Movie Accent Expert Breaks Down 32 Actors' Accents | WIRED

[@lildrummerboy65]

You know I thought this guy was gonna be super pretentious but he just very knowledgeable and gracious with his criticism.

[@2deuce1dimes0]

I thought he was delightful. It's refreshing to see these actors criticized by someone who knows what he's talking about. I found a lot of these performances questionable but never really knew how to pinpoint it since I'm not an expert. Now I see why though.

[@benrujo]

You can't be a pretentious dickhead coach and get work with actors, who might have big egos. He demonstrates a lot of patience, except of course with the overtly racist Japanese accent.

[@DissectingThoughts]

I'm glad he lost his patience there. If he criticised that patiently, I would question his sanity.

[@droolingfangirl]

Anyone else have to pause for that? The clip from Breakfast at Tiffany's I mean.

[@bigstunna2049]

lildrummerboy65 true

[@buggydclown7724]

me: speaks with the accent i was raised with this guy: very good but....

[@gilaprimak7554]

LOLL

[@elijahculper5522]

As a kid, I moved around a bunch between Kentucky, Michigan and Washington State. I always sound like I’m doing a really spotty accent.

[@thamamanes3562]

HAHAHAHAH

[@millymoreira9407]

Exactly what I thought about me...

[@Quantarium]

Hahahahaha

[@jakezlomek6192]

This poor guy can’t watch movies cause his ears know too much

[@littlewolf34219]

jake zlomek just like how people in the military find tons of flaws in war movies

[@norahidvegi846]

also, like musicians (the good ones) can't really listen to any kind of music without unwillingly "deciphering" everything with their ears...

[@ajrobinson729]

Nóra Hidvégi YES! music conservatory ruined casual music listening for me

[@Michaelonyoutub]

i am a physicist and i cant watch a lot of sci fi anymore

[@msnogueres]

Im medical student and already medical tv shows are ruined for me imagine when i am actually a doctor

[@DrawtheCurtains]

Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Capote is just amazing. You can't even say anything else because he nails it so perfectly.

[@ghostmanscores1666]

It was a great biography

[@pyx2539]

As a Brit I didn't realise that Kevin Costner was even attempting an English accent. I thought they just let him stick with his American accent for whatever reason lmao.

[@CL-fs3kt]

Pyx I’m American and it straight up sounded like American. I didn’t know it was supposed to be English...he didn’t even try 💀

[@benadams3569]

I thought the same thing. As an American, btw. lol

[@tyrionlannister521]

@@benadams3569 I thought that too!! LOL

[@spamaccount5278]

No one beats John Wayne's accent in "The Conqueror" you gotta check it out. It's so funny.

[@brianb8060]

But It was sill a good movie.

[@TheAcenightcreeper]

This guy impresses me so much, that he was able to imitate nearly every accent on screen in seconds, it is so neat...

[@daniellentz4335]

And he would've probably picked every single one of your accents apart in seconds, being an expert with years of experience and the rest of us spending seconds on "learning" it. He couldve surely gone full nitpicky and torn most of them to shreds if he wanted to but keeps it brief for the sake of viewability.

[@VietyV]

It's likely to do with the fact that he understands the actual mechanics behind it. When normal people imitate accents they're relying solely on what they hear and try to replicate it.

[@daniellentz4335]

@@VietyV Nonetheless even a natural will require years of practice to master it like that. Hundreds of nooks and crannies to pay attention to and memorize.

[@natfingerboard]

So, summing it all up, Heath ledger (Rest in peace) and Daniel day lewis are(were) amazing actors.

[@aleksanderthorstensen]

And Phillip Seymour Hoffman(Rest in peace).

[@aphroditeonearth9947]

Nathan Carrille and Brad can deliver sometimes lol

[@teaukeri]

Nathan Carrille and Phillip Seymour Hoffman

[@aphroditeonearth9947]

teaukeri Philip Seymour Hoffman delivered every single time so he's inconsequential to my comment which was about how the other two could only sometimes deliver.

[@jamiecal11]

Brokeback in general was incredible.

[@YvieT81]

“Brad Pitt, Inglorious Bastards” Me: “BUONGEARRRNOO!”

[@river_run_petrichor]

Gorlami

[@QOMBINATION]

@@river_run_petrichor GOOOORLAAAAAAAMIIIIII

[@lukenmartinezbotella3324]

Bawngeorno

[@Sdwp777]

Antonio Margaretti

[@lilycade63]

Arrivederci

[@gusvogt-shields4689]

This guy should come back and critique some foreign actors doing american accents, because as an American it’s always really surprising how good they are.

[@sophiewildee]

that’s usually because we’ve grown up with American accents in half of our films and tv so we’re used to it

[@gusvogt-shields4689]

Sophie Mitchell is you non-America

[@gusvogt-shields4689]

*american

[@sophiewildee]

Gus Vogt-Shields yeah im British

[@gusvogt-shields4689]

Sophie Mitchell is it easy to do American accents?

[@Kamogelo]

The fact that you actually hit the click sound in “Xhosa” when describing Mandela’s accent impressed me so much.

[@rogerwilco2]

It's his job.

[@katlover3165]

RogerWilco Still impressive

[@TheGhostofClaremont]

Hello fellow South African

[@nikkid4890]

The full word still isn't pronounced correctly though...

[@mr.c9820]

and so casually, I think he speaks everything. he seems very knowladgeable

[@finfen9730]

So basically, Daniel Day-Lewis is amazing and anything he touches turns to gold.

[@tutucaman8496]

yup

[@hamzaait1491]

his the best actor I ever seen !!

[@generalgrievous6762]

That's why he's the best actor on the planet

[@hamzaait1491]

@@generalgrievous6762 he doesn't act alot but when he does he win an oscar!!

[@gcgrafica2133]

He's a generational talent. Practically no bad movies. Deep, versatile... one of the greatest ever

[@maureenlaneski2802]

The difference between Kate Winslet (a very good actress) and Meryl Streep's jaw placement...something I'd never noticed...blew me away when pointed out.

[@gordon1545]

The difference between the very good and the greatest.

[@ayt3877]

As a Japanese person, I felt in my soul his reaction to the Japanese accent 😂

[@MajorCaliber]

I've never read up on why the great Blake Edwards had the talented Mickey Rooney do such an over-the-top *parody* of a middle-aged Japanese man, but... I will point out that it was less than a generation after WW2/VJ Day, and there was still plenty of anti-Nippon sentiment among the American public, so... it may have just been a cheap "dig"...?

