13 British Actors Who Can do American Accents Perfectly ...

Vanessa

There are so many fantastic British actors who can do American accents, flawlessly! Sometimes I’ll watch a British actor and even forget that they’re not from the US. That’s how good they are. Check out this list of British actors who can do American accents. Video clips are included and no, this isn’t all of them! Tell me who you think puts on the best accent!

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1. Hugh Laurie

For a long time, I didn’t even know this man was British. His American accent on House was so good that he made audiences forget! He perfected his sarcastic tone for eight whole seasons. Even though he’s fantastic at it, he says it didn’t come easy! “It’s as if you’re playing left-handed. Or like everyone else is playing with a tennis racket and you have a salmon,” he said. Ha, don’t worry Hugh! You top my list of British actors who can do American accents and make it believable!

2. Emma Watson

We all fell in love with Em’s British accent in the Harry Potter movies. Honestly, how amazing is she? If you watched her in Perks of Being a Wallflower, you know she can put on a killer American accent. She sounds like a typical American girl which is crazy, isn’t it?! Watson also appeared in the movie The Bling Ring, where she played an American “brat”. To prepare for the movie, Emma said, “I watched a lot of Keeping up with the Kardashians and The Hills, and I tried to understand the psychology of this kind of girl as much as possible. The accent was hard as it was a particular kind of dialect.” I think she did an awesome job!

Frequently asked questions

Honestly, I think it's because they have to learn it for more roles. Plus, Brits are super dedicated to their craft, right? They're trained well and just put in lots of effort. It's impressive!

Oh, totally! He sometimes nails it so well that you forget he's a British chap. It's kinda crazy when you first realize it!

I gotta say, they do have a similar vibe! Maybe it's the cheekbones or the smile. I sometimes mix them up, especially when they're using American accents!

It's pretty spot on, if you ask me! In Gossip Girl, for example, you'd never guess he's from Britain. He really nails the New York vibe.

Might be a bit of a generalization, but yeah, they often are! I think it's part training and part their love for playing diverse roles. They just seem to get accents down really well!

3. Charlie Hunnam

Hubba hubba. I didn’t know Charlie was British until I sat down and watched interviews of him on YouTube! Then, of course, I fell even more in love with him because of his adorable accent. He plays Jax Teller in FX’s “Sons of Anarchy” (which I’m obsessed with) and puts on such a great American accent. He hasn’t ever had his British accent slip up while acting. However, if you watch SOA bloopers, you’ll hear his adorable accent apologizing every time he messes up a line!

4. Ed Westwick

To play Chuck Bass on Gossip Girl, Ed had to trade in his accent for an American one. This one really surprised me because I had NO idea he wasn’t American. I was obsessed with GG for a long time, so I’m surprised I never caught it! When the series ended and I was going through Chuck Bass withdrawals, I started watching all his interviews. That’s when I realized this hunk was actually from the UK! Did he have you fooled, too?

5. Sam Claflin

Have you seen The Hunger Games : Catching Fire yet? If so, you were probably drooling over Sam Claflin who plays Finnick Odair. What you might not have known is that this handsome guy is actually British! Who would’ve thought? He definitely had us all fooled with his great American accent. If you feel the need to listen to his British accent, just YouTube his interviews with the Hunger Games cast! Kudos, Sam!

6. Kate Winslet

Can this woman be any more perfect? She’s practiced her American diction in many different films. I think she’s at her most convincing in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. It’s effortless for her! I love her and all her movies, no matter what accent she puts on!

7. Damien Lewis

Lewis won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Nicholas Brody in SHO’s Homeland. You can tell that he works very hard on his accent. “When I work on set I wake up in the morning with an American accent. I don’t come out of my American accent until someone shouts, ‘wrap,’ he’s said. If you haven’t already watched Homeland, then what have you been doing? This show is incredible! Check out his accent skills first-hand!

8. Christian Bale

The fact that Christina Bale was actually English came as a shocker. After re-wathcing The Dark Knight several times in a row, I had no idea that his American accent wasn't native to him. He really has a limitless amount of talent to perfectly embody a character even if there is an accent barrier. However he did have lots of practice as he spent most of his life living in different countries including United States.

9. Andrew Garfield

You can definitely pull of a natural American accent when even your girlfriend-to-be, or Emma Watson is shocked to hear you speak. That is exactly what happened to Andrew Garfield! However he didn't just pull his American accent out of thin air, he was actually born in California before moving to UK and his father has had his American accent all his life!

10. Nicholas Hoult

From Warm Bodies to X-Men, Nicholas Hoult had his own share of practicing the American accent, but all of his work paid off because everything is completely believable. The actor himself actually enjoys completely transforming himself for a role, "I've done a few gigs with an American accent now. I kind of enjoy acting with an American accent. It feels more like acting when I can hear an American accent coming out of my head."

11. Idris Elba

Idris Elba may actually be the king of mastering accents. He does an impeccable job imitating almost any accent he comes into contact with, and who can forget him in The Wire? Not only did he do an American accent but he also mastered the variety of African American vernacular.

12. Henry Cavill

Henry Cavill's American accent is just as charming as his own. If you have watched his latest flick, Man of Steel, you know how hard it really is to tell that behind the fake American accent, there is a British man! He really makes it seems easy and effortless to transition from one accent to another, only if it were that easy for the rest of us!

13. Josh Bowman

Josh Bowman could easily pass for a true American if he had to, just take a look at his American accent! Over the years, we have seen him portray American characters over and over again, so it has been really hard to register that he has a British accent in real life!

That sums up my list! All these British actors are so awesomely talented. I only named 13 in this list but I know there are A LOT more British actors who can rock an American accent. From this list, who do you think does the best one?

This article was written in collaboration with editor Vladlena Lee.

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Where Thoughts and Opinions Converge

Nicholas Hoult!

I didn't see the bling ring so I can't speak to that, but Emma's American accent was so bad in Perks of being a wallflower it was distracting.

Charlie Hunnam's accent slips ALL THE TIME!

Christian bale jeez most of these actors are dumb mainstream ones

Andrew Lincoln!!

It's funny when I read the title the first thought in my mind was the actor who plays house better be on here and I scrolled down to look and he was the first one

Andrew Garfield!

I'm crazy in love with Ed.

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