a spoof of Marvel’s golden boy Captain America, and he’s supposed to represent the USA, so I always forget the actor is actually from New Zealand. He nails the American accent!”
—hiitsnicetomeetyou
Where you know his American accent from: The Boys
Where he’s actually from: Auckland, New Zealand
19. Camila Luddington
ABC / Everett“This is the only celeb who shocked me. I always forget she’s not American! Her accent caught me so off guard in an interview!”
—puppydogpals
What you know her American accent from: Grey’s Anatomy
Where she’s actually from: Berkshire, England
20. Jesse Spencer
NBC / Fox / Everett“I recall being absolutely flummoxed when I found out he’s an Aussie and heard him speak in his regular voice! His American accent is flawless. ??”
—jenniferb179
Where you know his American accent from: House, Chicago Fire
Where he’s actually from: Melbourne, Australia
21. Will Poulter
Hulu / New Line Cinema / Everett“I first saw him in The Maze Runner, where he put on an American accent, and I didn’t realize until I saw him in Son of Rambow that he’s English! He’s actually from London.”
—Costcoffee
What you know his American accent from: Dopesick, We’re the Millers, Midsommar, The Maze Runner series
Where he’s actually from: Hammersmith, London
22. Robert Sheehan
Netflix / Everett“I just binge-watched The Umbrella Academy, then decided to watch some of his other works and found out that he’s actually Irish. His American accent is so good, I never would’ve guessed!”
—marie-francel
Where you know his American accent from: The Umbrella Academy
Where he’s actually from: Port Laoise, Ireland
23. Rose McIver
Netflix / The CW / CBS / Everett“I always thought she was American because she’s good at hiding her real accent in iZombie and Netflix’s A Christmas Prince series. I watched a video on YouTube where she recapped the movie and was surprised to hear her thick Kiwi accent.” —s4bb472acb
What you know her American accent from: Ghosts, A Christmas Prince series, The Lovely Bones, iZombie
Where she’s actually from: Auckland, New Zealand
24. Gugu Mbatha-Raw
Apple TV+ / Disney+ / Everett“I didn’t find out she was actually English for the longest time.”
—daynam4b6e28fa3
Where you know her American accent from: Loki, Black Mirror, The Morning Show
Where she’s actually from: Oxford, England
25. Ella Purnell
Netflix / Showtime / EverettWhere you know her American accent from: Yellowjackets, Sweetbitter, Army of the Dead
Where she’s actually from: Whitechapel, London
26. Liv Hewson
Showtime / Netflix / EverettWhere you know their American accent from: Yellowjackets, Santa Clarita Diet, Let It Snow, Bombshell
Where they’re actually from: Canberra, Australia
27. Karl Urban
New Line Cinema / Paramount / Everett“Karl Urban always gets me. He’s been in so many movies using an American accent that when he was in The Boys, I had to keep reminding myself that that’s his real accent.”
—lillette2012
Where you know his American accent from: Xena: Warrior Princess, The Lord of the Rings movies, Star Trek
Where he’s actually from: Wellington, New Zeland
28. Christian Bale
Lionsgate / Warner Bros. / Everett“The first thing I saw him in was Newsies way back in the early ’90s. I had no idea he was Welsh. Since then, some of his most famous roles have been with his American accent, but I forget every time that he’s not really American.”
—lindaelliott
Where you know his American accent from: American Pyscho, The Dark Knight trilogy, Vice, The Fighter, Newsies
Where he’s actually from: Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales
29. Katherine Langford
Netflix / Everett“Her American accent is really good in everything she’s in, and I was so shocked when I found out she wasn’t American.” —a48b5
What you know her American accent from: 13 Reasons Why; Knives Out; and Love, Simon
Where she’s actually from: Perth, Western Australia
30. Andrew Garfield
Sony / Netflix / Everett“It’s been a long time since someone shocked me but I think the last was Andrew Garfield. I really did think he was American AND Latino after The Social Network.”