[@Waterflow07]

Time stamp?

[@norge0209]

L.A Tv 8:27

[@tenzinsamphel4763]

Kazeshiri Bleach is BackA

[@tarajh]

I spent my early childhood in Japan (Navy brat) and consider both English & Japanese to be my first languages. My soul also cringes at these awful caricatures of Asian people 🤦🏽‍♀️

[@jamessutton9476]

Breakfast at Tiffany's: "Who the f*ck let this happen?" That was a beautiful examination of the accent.

[@zsu-23-4shilka2]

The ONLY EXAMINATION it needs LMFAOOOOOOOOOOO

[@IsaacAndrews722]

@Cosmo Boss It was 1960. The actor, Mickey Rooney, was portraying I. Y. Yunioshi, shown as a stereotype of Asians, complete with squinted eyes and buckteeth. In 2008, Rooney said this in an interview where Breakfast at Tiffany's was brought up: "Blake Edwards...wanted me to do it because he was a comedy director. They hired me to do this overboard, and we had fun doing it....Never in all the more than 40 years after we made it-not one complaint. Every place I've gone in the world people say, 'God, you were so funny.' Asians and Chinese come up to me and say, 'Mickey, you were out of this world.'" He later said that he wouldn't have taken the role if he knew it would cause so much controversy with people.

[@1Nida]

I think this was actually the time when everyone was a Racist, not now.

[@jn4297]

@Cosmo Boss even the stereotypical Chinese derogatory Character, FuManChu, was used to be played by White actors. 20th Century was when Racism was the right thing to do.

[@davesargent7304]

@TheCrashingToaster Racist.

[@admthrawnuru]

Very disappointed that you only did Brad Pitt's accent when speaking English in inglorious basterds. His Italian was spot on :P

[@RealPlasmodium]

admthrawnuru nice one

[@Berserkramo410]

admthrawnuru Si... Grat zi

[@Condemned782]

Enzo Gorlami

[@amsheel9921]

A river dercci

[@stewarthodges9282]

correcto

[@MrMojoSuper]

Brad Pitt isn't doing a Belfast accent in Snatch, he's doing an Irish Traveller accent. This guy should really know the difference!

[@mikebazinga982]

exactlyyyy

[@jamesringland5056]

Came across this video and commented the same before I saw this. This fella has had a complete shocker with that comment.

[@jsaunders8654]

Glad someone already mentioned this...i was floored. How a linguist does not know that is my question...

[@adamfairgrieve16]

Same with Tom Cruise's, surely the biggest flaw is that he is doing a southern Irish accent when it's meant to be a Belfast accent - the guy doesn't mention that at all

[@CELTIC1888JINKY]

Well said when he said belfast then said brad pit in snatch laughed and thought take what he says with a pinch of salt 😂

[@mikkolund5256]

Me before clicking the video: ''Damn, it's over 16 minutes long, too much, but maybe I'll check little bit.'' Me after the video: ''Wow, that was interesting, I want more''

[@mirza6399]

Mikko Lund exactly 😂 a favour please , google your last names meaning in Urdu language , thankyou 😊

[@Gojira5400]

Mikko Lund Haha exactly how I feel.

[@MrMineHeads.]

Mikko Lund spot on

[@thebrad2136]

Holy shit, there are many of us

[@ooTina00]

Mikko Lund me too!!

[@drcommondrate12]

No one can defeat Brad Pitt’s *A river der chi*

[@ivanaj.28]

gets me every time

[@shineformejimin5025]

I always refer to it as "a river there chief" lmao

[@BCS1105]

央礼 *“BOWN JOURNO”*

[@heartless604]

Gore la me

[@LokiAndLoiDontGiveADamn]

GooLaaMii

[@CristianNicolae]

Gotta miss Philip Seymour Hoffman. What a legendary actor.

[@helmetless]

The crocodile tears guy, remember?

[@stephenl2571]

He died???

[@alienatedlabor]

Stephen Lee overdose i think.

[@oudude27]

Stephen Lee did didn't die, he committed suicide.

[@bran6959]

@@oudude27 Firstly, there’s a direct correlation between commiting suicide and dying - I’m sure you’ll figure it out one day. Secondly, he relapsed and overdosed, so no. One of the great actors of the last 25 years.

[@tomfabozzi6309]

One quibble - Brad Pitt wasn't doing a Belfast accent in "Snatch" - he was doing a take on an "Irish Traveller" accent, which is very particular (and he did a decent job of it)

[@swissgiant]

Hope they make a series out of this, maby go a little more in depth on the comparisons

[@vovaparkourukraine1]

swissgiant I want an analysis of Ledger's Joker alone

[@joebazooks]

plsplsplsplslplspls

[@flyingcolumn16]

If you really like the analysis of accents in general there is a movie called "American Tongues." Did you know there are actually around 6 accents in boston?

[@joebazooks]

flyingcolumn16 omg sweet thx

[@joebazooks]

flyingcolumn16 any idea where i'd be able to watch it??

[@myrest3334]

The world needs a part 2 of this video. It is just so amazing, I wanna marry it.

[@aphroditeonearth9947]

Bret Sheeley yes I would happily watch many more of these! Like..hundreds..no joke..

[@myrest3334]

***** man! that would be awesome!

[@bring5]

I am not joking at all when I say that the phrase "I wanna marry this" left my lips before I scrolled down to the comments.

[@JFinker73]

i dont know about marriage, but yes its quite good

[@tianapitesr8553]

Reminds me of Lars and Connery! And Troy!

[@nitpicker9406]

First time I saw the film Capote I was like, "There is no way Truman Capote really talked like that." Then I saw some interviews of Capote in real life and I was like, "Holy shit Phillip Seymour Hoffman is an acting God"

[@ricardocorreia2542]

Nit Picker Hoffman really was an acting god

[@ljooni]

It would have been interesting to hear his take on Toby Jones' Capote in Infamous. The pitch of his voice matched better I think but I have no idea about the accent.

[@ricardocorreia2542]

ljooni Toby Jones was very good too, a Very underrated actor

[@abhimanyukhadwal]

*Was #RIP

[@lawrencecalablaster568]

Nit Picker I haven't seen Capote yet & I had no idea what Truman sounds like. Wow.

