Movie Accent Expert Breaks Down 32 Actors' Accents | WIRED

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: www.eriksinger.com/
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Movie Accent Expert Breaks Down 32 Actors' Accents | WIRED
Created by: Joe Sabia

[@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...

[@TotenKajtekbezmajtek]

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

[@Gabriela-co8ee]

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

[@YvieT81]

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

[@river_run_petrichor]

Gorlami

[@QOMBINATION]

@@river_run_petrichor GOOOORLAAAAAAAMIIIIII

[@lukenmartinezbotella3324]

Bawngeorno

[@Sdwp777]

Antonio Margaretti

[@lilycade63]

Arrivederci

[@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

[@dorj46]

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

[@ZeroKurogane4]

Davaadorj Dorjgotov goe shas

[@glennaaron1306]

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.

[@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

[@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

[@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 😂

[@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.

[@Anotherroom]

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

[@jameshutcheon3100]

Pitt: That ain't Belfast. That's Irish Traveller, and he's pretty close (in places)

[@davidzof]

Yeah, more a southern irish accent and it was supposed to be a joke anyway. Brad was pretty good in the role.

[@alastairward2774]

Cruise's accent isn't a Belfast one either surely. Or does Belfast = Ireland in the same way that London = England?

[@probablynot879]

@@alastairward2774 no

[@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!

[@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

[@RevolutiaInfo]

There's a reason why Daniel Day-Lewis got 6 nomination of Academy Awards for Best Actor and won 3 of them.

[@jimpreece5848]

Yeah, we talk about method actors but he's one of the very few who really puts his mind and body into performances - to live out how each character would do. But also, not at the expense of others.

[@elijahalbiston]

@@jimpreece5848 That's why I completely respect his method acting. He always gives a good performance. Others when they method act...? Hit or miss really, and usually a miss.

[@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.

[@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".

[@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

[@isaacgleeth3609]

@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.

[@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.

[@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. :)

[@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??

[@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!!

[@razordu30]

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

[@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)

[@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

[@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

[@user-ty6jj1og3f]

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

[@adhc8560]

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

[@martintekula]

wtf i didnt know he died till now

[@laureencriss8220]

Heath Ledger too. RIP

[@vickiesanders7519]

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

[@Notturnoir]

Yes i think it works so well for Maleficent!

[@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

[@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.

[@TheMistressMisery]

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

[@jedrashidul6952]

I lolled so hard at his reaction😂😂😂

[@debbiep99]

Legend quote

[@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.

[@juliehunter1168]

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

[@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.

[@xoShiningKrystlexo]

I need so much more of this

[@YourWifesBoyfriend]

Same.

[@ocpd23]

PLEASE make more of these Wired

[@yogtheterrible]

Completely agree, if possible, Mr. Singer should be brought back to do an ongoing series that analyzes accents in movies and TV.

[@codymeneke]

Yog theTerrible I'm here from the future and your wish has been granted.

[@ooTina00]

xoShiningKrystlexo me too

[@kelseyrobinson1917]

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.

[@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..

[@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?

[@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

[@annef0x]

I like how the clips of the actors are edited so as to look like they are responding to his comments. Didn't notice it the first time I watched but Idk I found it hilarious

[@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.

[@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

[@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.

[@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.

[@xKarenWalkerx]

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

[@TheArchsage74]

Idris Elba is a brilliant actor. Glad to see him featured.

[@samguy7654]

TheArchsage74 He nails every fuckin thing

[@LeftHandRight]

Halfway through The Wire's run I found out Idris Elba was English. Blew my mind.

[@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 🤦🏽‍♀️

[@TheRealCoryKent]

Wired, please bring Erik back for more. I've watched his videos three times now, and I'm ready for something fresh!

[@nikkid1759]

Eric Singer vids are my comfort vids. I come back to them when I need some familiar and wholesome content.

[@SimmSumm]

Make this a series

[@LostJasmine26]

hello agree!

[@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]

😂👍😂

[@iainburgess8577]

i love the way the editing makes a convcersation back and forth. very creative.

[@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.

[@M2820P]

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

[@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

[@darrenhartigan3033]

Pitt in snatch wasn't Belfast. He was doing a "traveller" - an Irish people that sometimes choose not to live in houses - but caravans... But even to most Irish we don't even know what they are saying

[@2lipToo]

Very interesting!

[@darrenhartigan3033]

@Emily June he was asking for a caravan for his mother

[@darrenhartigan3033]

@Emily June ah yes I wasn't sure if u had understood 😊🇮🇪

[@sonny9493]

Dalakdags?

[@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 😂

[@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

[@Iggystar71]

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

[@880330145789]

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.

[@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!

[@Land_Plant]

?????

[@spandanav22]

I can watch "Who the f*ck let this happen?" on a loop.

[@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.

[@autieteledex9131]

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

[@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.

