Rachel McAdam takes on a German accent in the new film, “A Most Wanted Man,” starring the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman.
The British actor was able to fake his American accent well enough to shock fans of “The Amazing Spider-Man” series, where he portrayed the superhero’s alter-ego Peter Parker.
Angelina Jolie was the perfect choice to portray Disney’s villainess in the film “Maleficent” and the actress’ successful fake British accent only contributed to the powerful character.
Cate Blanchett portrayed Katharine Hepburn in 2004 biographical film “The Aviator” and had to hide her native Australian accent in favor of Hepburn’s American one. She was so successful that the film became one of her most notable roles.
Australian-born Heath Ledger was the perfect actor to portray the infamous Joker in “The Dark Knight.” Besides the green hair and scary makeup, it was Ledger’s voice that made the character, his American accent just right for the part.
Henry Cavill beat out some stiff competition to land the role of Clark Kent in “Man of Steel,” but his success in the role was evident right away. The British actor didn’t let his accent get in the way, embracing the famous superhero, American accent and all.
Before he was “House,” Hugh Laurie was Mr. Fredrick Little in “Stuart Little,” where he traded in his signature British accent for a very believable New York one.
Lindsay Lohan portrayed a set of twins in “The Parent Trap,” a role that launched her into stardom. Annie James was from London, and the young American actress’ British accent showed the world just how talented she was.
London-born Sacha Baron Cohen’s Kazakhstani accent in “Borat” was so bad that it was just so good.
Robert Pattinson proved that he was more than just the “Twilight” star with his role in “Water for Elephants,” where his southern accent charmed the audience and got people talking for all of the right reasons.
Leonardo DiCaprio’s long-list of credits include numerous notable roles, including “Blood Diamond,” where the actor’s South African accent was a character in and of itself, making it one of his most successful films.
Daniel Day Lewis was given the difficult task of portraying the 16th President of the United States in “Lincoln,” and luckily, he was able to transform his English accent into a believable American one, fit for the famous leader.
Amy Adams was so successful at portraying “The Fighter’s” Charlene Fleming, heavy Boston accent and all, that she received numerous award nominations for the role, including Golden Globes and Critics’ Choice Movie Awards.
Forget having to embody a character with a different accent, John Travolta had to completely transform himself into Edna Turnblad, a vibrant woman in “Hairspray” with a signature Baltimore accent. His success was obvious and the character was a huge reason the film found success.
Johnny Depp is known for playing some out-of-the-box characters, but his role as Tonto in “Lone Ranger” was not some of his best work, as the actor failed to convey the Native American accent required of the famous character.
Brad Pitt’s successful career has proven that he can do anything, except perhaps a good Austrian accent, as evident with his role in “7 Years in Tibet.”
Winona Ryder’s attempt to portray Abigail Williams in the movie version of Arthur Miller’s famous play, “The Crucible,” proved to be a challenge for the actress, who struggled to find the perfect British accent.
Canadian actor Keanu Reeves has had to master numerous accents in his long career, but his efforts with a British accent in “Dracula” did not fair as successful as his previous works.
Tommy Wiseau’s “The Room” is often described as being one of the worst movies ever made, so it’s no wonder that the director, screenwriter, producer and actor’s fake American accent met the same fate.
In one of the most famous musical films “Mary Poppins,” Dick Van Dyke’s horrible Cockney accent completely took away from his two roles, as the chimney sweep Bert and as the bank chairman Mr. Dawes Senior.
Scottish actor Gerard Butler has to hide his accent for most of his roles and he usually does it with ease. His role as Milo Boyd in the romantic action comedy “The Bounty Hunter” was a different story, though, and his American accent just didn’t cut it.
Brooklyn-born Mickey Rooney’s Japanese accent in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” was just bad and came across to the audience as being extremely racist, which was definitely not a good mix.
Mickey Rourke’s role as Whiplash in “Iron Man 2” involved a Russian accent, though the actor wasn’t able to successfully provide it.
Kevin Costner’s portrayal of Robin Hood in the 1991 film “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” would have been so much better had the American actor’s fake British accent not failed so miserably.