[@razordu30]

As an Asian, I feel very validated with your take on Mickey Rooney. Love it.

[@Grivian]

Expert: "So this is Philip Seymour Hoffman" *Speaks* Me: "Wtf is this?" Expert: "This is perfect. Absolutely fantastic"

[@DuskAndHerEmbrace13]

But then you hear the guy it was based on and you’re like “...Well alrighty then”

[@chonchjohnch]

Truman capote was a weird guy

[@selenajarv8763]

Same lol

[@selenajarv8763]

Image him saying : my step mommy called me

[@IsaacAndrews722]

@@chonchjohnch I believe "eccentric" is a more fitting word.

[@erakattack]

Outstanding editing and the analyst's accurate, non-overbearing criticism make this video shine.. So enjoyable throughout!! I feel like I've eaten a hearty meal. Kudos to the creators..

[@BlastbeatsLOL]

Brad Pitt isn't doing a Belfast accent in Snatch. He's doing a traveller accent.

[@MrMojoSuper]

Excactly! Right on!

[@xxxLowrider1982xxx]

And it was very good! Tom cruise wasn’t even close to a Belfast accent

[@skipads5141]

Likewise, he's playing an Austrian in 7 Years In Tibet, not a Berliner or Prussian German. Watch old clips of Arnold Schwarzenegger speaking German, very different than the rough stereotypical German the uploader is thinking of.

[@iliketurtles5180]

@@skipads5141 I mean he was only criticizing how careful he was with his accent

[@skipads5141]

@@iliketurtles5180: No, he's criticizing him for not using Northern German consonants, when he is in fact using the correct pronunciation for the Austrian character he plays. It doesn't get any simpler than I've explained it. The guy is 100% wrong.

[@LukeFaulkner]

I am English and, for years, I thought Renée Zellweger was too..

[@bridgepointgroup]

me too !!

[@BlunderCity]

Yeah it's like Christian Bale, I'm pretty sure most people in the US thinks he's American, especially since he often keeps his American accent when he does US interviews. I'm French but after spending 18 years in the UK, I think I'm quite familiar with the accent. I think Gwyneth Paltrow does a pretty good job. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z6fVaWqugdqlpK8

[@Yaboilisandro]

I had no clue 😂

[@OrinPosner]

Wow, had no idea about Christian Bale!

[@loveharrydaily]

BlunderCity I never thought Christian Bale was American. Something he does with his tongue just isn’t like us. It sounds like he curls it when he talks. He was decent in American Hustle though.

[@Bella_Mar]

"Sometimes they're close....sometimes, they're Tom Cruise". I'm dying 😂😂

[@cjfromsanandreas9217]

@@user-vf9to2it8g wtf lad

[@moosey4695]

@@user-vf9to2it8g what point are you trying to make?

[@ryanjanis9184]

@@moosey4695 More importantly, why of all places, did he choose here to make said point (whatever it may be)?

[@TheShaekie]

also "who the f*ck let this happen"? 😂

[@ronbuil6923]

Considering Cruise is busy learning to fly planes and doing samurai training and all these unbelievable stunts and things, I tend to cut him slack.

[@pavelbrodskiy7216]

This guy is really good. Very specific and constructive criticism.

[@bonzobanzi1137]

Except for the fact that neither of the "Belfast" accents are Northern Irish. In "Far & Away" it's a general country person's southern Irish accent that Tom Cruise absolutely murders, embarrassingly so. Brad Pitt in "Snatch" is doing a pretty decent attempt at a Gypsy accent. Irish Gypsies are a unique culture with their own customs, language (Shelta) , etc and is nothing like any Northern Irish accent. Daniel Day Lewis in "In the Name of the Father" does an actual Belfast action, with an honourable mention to Pete Postlethwaite in the same movie

[@michaeloberg3018]

Ledger & Gyllenhaal gave us 2 of the most perfect performances ever on film in Brokeback Mountain. I still wish Ledger had been able to win for this one instead of his posthumous win for The Dark Knight. He deserved to have his moment in LIFE for his performance as Ennis!

[@ddblue0]

"Who the f*ck let this happen" Yeah, pretty much XD

[@JPatelLive]

*Bruce Lee walks out of Cinema 🎦* *Crowd start clapping* #DRAGONTheBruceLeeStory💪🐲

[@gregmaxwell7636]

It was a different time.

[@SugarPunkFairy]

Welcome to the 20th century, where racial tropes are used as comedy

[@jedrashidul6952]

I lolled so hard at his reaction😂😂😂

[@debbiep99]

Legend quote

[@SagBobet]

"When an accent doesn't go right, it's usually not the actors fault." Not in Nicholas Cage's case.

[@Ace-mw9pm]

@VixenTheFox yes he can he just takes bad roles

[@captaincaveman2040]

The movie was awesome but his accent in Contact Air was a fuckin' joke. I dated a girl who looks like Patricia Arquette so at least he has good taste in women.

[@SpecHund]

Him: "I don't know what happened to the actor's prep here" Me: Nick Cage preps?

[@renzy5270]

Oscar winner,Nicholas Cage

[@krnselt]

Cause he makes up a voice for each character?

[@sallybradshaw4576]

Just wanted to say that as a 15-year-old, this video completely blew my mind, and largely because of Erik Singer's videos, I became really interested in linguistics and am now pursuing a degree in TESOL. This video was kind of the start of it all :)

[@esm1817]

FCC

[@leob4403]

@@user-vf9to2it8g no because american tv cant put enough ads in soccer games, thats why theyll never favour it

[@captainalie9264]

Wow, awesome man

[@ShiftyWolf117]

that's so cool.

[@arktomorphos]

@@user-vf9to2it8g nobody calls it soccer except Yanks

[@jaizo_827]

4:50 dang i wasn't expecting him to whip out the click noise and everything but honestly i'm all here for it

[@BrianMax]

"Phillip Seymour Hoffman in Capote: this is just amazing in every way" EVERY performance that PHS gave was just amazing. Sad that he died so young.

[@MrDufDaddy]

Twister?

[@JackYoung28]

Brian Max facts. One of the best actors, I thoroughly enjoy any movie he was in.

[@tiaaaron3278]

Another great actor who couldn't stop drugs.