—sunchick116
What you know his American accent from: The Social Network, Tick, Tick…Boom!, The Amazing Spider-Man movies, Hacksaw Ridge, Under the Banner of Heaven
Where he’s actually from: Epsom, England
31. Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Universal / Courtesy Everett CollectionWhat you know his American accent from: Kick-Ass, Nocturnal Animals, and A Million Little Pieces
Where he’s actually from: Buckinghamshire, England
32. Jacob Elordi
HBO / Netflix / EverettWhat you know his American accent from: Euphoria, The Kissing Booth series
Where he’s actually from: Brisbane, Australia
33. Cynthia Erivo
Focus Features / 20th Century Fox / Everett“I saw her in The Color Purple on Broadway, and she was so fantastic. Then I did a deep pe and watched a few interviews with her, and I was so surprised to learn she’s English.”
—Spencer Althouse
Where you know her American accent from: The Color Purple on Broadway, Harriet, Widows, Bad Times at the El Royale
Where she’s actually from: Stockwell, London
34. Sarah Snook
HBO / Everett“The first time I found out that Sarah Snook is actually Australian, my jaw dropped on the floor. She is so believable as Shiv and, of the Roy siblings, if I had to guess which one wasn’t actually American it would never have been her!”
—Jen Abidor
What you know her American accent from: Succession, Steve Jobs, and Black Mirror
Where she’s actually from: Adelaide, Australia
35. Hugh Laurie
Fox / Everett Collection“You cannot talk about this without mentioning the master, Hugh Laurie. He sounds so American, and it’s even said that the creator of the House, upon seeing Hugh’s audition tape, commented about Hugh being a true American, not realizing that he is British. The only thing more amazing than Hugh’s American accent is the fact that he never won an Emmy for the role.”
—gidgetgadget
Where you know his American accent from: House
Where he’s actually from: Blackbird Leys, Oxford, United Kingdom
36. Keiynan Lonsdale
Katie Yu / CW Network / Everett CollectionWhat you know his American accent from: Love, Simon; The Flash; Divergent series
Where he’s actually from: Sydney
37. Eamonn Walker
Nbc / Everett Collection“I just learned through a BuzzFeed comment a couple months ago that he wasn’t American. The man had me fooled this whole time.”
—pepperopigeon
Where you know his American acent from: Oz, Chicago Fire
Where he’s actually from: London
38. Charlie Heaton
Courtesy Netflix / ©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection“I didn’t know he was British until I watched an interview with him. His American accent is sooooooo good.”
—a_disgruntled_pelican
What you know his American accent from: Stranger Things and New Mutants
Where he’s actually from: Leeds, England
39. Rose Byrne
Universal / Apple TV+ / Everett“I also always forget that Rose Byrne is Australian. She’s so convincing in Bridesmaids that I assumed she was American!”
—books_baking_broadway
Where you know her American accent from: Bridesmaids, Physical, Like a Boss, Mrs. America, Instant Family
Where she’s actually from: Balmain, Australia
40. Maia Mitchell
Abc Family / Everett CollectionSuggested by b4c9f9
What you know her American accent from: Good Trouble, The Fosters, Teen Beach Movie
Where she’s actually from: Lismore, New South Wales, Australia
41. Chiwetel Ejiofor
Columbia / Fox Searchlight / EverettSuggested by taylorowens
What you know his American accent from: 12 Years a Slave, Z for Zachariah, and Salt
Where he’s actually from: Forest Gate, London
42. Isla Fisher
Walt Disney Co. / Everett Collection“I only found out like a week ago that Isla Fisher is Australian. I always thought she was American!” —b481d76f3c
What you know her American accent from: Wedding Crashers, Arrested Development, Confessions of a Shopaholic, Now You See Me
Where she’s actually from: Born in Muscat, Oman, but grew up in Perth, Western Australia
43. Kevin McKidd
ABC / EverettSuggested by tracyellysabethcrawford
What you know his American accent from: Grey’s Anatomy, Percy Jackson & the Lightning Thief
Where he’s actually from: Elgin, Moray, Scotland
44. And finally, Kate Winslet
Paramount / HBO / Focus Features“Kate Winslet’s American accent is flawless. She even nailed the Delco accent in Mare of Easttown.”
—pepperopigeon
Where you know her American accent from: Titanic, Mare of Easttown, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the Divergent movies
Where she’s actually from: Reading, United Kingdom
Some submissions have been edited for length/clarity.
Not all entries are user submissions.
Did any of these surprise you? Now, in the comments, tell us which actors YOU were surprised to find out weren’t actually American.
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