Inventing Anna & The Dropout Prove Accents Are a Scammer's Best Accessory

Amanda Seyfried and Julia Garner's linguistic stylings in The Dropout and Inventing Anna are getting awards buzz and Jared Leto shows off his latest voice in WeCrashed.

By Cydney Contreras Jul 12, 2022 5:30 PMTags
Watch: "The Dropout" Stars Share FILMING SECRETS

2022 is the year of the accent.

Julia Garner has everyone attempting to speak with a blend of German and Russian flourishes after she portrayed convicted scammer Anna Delvey in the Netflix series Inventing Anna. The unique verbal gymnastics have inspired entire TikTok trends, with one girl narrating her day in Anna Delvey fashion.

But there's another vocal transformation that has people talking: Amanda Seyfried's deep baritone in Hulu's The Dropout. The Mamma Mia actress stars as Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes who purposely lowered her high-pitched voice to be taken seriously. The deep voice that Elizabeth adopted is incredibly hard to maintain for prolonged periods of time—trust me, I tried. So kudos, Amanda!

Both Amanda and Julia's efforts paid off, with both actresses being nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress In a Limited or Anthology Series, as are their respective shows. 

Jared Leto also took on Israeli WeWork founder Adam Neumann in the new series WeCrashed. Over the years, the star has proven his dedication to the craft, undergoing impressive transformations and recently nailing the cadence of Italian designer Paolo Gucci in House of Gucci.

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Actors Who Committed to Their Characters

To see other stars who have nailed challenging accents, keep scrolling!

And check out the complete list of 2022 Emmy nominations here!

Colin Firth

In the HBO Max series The Staircase, Firth masters Michael Peterson's distinct way of speaking. His co-star, Toni Collette, was even impressed, telling him in an interview with E! News, "You nailed it! You sound exactly like him."

Julia Garner

It's no surprise that Julia was able to expertly mimic Anna Delvey's unique way of speaking in the Netflix series Inventing Anna. The Emmy Award winning actress has been praised for her portrayal of Appalachian native Ruth Langmore in Ozark, an accent that is equally challenging, if not more.

Jared Leto

In the new series WeCrashed, the Oscar winner plays Adam Neumann, the charismatic Israeli businessman who speaks so powerfully that people believe whatever he says.

 

Amanda Seyfried

Though Elizabeth Holmes is an American like Amanda, the Theranos founder's deep voice presented a challenge for the Mamma Mia actress. "I had to work really hard to get there because I speak at such a higher level than she does naturally," she previously shared. "So even though she was deepening her voice more and more to what we all understand is for power's sake, to make an impact, I still couldn't get all the way there."

Nicole Kidman

The actress combined her Australian accent with a Russian one to portray Masha in Nine Perfect Strangers.

Kate Winslet

Born in the south of England, the Titanic actress had to work with a dialect coach to shed her prim and proper English lilt for HBO's Mare of EasttownShe told The Philadelphia Enquirer that it was "tricky" to perfect the Delco accent, but, as she put it, "I'm an actor who doesn't like to get things wrong."

Andrew Lincoln

Though fans are accustomed to hearing Rick Grimes' southern twang on The Walking Dead, Andrew actually hails from Yorkshire, England.

Martin Freeman

In the FX spinoff Fargo, the British actor tackled the Minnesotan manner of speaking, which needs to be heard to be believed. 

Jodie Comer

It's no exaggeration to call the British actress a jack of all trades. In the BBC series Killing Eve, Jodie effortlessly switched from British to Russian to French accents in a matter of moments as she portrayed hitman Villanelle.

Hugh Laurie

The British actor appeared in American titles so frequently in his early career, it's easy to assume that he bleeds red, white and blue. In reality, Gregory House's accent was as fake as the procedures he performed. 

Gillian Anderson

For years now, the actress has baffled viewers with her impeccable English accent, leaving some to wonder if she's British or American. The answer is both: She spent her childhood in London, but moved to Grand Rapids, Mich. when she was 12 years old. In 2013, she remarked that even she is a bit "baffled" when it comes to her identity.

KJ Apa

He currently portrays all-American boy Archie Andrews in The CW's Riverdale, but KJ is actually from New Zealand. 

Peter Dinklage

For eight years, the New Jersey-born actor portrayed Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones, so it makes sense that some people are surprised to learn he's not actually British. 

Anya Taylor-Joy

The actress grew up in Buenos Aires, London and more cities, making it a challenge for Anya to nail down Beth's American accent in Netflix's limited series The Queen's Gambit

(E! and NBC are both members of the NBCUniversal family.)

This story was originally published Mar 11, 2022 at 9:22 a.m. PST.

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