[@johnkeller9738]

PSH was so inspiring to all of the variety of actors that he ever worked with on projects. He was always precise and nuanced to the character loyal to the story with such amazing preparation. He simply had as much range in acting as practically any of the best actors celebrated. His participation in any movie brought serious respect to a project.

[@astronaut-yo9bk]

BUT NOT A SNITCH!! There's little George hiding in big daddy's pocket!

[@SimmSumm]

Make this a series

[@Nimesay1]

hello agree!

[@Not.Maxton]

"Tongue flicky outy thing" Even the professionals struggle with words.

[@fawkestheguy]

Fun fact: that tongue flick started as a means to keep the latex mouth scar in place, then he decided to integrate it into the character.

[@lewstone5430]

That’s my _ cough_ technique.

[@mastod0n1]

@@fawkestheguy I think I read that Christopher Nolan liked it and encouraged Heath to incorporate it.

[@Unidentified952]

LMAO fr

[@izzojoseph2]

Aaahhhahahaha! He says about Nick Cage, “I don’t know what happened here.” I do. It’s Nick Cage.

[@skylovermc2146]

What’s that suppose to mean?

[@izzojoseph2]

@@skylovermc2146 ~ Nick Cage is a unique individual, known for being a bit crazy. People either love him or hate him. I think he’s pretty awesome but definitely nuts

[@ashwho53]

Truth. :)

[@p4cks]

Idris Elba's accent in The Wire had me convinced he was a native Baltimore resident, and nearly fell over when I heard he was a fellow Brit

[@bonesofanidol]

Dominic West (McNulty) is a Brit as well!

[@lorraineclark4413]

Two SERIOUSLY underrated performances! Glad you mentioned them.

[@NickWasThere]

I'm so glad I only found out that McNulty is British after watching the entire series

[@vadim_nevidim308]

Nick T well McNulty has Irish roots in the show

[@dorj46]

"Who the fuck let this happen" lost all of my shit at that moment😂😂

[@ZeroKurogane4]

Davaadorj Dorjgotov goe shas

[@glennaaron]

8:34

[@Gunman610]

Hell, even Mickey Rooney apologized for that. Check out John Oliver's bit on whitewashing.

[@ashliestarling9892]

IKR!!

[@bozokdraaf5996]

Oh, that sucks. I hope you find your shit soon.

[@B1SCOOP]

Tommy Wiseau perfectly nailed alien accent.

[@Nelso5000]

Haha, good story Mark.

[@eyl227]

YORE TARING ME APAHT LEESA

[@endisnearyall2165]

B1SCOOP Btw how's your sex life?

[@anonumus10]

O, hai Markh

[@garybier]

I DID NAHT

[@juliehunter1168]

Heath Ledger was an incredible actor! I miss him. Imagine how amazing he would be now.

[@shroomhead1213]

"Sometimes they're close. Sometimes they're just Tom Cruise." 😂

[@ericarougelazarus9453]

Tom's acting career in a sentence.

[@ianoforange]

Tom wasn’t trying to do a Belfast accent. Not that it was good. Neither was Brad Pitt. Pikey accent is a hodgepodge of English and Irish

[@YayMiko]

I came down here to make the same comment lol

[@francispraxides]

this comment deserves more likes

[@heidimsw]

😂👍😂

[@kozhedub]

I have a feeling that Brad Pitt's accent was intentionally ridiculous and bad. Seems like a Tarantino thing

[@BobbyShepherdMograph]

It's certainly Tarantino's thing in Django Unchained.

[@ComandanteJ]

Probably, Tarantino's films are always over the top, that's a big part of why people (myself included) love them.

[@AutieTeleDexBaBrBo]

I think there is definitely something that made Tarantino choose to direct Brad Pitt just simply like the typical yank soldier, rather than an regular regional American. No offence America.

[@kevinderr6750]

Over the top? Perhaps. Bad? Definitely not. Keep in mind that Brad Pitt was born and raised in the south. Tennessee is also Tarantino's home state, and he gives a reference to the state in every film he's directed. I doubt he'd let the main character insult the accent.

[@woableattack2990]

"it sounds cool so that's what we are doing" -Style

[@PopExpo]

Phillip Seymour Hoffman, has a near perfect interpretation of Capote. One of the greatest actors ever.

[@jean6872]

Actually he was perfect.

[@dudoklasovity2093]

he was insanely talented

[@LordDirus007]

Wanted to Ban Guns.......died of a Heroin Overdose

[@srt4b]

RIP

[@SizzlerWA]

@@LordDirus007yes, both guns and heroin are risky. Thanks for pointing that out.

[@adhc8560]

Phillip Seymour Hoffman - what a sad loss of an amazing, unique, outstanding actor.

[@mizar_copernicus138]

wtf i didnt know he died till now

[@laureencriss8220]

Heath Ledger too. RIP

[@PrestigeClips]

16 minute video? Pfft I ain't gonna watch all this. 16 minutes later... fuck.

[@jackerickson2184]

I did not expect to see you here

[@kevindensmore7507]

Honestly tho. Really cool video.

[@mobilemarkwynn3876]

Prestige Clips it was pretty interesting actually. I think you migjt be betraying your postface book attention span. Thats not an insult its a real thing.

[@transfomersrocks]

So spot on!

[@l-_ōlVlō_-l]

Prestige Clips yooo

[@LeBronJames-StatPadderMan]

Heath Ledger was truly legendary.

[@johnjay7739]

Is your comment biased based on him being gone?

[@EdgarHernandez-xj5mx]

John Jay probably considering he used “was” if he used “is” it would have been based on him still being alive.

[@claranadine1086]

*salutes, takes moment of silence*

[@danielhogan6255]

You see "A Knights Tale" before?

[@abhisheksharma-sb3er]

@@johnjay7739 😪 couldn't it just be bcoz he like him?

[@bigbugjpeg]

Phillip Seymour as Capote is so amazing, perfection.

[@kevlow9494]

big papa One of cinema's greatest performances.

[@padshardbank]

Jake is still alive...

[@tysonrosania]

Kev Low ?ô

[@kwalshe15]

Brad Pitt was not doing a Belfast accent at all, he was not supposed do, he was doing an Irish traveller accent which is a veerrrry mixed accent, he kept his sentences short and quick and did a passable job, most Irish people can't do it properly either.

