Audiences all across the world may be surprised to learn that some of their most celebrated and buzzed-about American characters in both film and television are actually portrayed by gifted British actors. It seems as though performers from across the pond are just naturally skilled at perfecting the American dialect, as famous faces likeGary Oldman,Kate Winslet, andMillie Bobby Brownhave all excelled at tackling the vernacular.
FromThe Walking Dead’sAndrew Lincolnwonderfully dropping his British cadence in favor of a southern twang, to acting chameleonFlorence Pughmasterfully embodying every character she takes on, both the big and small screens have been home to some seriously spectacular performances by decorated stars. Here are 20 British actors who played American characters flawlessly.
20Kate Winslet
Born in Reading, Berkshire, Academy Award-winning actressKate Winsletattended the Redroofs Theatre School at age 11 and studied drama, appearing in starring roles in productions ofPeter Pan, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,andThe Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
Winslet made her feature film debut in Peter Jackson’s 1994 psychological dramaHeavenly Creaturesat just 19-years-old and subsequently appeared inSense and Sensibility, Jude,andHamlet,before landing the career-defininglead opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in James Cameron’s epic romanceTitanic.
Her Best American Accents
After headlining therecord-smashing blockbuster masterpiece, Winslet established herself as one of Hollywood’s most dynamic and respected performers, frequently showing off her phenomenal American accent in films likeEternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,Revolutionary Road,and most recently in the HBO miniseriesMare of Easttown, the latter of which required her to capture the Philadelphia-based “Delco accent”.She toldIndieWireabout learning the extremely challenging cadence:
“It was up there with the hardest accents I’ve ever done, in the top three for sure. It’s one of only two dialects in my life that made me throw things — that and the dialogue that they made me do in the movie about Steve Jobs.”
19Andrew Garfield
The charismaticAndrew Garfieldis no stranger to showcasing his dialect skills, and despite being born in Los Angeles, the actor was raised in Epson, England where he was professionally trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Garfield made his cinematic debut in the 2007 ensemble dramaLions for Lambs, and first garnered widespread international acclaim for his riveting performance as Eduardo Saverin in David Fincher’s revered biographical dramaThe Social Network.
His Best American Accents
Garfield truly became a household name when he took on theiconic role of Peter Parkeralongside Emma Stone in the superhero extravaganzaThe Amazing Spider-Manand its follow-up sequel, while also reprising the character in 2021’s unforgettableSpider-Man: No Way Home.
The actor would once again show off his American accent inHacksaw Ridgeand in the musicalTick, Tick… Boom!, for which he also won a Golden Globe Award for his performance as New York composer and playwright Jonathan Larson.
18Hugh Laurie
Fans of the narcissistic andmisanthropic Dr. Gregory Housewere shocked when they discovered that the medical drama’s eponymous character was portrayed by a Brit and not an American.Hugh Laurieskyrocketed to superstardom when he appeared as the gifted-yet-cynical diagnostician in the Fox smash hit, a role for which he received two Golden Globe Awards throughout the show’s eight-season run. Laurie had previously starred in films likeSense and Sensibility,101 Dalmatians,andStuart Littlebefore nabbing the life-changing lead role.
His Best American Accent
Laurie blewHousecreators away with his impeccable American accent, including executive producer Bryan Singer, who was unaware that he was actually British and assumed he was from the states. Laurie’s impersonation was so spectacular that Singer singled the star out and declared he was exactly the kind of “compelling American actor” he was looking for to star as the character; Laurie would maintain the accent in-between takes and during script read-throughs.
17Millie Bobby Brown
Hollywood’s gifted up-and-comerMillie Bobby Brownmay just be 19-years-old, but she’s already made quite a name for herself in the entertainment industry, gaining widespread recognition for her brilliant portrayal of the telepathic and psychokinetic heroine Eleven in theNetflix juggernautStranger Things.
Born in Marbella, Spain to British parents and raised in Bournemouth, England before relocating to the United States to pursue an acting career, Brown landed smaller parts in the BBC’sIntruders,Modern Family, andGrey’s Anatomybefore being cast in the Duffer Brothers' fan-favorite series.
Her Best American Accent
Brown has proven time-and-time again how easily it is for her to switch in between her native English cadence and an American accent, doing so inStranger Thingsas well as inGodzilla: King of the Monstersand it’s 2021 sequel. The immensely talented actress studied American television shows and films to nail her accent, revealingduring an appearanceonThe Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon:
“I watchedBugsy MaloneandThe Godfatherwhen I was like 8,” before admitting she was obsessed withHannah Montana,which she proclaimed “is the best. Like the film, everything. Everything about it is amazing. And I got the American accent."
16Daniel Day-Lewis
Lauded as one of the finest actors to ever grace the silver screen, Academy Award-winning legendDaniel Day-Lewisis a highly-decorated movie star who constantly dazzled audiences and critics alike throughout his impressive four-decade career.
The retired English great completely transformed into each and every character he took on, and is regarded as one of the industry’s mostnotable method actors. After initially focusing on theater and starring in Royal Shakespeare Company productions includingA Midsummer Night’s DreamandRomeo and Juliet, he began his Hollywood takeover in the early 1980s.
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With such a dazzling and illustrious resume to choose from, Day-Lewis has knocked it out of the park each and every time, serving up unforgettable performances in lauded pictures likeMy Left Foot,Gangs of New York,andThe Last of the Mohicans.
The revered star displayed his talent for capturing an American accent when he winningly portrayed Abraham Lincoln in Steven Spielberg’sLincolnas well as in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Oscar-winning dramaThere Will Be Blood.Day-Lewis is famous for staying in character while on set, speaking only as the president would and avoiding his natural British accent all throughout production ofLincoln.