[@dminicnitti6690]

This is absolutely brilliant definitely gave me more of an appreciation for movies

[@danto5319]

THIS IS GOLD To language learning, HIS GIVING THE CLUES to understand in what details to focus when practicing PRONUNCIACION

[@alicemaddock2995]

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

[@alicemaddock2995]

alexandra xx yes bahaha

[@KellyanneKashaS]

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

[@dorkmax7073]

My thoughts as we got to Mickey Rooney's Japanese dialect: "Oh shit"

[@cameronmckelvie81]

sooo bad!

[@sirdrakey]

I remember that scene in "the Dragon: the Story of Bruce Lee" The idea of Bruce Lee watching that and just walking out was a great way of showing that stereotype characters are not okay and the foreshadowing of his problems with Hollywood. Without shaming the audience in a long speech.

[@cameronmckelvie81]

huh, i need to check that out!

[@cloudmangalm03]

hory sheeeeeet!

[@RiverWilliamson]

"who the f*ck let this happen?" I had to pause because I cough laughed.

[@alexanderacostaosorio]

Erik Singer does really know his craft. Great breakdown.

[@kristianarkinstall2876]

this man is extremely intelligent as an English major he is very on point with his critique and reasoning as well.

[@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?

[@CristianNicolae]

Gotta miss Philip Seymour Hoffman. What a legendary actor.

[@helmetless]

The crocodile tears guy, remember?

[@stephenl2571]

He died???

[@copsarebastards]

Stephen Lee overdose i think.

[@oudude27]

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

[@brentmonaghan6959]

@@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.

[@tigerlily0988]

Okay but can we just give a round of applause to whoever edited these video clips together to respond to what Erik was saying? Brillant

[@alfonsogayman9699]

Damson Idris and Nicholas Pinnock are both unbelievable. Their American accents are nuanced and so great. They are truly gifted actors. Can’t credit them enough

[@sjs9698]

i heard (some of?) the american audience didn't even notice that hugh laurie was english bc his accent as house was so spot on, i know this bit is about films but i wonder how it sounds to an expert

[@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.

[@SlackBallSack]

IAmBadatStarcraft Dustin Hoffman is dead?? WTF

[@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

[@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.

[@giovannafranca1434]

I'd be great if the expert gave us more examples of people making a spot on accent, compared to the scenes when the actors missed the mark. Really nice idea of video! The accent expert is very knowledgeable, too!

[@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

[@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 :)

[@mayankgaur8574]

"This is really good for the most part." Kate Winslet: "Thank you."

[@hugorezende199]

He has 4 videos on Wired, he became indeed a favorite for the people on those analysis kind of videos.

[@ashara_rhaenys]

What about Gary Oldman who is the KING of accents?? I can't believe he wasn't mentioned.

[@user-hq8mx7mn3u]

this is a criticism of accents, gary oldman is a master, therefore there is nothing to criticise, also... Jaqen H'Ghar is a prick

[@thekub32]

Jaqen is BOSS!

[@ashara_rhaenys]

Dwayne Johnson A man is grateful ;-)

[@thekub32]

***** :)

[@jamiewilliamson1588]

some good examples, some bad

[@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

[@Itsunclegabby]

Positively Udo Thank you!!

[@joylynn8885]

Loved that

[@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

[@andsewitis]

Always learns lot watching these breakdowns.

[@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?

[@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.

[@veronicaadair9004]

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!

[@Sereno44]

Incredible and excellent analysis!!! Definitely, Mr. Singer has an excellent ear but most of it, his brain can analyze each one of the accents in his mind. He said that American actors did not have time to prepare. I think in the case of many of them, especially Tom Cruize never had the intention of getting coached.

[@izzojoseph2]

Phillip Seymour Hoffman was such an Awesome actor. Daniel Day Lewis IS an awesome actor. Both did intense prep

[@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-_olvlo_-l]

Prestige Clips yooo

[@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

[@carr0760]

I absolutely love his reactions to bad accents. "I don't know what happened to the prep here....". Hahaha His face before the Costner scene was gold!

[@mirandafry2613]

Nobody warned me there was going to be 16 minutes of hilarity. The editing is just spot on.

[@ciaranne_]

Wired is like BuzzFeed except with much more educational content

[@alexacosta2140]

Monic and not biased as hell

[@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.

[@loud479]

I can't as a Scotsman I can't say that Mel did a good job

[@queenofno6055]

1:32 I completely agree but Phillip Seymour was brilliant in all his parts honestly

[@actionvolcano]

Why is Dennis from Its always sunny talking about accents?

[@ralphune1]

I just comment the same thing without seeing this lmao

[@Matt-rm5ir]

Lol I thought the same thing

[@celiapress]

omg same

[@FromMosestoKoufax]

It's actual Jared from Silicon Valley though

[@qwertyuiop12342986]

I thought it was Craig Middlebrooks and I'm sO DISAPPOINTED!

[@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."

[@MooseRocka]

I love these breakdowns