[@ToroSAS]

Philip Seymour Hoffman, in my opinion, was one of the greatest actors that have ever lived. We lost him much too soon. :(

[@Chris-ci8vs]

Agreed

[@user-xm3gp9zs5v]

he was absolutely fantastic!!

[@tomodonnell878]

An incredible talent who unfortunately couldn’t control his demons like many other great artists

[@thebadthinker2]

Who's "WE" ?

[@tomodonnell878]

millenials turn 40 in 2020 they're old now lol! The world

[@cortesej2]

5:05 did he just imply that Nick Cage preps for his roles?

[@simmer484]

savage mode activated

[@PeterWolfe2012]

That's ridiculous! Next, he'll be saying that about Tom Cruise.

[@miscellaneous2204]

PeterWolfe2012 why is it bad? I don’t know much about acting sorry!

[@aceboogie7832]

@@miscellaneous2204 It's a long running joke about cage.

[@PeterWolfe2012]

@@miscellaneous2204 Yeah, it's just that little Nickie, who got an Oscar because Academy voters wanted to ingratiate themselves with his uncle, and Tom Cruise are such notoriously pitiful actors. "Have you seen the new Tom Cruise movie? Yeah, it's same as every other Tom Cruise movie with a different supporting cast and location. Have you seen the new Nick Cage movie? There isn't one."

[@GraceBelen]

“Who the f*ck let this happen?!” OMG, the comic relief I did not expect! I laughed way too hard 🤣😂🤣😂

[@thelastwisp1205]

Lol I was dying when he said that

[@bluezitrone9731]

Same 🤣

[@dakotalaurens2878]

Grace Belen LOL same saaame, it got me weak XD

[@ffflustered9qr]

let's be honest here: when Erik says "it's not an imitation, it's more of an _evocation_ " what he really means is "this is an excellent performance overall, so I can't really justify nitpicking the accent"

[@SPMyers92]

I think he drills down on a definition of what he means by evocation in the other episodes where he talks about actors playing real people and presidents.

[@stephenbalaban3891]

KZbin has been recommending me some weird ass shit lately and this was one of them, but it's actually really cool

[@LuneLuan]

ZoupDe Loup it only recently started recommending good stuff again. Did anyone go like 2 weeks without recommendations?

[@MrCageCat]

ZoupDe Loup Same.

[@sheilalucanas]

ZoupDe Loup I know right I can watch this over and over again

[@itzcarnage9535]

ZoupDe Loup foreals just the other day i was recommended a video about some alien shit and it was pretty cool

[@moose5377]

ZoupDe Loup come and join the wonderful world of studying Linguistics :)

[@Iggystar71]

I could have watched this for an hour! Quite disappointed when it ended!

[@user-ke3wp7cn1i]

IKR whats up with that ending.

[@FarsirisCassidy]

I was hoping to see Anthropoid "accents" there, tearing them into pieces. as a Slovak living in Czech republic, I was laughing my ass off, especially considering the actual czech actors had far more mild accents than the foreign ones :D

[@majiburrahman5814]

Amnesia patient

[@musicmex]

Vicky Bagley Hopefully there's a part 2 to this video

[@gufcfan]

Much of the video was incorrect.

[@Clawaccio]

I don't think Renee gets enough credit for her amazing English accent. It was amazing.

[@SirQuantization]

The thing about Viggo’s accent at 10:10 is that his character isn’t actually Russian he’s undercover so it makes sense the accent isn’t perfect

[@alicemaddock]

Tom Cruises Irish accent is an inside joke among everyone in Ireland.

[@alicemaddock]

alexandra xx yes bahaha

[@MissKashas]

And out of Ireland lol

[@lucrativelyrics8131]

but his Bakersfield accent was spot on (american made

[@RealElongatedMuskrat]

As is Brad Pitt's in Devils Own. That is a painful listen 😂😩

[@TheWillog]

she is a liar none of us talk about it, ive never joked with anyone i know about it

[@tristanmoller9498]

I just can't stop imagining him pretending to be a bunch of different nationalities, while messing people up and just getting their accent right everytime.

[@Silvermuse70]

Cute idea, but in most places it's not just the accents, but the slang, sentence structure and word phrases that make up a language. He generalized Southern accents way too much. But hey, I'll give him kudos for trying at least. 😉

[@tristanmoller9498]

*every time* I apologize english is only my second language. Thanks!

[@katiefarley8400]

This is awesome. You should do a video where you have people talk to you and you try to figure out where exactly they are from based on their accent.

[@mrfabianfm]

thats an amazing idea

[@lordofentropy]

That would be a lot of fun to watch, seconded.

[@d3sign3rmom]

Katie Farley yeeeeessssssss

[@xKarenWalkerx]

Eric: I don’t know what happened to the actor’s prep here. Nicolas Cage: What’s actors prep??

[@MrKajithecat]

Can we have another video of this? Extremely fascinating.

[@moose5377]

MrKajithecat you should look into studying Linguistics!!

[@MrKajithecat]

Too late for me but the subject is wonderful to hear explained. It makes me double take peoples accents when I travel the country.

[@nateekard9937]

I wanted them to do an australian one!

[@visualthinking]

More Erik Singer, please. Wonderful to watch an expert talk about their expertise.

[@badjemima]

Except when it comes to Irish accents...

[@landonsmith521]

Agreed

[@captainsynonym]

I second this! This is one of the most enjoyable videos I've seen on KZbin in quite some time. :)

[@DiabolicalPaperClip]

rando Not really, maybe they can say why something sounds 'off' but the guy in the video clearly spent a lot of time studying specific features and pinning them down.

[@chriskaprys]

Heath and Jake in Brokeback was such an impressive vocal performance. I'm a native American English speaker, born in Texas, and I had to turn on subtitles for parts of that film to understand what Heath was saying. "You can even see him listening through that posture" is probably the best compliment an actor can receive.

[@rickberglund2134]

Brokeback Mountain was the greatest movie ever made.

[@Callsign_Kishin]

So why did Heath Ledger sound like Arthur Morgan? 😂

[@HahaHaha-eo1ql]

i absolutely love the smiles on his face whenever Heath and Daniel come on screen, he knows it's going to be spot on.

[@zanders]

This was great. I could have easily watched 20 more minutes of this.