15Nicholas Hoult
After winning audiences over withhis memorable portrayalas Tony Stonem in the 2000s teen seriesSkinsand opposite Hugh Grant in the dramedyAbout a Boy,Nicholas Houltshowed his ability to do any genre when he subsequently appeared in cinematic spectacles likeClash of the Titans,Jack the Giant Slayer,Mad Max: Fury Road,andThe Menu. In 2011, he took on the exciting part of mutant Hank McCoy in the superhero flickX-Men: First Classand three of its sensational sequels.
Hoult adopted an American accent to portray the powerful ape-like superhuman McCoy/Beast, looking to Kelsey Grammer’s performanceas the mutant for inspirationwhile trying to match his overall eloquence and dialect; Grammer previously portrayed the character inX-Men: The Last Stand.
He would also switch up his accent for his role as the zombie R in the successful romantic comedyWarm Bodies, proving just how dynamic and skilled he was at mastering various dialects and personas.
14Andrew Lincoln
Before he was killing zombies and fighting against nefarious foes in an apocalyptic world, London-born actorAndrew Lincolnwas starring in popular British programs likeThis Life, Teachers,andAfterlifeand proclaiming his love to Keira Knightley via massive cue cards in the holiday rom-com stapleLove Actually.
Lincoln was tasked with learning a southern twang when he was cast as fearless leader and former deputy sheriff Rick Grimes in the long-running,exhilarating horror seriesThe Walking Dead.
The determined and fierce leader of a group of misfit survivors, Rick Grimes lived in a small Kentucky town when the zombie apocalypse hit and Lincoln convinced viewers everywhere that he truly was a southern gentleman and not actually from London. He spent four months perfecting the accent and remained in character with the voice even when the cameras stopped rolling,tellingShortList Magazine;
Frank Darabont asked me to be in dialect all the way through the job, even when I was off camera. It was a good idea because it meant that I didn’t have to think about the accent when it came to filming. I had more important things to worry about frankly, like the zombie apocalypse.
13Florence Pugh
The phenomenalFlorence Pughis anotherA-list talentwho has expertly tackled the American dialect, doing so in multiple lauded films and further proving she’s one of Hollywood’s most prominent leading ladies.
The Oxford-born actress made her screen debut in 2014 in the mystery dramaThe Fallingand steadily took over both the film and television world, achieving widespread praise for her work inLady MacbethandThe Little Drummer Girlbefore breaking into the entertainment industry in the States and emerging as a must-see star.
Pugh showcased her penchant for the American vernacular in multiple films so far, starring as the terrorized college student Dani inMidsommar, complex aspiring artist Amy March in Greta Gerwig’sLittle Women, and as suburban housewife Alice Chambers in the psychological thrillerDon’t Worry Darling.
Her American accent is so good, in fact, that many people claim she is faking her English cadence. During an appearance on theOff Menupodcast,Pugh amusingly stated,
So many people think I’m American. Then when I do things publicly, like if I present an award or I’m on a stage talking, they’re like, ‘That is the fakest English accent I have ever heard.’… What do you think I… how… what? Sometimes when I’ve done Instagram Stories, [they’re] like, ‘Oh my god, Florence Pugh sounds like she’s putting on an accent,’ and I’m like no, that is me. That’s literally me. So sorry.
12Tom Holland
The magnetic and downright endearingTom Hollandcaptured the hearts of moviegoers everywhere when he took over superhero duties as the world’sfriendly neighborhood Spider-Man, starring in three original installments and numerous other MCU flicks.
Prior to joining the star-studded universe, Holland had prominent roles in movies likeThe Impossible, How I Live Now, andIn the Heart of the Seaand garnered international recognition when he was cast as Peter Parker in 2015, signing on for a six-picture deal with Marvel Studios.
Holland beat out 1,500 other teenage hopefuls for the epic role of Spider-Man (including fellow Brits Asa Butterfield and Charlie Rowe), and he went to a high school in the Bronx for a few days in order to prepare and get into the mindframe of an everyday American adolescent.
After tricking everyone into believing he truly was from the United States, Holland continued to flex his accent skills in the action extravaganzaUncharted,an adaptation of the popular video game series) and in the southern Gothic thrillerThe Devil All the Time.
11Idris Elba
English actor, rapper, and DJIdris Elbahas steadily crafted a colorful acting resume since co-starring in the HBO crime drama classicThe Wire, having gotten his start on stage with the National Youth Music Theatre. After recurring roles in shows likeFamily Affairs, Ultraviolet,andDangerfield, Elba starred as drug kingpin Russell “Stringer” Bell for 37 episodes of the celebrated HBO original program, dazzling audiences with his impeccable performance and American accent.
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From 2002 to 2004, Elba portrayed the ruthless, tough-as-nails Baltimore drug dealer Stringer, perfecting the terrifying kingpin’s swagger and accent after relocating from England to New York City for more acting opportunities.
The move resulted in Elba landing a role onLaw & Order,which helped him attract the attention ofThe Wireproducers. Despite initially auditioning for the part of Avon Barksdale and being turned down, he was ultimately offered the character Stringer, effectively launching his career.He once expressed to The Guardian::
It took me three years to get it right and during that time I wasn’t working there at all. I kept flying back for acting jobs over here, but it wasn’t exactly cost effective… It would have been easy to have played Stringer roles for ever. Like I told those kids, you’ve got to move out of your comfort zone, try something new all the time. I never want to play anything like Stringer Bell ever again.