[@justinmteal]

zanders Your usage of "could have" rather than the typical (and incorrect) "could of" is great. Keep up the good work!

[@inthefade]

When people say "could of" my intuition is to punch them in the face. Of course in daily life I accept the fluidity of the English language, but deep down I am punching faces for all sorts of obnoxious infractions.

[@D0nCab]

Lets be honest here. You've never punched anybody in the face and probably never will.

[@shemashekarshalom539]

zanders I could've also.

[@mjfernandez-muldoon5202]

You're actually dead wrong. Using a comma before 'For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So' are all used to correct comma splices. You lose. You win nothing. Good day, Sir.

[@jessicawalton4690]

When angelina jolie says "well,well" i feel like that is the highlight of the film

[@SaraStar7373]

Jessica Walton have to disagree! Her tittering laugh just after that is magical

[@M3M33thousand]

Jessica Walton I think that I loved her as Maleficent a little too much cuz now I'm obsessed with anything involving Maleficent and Angelina

[@blaze33456]

Well well is the climax lol

[@psychosissafari]

I used to think Renee Zellweger was actually English after her Bridget Jones performance

[@katiewong2051]

And I thought I was the only one😂😂😂

[@deeksha611]

WAIT SHE'S NOT BRITISH???

[@Jumbowoozy]

She isn't!? Lol, I didn't know

[@lorraineclark4413]

Not a big Renee fan but I have to admit she did a fantastic job.

[@whatabouthedroidattackonth3633]

I'm British, and SHE'S NOT BRITISH!?!

[@samuelkurth9676]

I absolutely love this series and the insights Erik Singer gives. As someone who is interested in accents, these videos are a goldmine. One thing i would like to see mentioned more though is that there isn‘t one kind of accent for any nationality. Just like there isn‘t one ‘American’ or ‘British’ accent, there isn’t one ‘German’ accent. I especially noticed this with the Seven Years in Tibet clip. Being German myself, i couldn’t tell you Brad Pitt’s character was supposed to be German. And i wouldn’t say that’s the fault of a lacklustre performance but more because - especially nowadays - people just sound different than they did decades ago. I learned British English in school and because i like the sound of it, that’s how i talk most of the time (of course i’ll still sound German to most native speakers). But i also have friends that are influenced a lot by American TV so they sound much more ‘American on a basis of German inflexions’ than just plain ‘Oh that’s a German accent.’

[@kenoliver8913]

American and British English are different enough that you can immediately tell the nationality of a non-native English speaker's teacher.

[@samuelkurth9676]

@@kenoliver8913 would you care to elaborate? Bc my English teachers were neither British nor American. British English is just what is taught most often in Germany. Although, what I'm trying to say with this post is that it doesn't matter as much today, what English you were taught. Whenever I hear a German accent without any other inflections, that would indicate to me that the person isn't interested in learning more about American/British/Anglophone culture, which is a pretty big turnoff for me.

[@0axel078]

So, in short, Day-Lewis and Seymour Hoffman are on another level completely.

[@mexiaznann]

0Axel0 so is Heath Ledger

[@YasmineBouchene]

And Meryl Streep

[@FabledGentleman]

Actually Meryl Streep is widely considered to be the true master of accents.

[@elvoncoleman6459]

don't forget Idris Elba

[@shaurya6601]

0Axel0 Heath Ledger

[@l00r0lll]

"you can also hear it in a couple of high altitude fucks"

[@bamzoof]

and yet they censored shit :dddd

[@Gunman610]

I have a feeling that those were the clips they received from wherever they got them from.

[@Jeremyeatscows]

Diaz Dhanindra P that was the only swear which was uncensored. My guess is it wasn't bleeped because that was the word he was trying to highlight

[@jellevm]

Also maybe because it wasn't (technically?) a swear in that context, since he actually meant intercourse.

[@silverfoot6079]

Jelle van M. No..he didn't use "fucks" to mean sex...that would make it a verb. He meant it to insult the "fucks of higher altitude".

[@internziko]

this guy is way too charming.

[@wenchanzhao]

paul Z he’s so hot

[@Paolo264]

Ok, Brad Pitt in Snatch is an Irish traveler accent , not a Belfast accent. Nor was Tom Cruise's. And for the record, Pitt's traveler accent was, even though a little exaggerated at times, spot on. Remarkable achievement for an American A lister.

[@emberdaugherty1997]

I love that Heath had a perfect accent each time. He was one of the best actors that was gone too soon.

[@MommyOfZoeAndLiam]

I really like that he stresses that not hitting the target sounds in an accent performance is not necessarily indicative of an an actor not trying, or failing to prepare, but that can be due to lack of time and that it is difficult to do accents. I find this topic so interesting, I could listen to him break down accents all day. If you like this sort of thing, Amy Walk is an actress, and an acting coach and she has a channel with a lot of videos on accents, both how to do them, and performing them, and my favorite are several in a series she does imitating famous people with distinct voices, and she does those in only 1 take and shows her process of listening, practicing certain sounds, and then doing it. She's just amazing to watch/hear.

[@t10events11]

Yes! He wasn't snarky or mean and his understanding and forgiveness of their limitations is refreshing!

[@AnabethalightASMR]

MommyOfZoeAndLiam are you talking about Amy Walker?

[@DrarryForever]

Can you review every non-Scottish accent James McAvoy has done? I'm curious how spot on he actually is.

[@PitbullLover2010]

I love him but his accent is a little crazy in Split.

[@BohemianScandalous]

I’m no linguist but he always slips out of accent at least once per movie. I love it, personally. It happens a lot less now than it did earlier in his career, like in Wanted. It was a bit of a mess.

[@multiplefandoms4928]

I AGREEE

[@tessharte1307]

DrarryForever he’s perfect in every way so it doesn’t matter lol

[@maxjensen7029]

I heard him slip a bunch in Wanted for sure

[@MrsMcTaco]

I couldn’t remember his name so I searched for “Dialect Daddy” and this was the first result. So happy.

[@BigFella2769]

The fact that Hoffman can do this with his voice when its naturally pretty low is amazing. R.I.P one of the greats

[@VforValmont]

I still miss him so...

[@hopewarner9134]

SomeRandomDoctor I remember seeing 'Capote' for the first time and being amazed at how accurate the voice was.

[@TwenteeEight]

When the fuck did Dennis from It's Always Sunny know so much about accents?

[@thekingofnorway3465]

he uses them to bang different chicks

[@electric.nachos]

Stawp Chorley.

[@angelomordini6779]

Matt Post omg I just realized!! That's why he looked so dam familiar

[@alpachinos]

Matt Post Lmfao I posted the same comment just now with out even seeing this one fuckkkk

[@Matt-yj1lz]

Matt Post he is a god

[@justanotherthrowaway8067]

Technique Critique Timestamps 0:13 Southern accent: Brad Pitt - Inglourious Basterds (example of goose fronting, 0:41 Dr. Bennet Omalu’s Nigerian accent: Will Smith - Concussion 1:17 Impersonation of Truman Capote: Philip Seymour Hoffman 1:52 Boston accent: Michael Keaton -Spotlight 2:21 Polish accent: Kate Winslet - Steve Jobs 3:01 Belfast accent: Tom Cruise - Far and Away 3:33 French accent: Joseph Gordon-Levitt - The Walk 4:16 Nelson Mandela’s Idiolect: Idris Elba - Long Walk to Freedom 4:56 Southern accent: Nicolas Cage - Con Air 5:31 Wyoming and Texas accents: Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath ledger - Brokeback Mountain 6:18 English accent: Kevin Costner - Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves 6:47 West African Creole accent - Leonardo Dicaprio - Blood Diamond 7:20 Martin Luther King Jr. idiolect: David Oyelowo - Selma 7:54 Baltimore accent: Idris Elba - The Wire 8:26 Japanese accent: Mickey Rooney - Breakfast at Tiffany’s 8:36 Vintage New York accent: Daniel Day-Lewis - Gangs of New York 9:18 Scottish accent: Mel Gibson - Braveheart 9:45 Russian accent: Viggo Mortensen - Eastern Promises 10:17 Afrikaans accent: Matt Damon - Invcitus 10:48 Paraguayan accent: Jon Voight - Anaconda 11:01 Katherine Hepburn’s idiolect: Cate Blanchet - The Aviator 11:37 English accent: Angelina Jolie - Maleficent 12:10 Russian accent: John Malkovich - Rounders 12:50 London accent: Renee Zellweger -Bridget Jones’ Diary 13:20 German accent: Brad Pitt - Seven Years in Tibet 13:57 Belfast accent: Brad Pitt - Snatch 14:27 New York City accent: Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight 14:57 English accent: Keanu Reeves - Bram Stoker's Dracula 15:19 Vintage California accent: Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood 15:53 English Cockney accent: Don Cheadle - Ocean’s Eleven

[@jobsmine]

JustAnotherThrowaway you’re the man.

[@sergiosaunier]

Good job sir!

[@danielsilver1244]

Not all heroes wear capes

[@felixdawson8497]

i love you

[@AlexZouhehe]

You sir..are a Legend.

[@ThirstyWork]

I've watched some really interesting videos on youtube lately but this has easily been my favourite so far. Thank you for the breakdowns. And RIP Heath Legend.

[@joshuavanzyl6536]

As a native Afrikaans speaker myself, here are a few comments on Damon's accent. His accent sound like a Pretoria accent, and I think it is very good, Afrikaans people's English accent varies widely, form basically just pronouncing English words as if they were Afrikaans, all the way to sounding very British. In short if I spoke to someone and their accent sounded like that I would not question it, good job.

[@AUSSIETAIPAN]

Basically, for me if I can't decide if it's an Australian or New Zealand accent, it's usually South African xD

[@YvieT81]

So how about DiCaprio in Blood Diamond? I saw a major discussion in another video where people couldn't agree on which accent he was supposed to portray. Some said Rhodesian, most said South African and some said Siera Leone. To me it would have been more logical if he did portray an Afrikaans accent since his character in the film grew up mostly there (fled Rhodesia as a child) and served in the SA army. But I wonder how accurate he actually sounded?

[@Eli-yk4ht]

@@YvieT81 he was pretty good with his Afrikanner accent

[@dillonwhall2986]

Same, I was really impressed with Damon's accent

[@treebles]

zef

[@odette6328]

German accents are so bad in American movies. The accent either sounds like Hitlers angry speeches or an americanized German. I wish they'd do a little bit of research. We don't sound like Hitler.

[@Paolo-uq3fc]

DAPHNE well what do u sound like then??

[@jonathanhernandez3292]

Germans will always sound like Hitler to us.

[@MyRockHoMama]

Fun Guy 😂😂😂😂

[@stephenl2571]

NEIN MAH FRUJÄÃÂ!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@odette6328]

Stephen Lee I don't know what it is but it's not german. Except for the "Nein"

[@Nagorg]

This guy has me questioning my own accent and I've lived in the same state since birth.

[@maiden5427]

😂😂😂

[@BenefitCounterbench]

that's why I love that I speak the standard dialect of my country, no identity crisis 😂

[@altimmons]

The tongue flicking gesture in Dark Night by Heath Ledger most people misunderstand. It’s a characteristic seen in people who have been on the early generation of antipsychotics as a side effect - tardive dyskinesia I think though don’t quote me. Just another brilliant bit by Ledger to establish the back story of the Joker. He would have been institutionalized and given lots of antipsychotic to have those side effects. Shows he’s not just nuts but the dangerous kind of nuts. I know little of the comic book story so can’t comment if that’s consistent or not.

[@ashwho53]

You’re totally spot on with this!!!

[@harviechambers130]

I thought it was because of the scars they annoyed him so he kept licking them but the director liked it and kept it in

[@maxhydekyle2425]

@@harviechambers130 That's what I've always heard

[@thatgirlreacts5465]

No, hun. He licked his lips because the prosthetic kept coming off. That’s what his dialect coach said on Heath’s most recent documentary.

[@mastod0n1]

@@harviechambers130 yeah the prosthetics kept coming loose so he'd lick them to try and keep them stuck to his face. And either the director liked it or Heath liked it and integrated it into his character.

[@jcolinmizia9161]

Mickey Rooney, Breakfast at Tiffany's "Japanese" Who the fuck let this happen? HAHAHA

[@sticklebacketienne]

J Colin Mizia i didn't like that bit, that part was clearly satirical. It was supposed to be bad

[@SKIDSnSTUFF]

haha that and "his mustache is also perfect"

[@UdoADHD]

Max Henderson more than satirical, it was plain racist

[@MaynardsSpaceship]

Positively Udo Thank you!!

[@joylynn8885]

Loved that

[@seanissomething]

As a Londoner, I always thought Renee did a fantastic job with her accent in Bridget Jones. Had me fooled myself to be honest.

[@jizzypuff]

I actually thought that was her real voice for a long time.

[@Theo_WozniakKay]

I’m feel exactly the same, one of the only American actors that had me fooled

[@funguy8801]

there were only a few moments here and there where she slips up.

[@Mouliuable]

Likewise, I was really surprised when I found out that she is American.

[@SugarfreeYT]

I'm not ashamed to admit that for a long time that was all I had seen her in and I just assumed she was British.

[@bronaghmachaulaige6865]

Irish and Scottish accents are hard when you aren't Irish or Scottish.. and that Japanese... "who the fuck let this happen" is a good summary

[@bronaghmachaulaige6865]

also those Irish accents just AREN'T Belfast. they're most likely East Ireland/Dublin. but "Norn Iron" accent is VERY distinct

[@ElvisChrist6]

Yeah, he's definitely going for a more East type accent, but even that was absolutely terrible.

[@DemonHunter2711]

Bronagh MacHaulaige scots isny easy because our accents can be diffrent as a town over

[@bronaghmachaulaige6865]

Sean Daniel MacDonald same as Irish, mate. I mean look at the vast differences in the various Accents of Donegal. Then compare Donegal (most north) to Cork (most south). mental change. also love how some Scots type in their accent. love reading that stuff. it's like reading dialogue by the Nac Mac Feegle in Terry Pratchett

[@DemonHunter2711]

Bronagh MacHaulaige auch im tae use to typin in ma accent even more so when im in happiness or in anger then ma glaswegian comes out

[@lauraguebert2122]

I would love to see Erik critique voice actors for video games, especially Laura Bailey

[@lauraguebert2122]

I just realized this makes it sound like I expect Laura to have a bad review when I actually just want to listen to Erik give her a glowing report 😂

[@guillermolopez6971]

11:40 i really liked Angelina’s posh english accent, it reminds me of the old Disney movies.

[@LittleCaveCreature]

I'm sure that's exactly what she was going for! Her "well, well," as she arrived at the christening was remarkably similar to how I remember cartoon Maleficent sounding.

[@guillermolopez6971]

RianeBane totally, I agree with that!

[@heatherknopp3723]

Maleficent *is* a Disney movie (she's the evil queen in Sleeping Beauty)

[@sanskritinayyar4178]

I thought that was just how she talked

[@ariellekavinsky4662]

@Heather Knopp actually she’s not a evil queen she’s a woman who has been betrayed by the evil king you have to watch the film to understand

[@charlesdarwin7253]

So, I guess Dennis Reynolds from It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia is both the owner of an unsuccessful Irish pub and an expert on accents?

[@houseoftofu2612]

fuck beat me to it

[@TheReddaredevil223]

Was gonna say the same thing

[@Gtrdxvgyfvbhhfc]

Charles Darwin 😂😂

[@jj1only]

Charles Darwin thank you so much for this comment! I'm always late with jokes and I thought the world may have gone crazy in not seeing this guy looks just like Dennis!!

[@stephenbalaban3891]

14:31 you can see the dude's eyes just completely light up with pure pleasure at hearing Ledger's stunningly strange voice

[@GUITARTIME2024]

ZoupDe Loup bc heath is dead

[@rnhealer6044]

Eric Singer is great. I have been watching his videos for 3 hours and am still enjoying him. I have learned so much about speech patterns and the way people talk as well as actors imitating politicians and other celebrities in films..

[@jul3249]

This fascinates me. How does someone become an expert in all these languages' particularities is beyond me. I've been working for years on my American accent and still can't quite master it.

[@DemonPlayDemonOut]

I imagine it starts with a background in linguistics. Because linguistics is the field that covers sounds, dialects, and semantics of all human languages.

[@BUSHCRAPPING]

If someone (movie companies) are willing to pay you handsomely to know it. Then someone is gunna learn it.

[@jul3249]

@@BUSHCRAPPING The point is not if someone is WILLING to. My point is that someone is ABLE to.

[@StoryeTime]

It could very well be the way he was raised and what sounds/music/languages he had around him as a baby and if he has perfect pitch. I am a French native and was born in the Basque country surrounded by French, Basque, Spanish and plentiful of music as a baby and developed perfect pitch because of it (or thanks to it) so I barely have an American accent. I often have to think about it and include a bit of French in there because if I make a mistake, which can happen of course, I sound like an American/Californian idiot. Anyway, mostly you have to be exposed to a lot of different and intricate sounds as a baby. Rick Beato explains this well in his Perfect pitch video. As-tu été élevé avec plusieurs langues ou beaucoup de musiques différentes quand tu étais bébé ? Là est la question

[@heidimsw]

There are many “American Accents”, Julie. Focus on one region at a time and you’ll nail them! ❤️

[@jurassicpig]

The expertise this man exudes is shocking.

[@Jabadamazo]

Hoffman was such a fucking legend. I seriously get frustrated every time I think about him being dead.

[@Ratama]

Yeah him and DDL were my favorite of the bunch. Ah, shame.

[@buckybarnes2026]

at least we still have lewis

[@etherize]

What a loss -- for the industry and his fans.

[@MrAtaguas]

AMEN! ... you know I was pining to see the movie Almost Famous couple of days before he died and his character reminded me exactly of my uncle who used to be a DJ back in the day. He did a bang on job of that particular type of character (hardly his best work) and that character really resonated with me. He is immortalized by the work that he did and the art he shared with us all ... be thankful that you can see him at his peak at your convenience thanks to the internet.

[@Slack-x1y]

IAmBadatStarcraft Dustin Hoffman is dead?? WTF

[@princebusta1st1]

Brad Pitt isn't doing a Belfast accent in Snatch, it's that of a Irish traveller which has some very different characteristics to Belfast

[@gnomeinacage8860]

Came here to say this as we watched Snatch the other day. Still wasn't a great traveller accent IMO, and it definitely wasn't Belfast.

[@jimpreece5848]

​@@gnomeinacage8860 Yeah, you're right. It was very impressive for an American but he obviously just latched onto an irish accent and mumbled it