Who knew these celebs could speak French? Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the famous folks whose ability to speak French will probably surprise you.
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00:00 - Okay, I thought that we'd start with pronunciation,
00:03 if that's all right with you.
00:04 - Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:06 And today, we're counting down our picks
00:08 for the famous folks whose ability to speak French
00:11 will probably surprise you.
00:13 (speaking in foreign language)
00:17 Number 10, Serena Williams.
00:21 (speaking in foreign language)
00:25 (speaking in foreign language)
00:29 Growing up, Serena Williams wasn't just thinking
00:36 about winning Grand Slam tennis championships.
00:39 She also had ideas about what she wanted to do
00:41 after she won.
00:42 In the case of the French Open,
00:44 this involved giving her post-match talks in French.
00:47 (speaking in foreign language)
00:52 (speaking in foreign language)
00:56 She also had a second reason to learn the language.
01:02 As she told "The Fader" magazine back in 2016,
01:05 it was, quote, "Because in most African countries,
01:08 "the main language outside of their local language
01:11 "is French or English.
01:12 "So I figured, I know English, maybe I can learn French."
01:16 Indeed, she did.
01:18 As we've seen in some very cute videos,
01:20 she's teaching her daughter the language as well.
01:23 (speaking in foreign language)
01:27 Number nine, Gwyneth Paltrow.
01:33 When Gwyneth Paltrow was about 15 years old,
01:36 she spent a year studying abroad in Spain.
01:40 (speaking in foreign language)
01:44 (speaking in foreign language)
01:48 You thought we were gonna say France, didn't you?
01:54 Nope, Paltrow studied in Spain
01:56 and can speak Spanish rather well.
01:58 But what about French, you ask?
02:00 (speaking in foreign language)
02:04 Well, while she didn't study there,
02:09 she and her family did reportedly spend
02:11 a good amount of time in the south of France
02:13 when she was young.
02:14 As such, Paltrow picked up the language
02:17 and has remained conversationally adept ever since.
02:20 Look no further than this interview she did
02:22 during her promotional tour for "Iron Man 3"
02:25 to see what we mean.
02:26 (speaking in foreign language)
02:30 Number eight, Jane Fonda.
02:43 (speaking in foreign language)
02:47 Love is said to be a powerful force
02:55 and can inspire people to do amazing things.
02:58 It's been said that it even led
03:00 to Jane Fonda learning French.
03:02 (speaking in foreign language)
03:12 In 1965, she tied the knot
03:14 with late French filmmaker, Roger Vadim,
03:17 who was also the director behind her 1968 film, "Barbarella."
03:22 The duo were married for roughly eight years
03:24 and their child, Vanessa, was even born in Paris.
03:27 More specific details regarding Fonda's
03:30 language learning journey are relatively scarce,
03:33 but there's no denying she can now handle herself
03:35 like the true professional she's always been in French.
03:38 (speaking in foreign language)
03:42 Number seven, Lily Collins.
03:50 Given that she's the star of the hit Netflix show,
03:53 "Emily in Paris," it may not come as a complete shock
03:56 that Lily Collins speaks French.
03:58 We mean, she literally speaks it on the show, sort of.
04:01 - Well, I'm going to take a class,
04:02 but je parle un peu français already.
04:05 - Well, perhaps it's better not to try.
04:07 As fans will know, Emily is largely clueless
04:10 when she first arrives in Paris,
04:12 so much so that the purchase of a chocolatine
04:14 is anything but straightforward.
04:16 (speaking in foreign language)
04:20 So you might be surprised to know
04:26 that Collins' comprehension of the French language
04:29 is at a much more advanced level
04:31 as she started speaking it as a kid.
04:33 She doesn't always answer interview questions in French,
04:37 perhaps due to not being super confident in her skill level.
04:40 But while she may not be a fluent speaker,
04:42 she's no slouch either.
04:44 (speaking in foreign language)
04:48 Number six, Timothee Chalamet.
05:01 - But you are fluent in the French.
05:03 - Yeah, yes.
05:04 Let's say 97%.
05:05 I always give myself a little stopgap
05:07 'cause it's not perfect.
05:08 - Just because someone has an accent
05:10 over a letter of their first name
05:12 and a French-sounding last name
05:14 doesn't always mean they can speak French.
05:16 However, in the case of Timothee Chalamet, it kind of does.
05:19 (speaking in foreign language)
05:32 Although he was born and raised in New York City,
05:35 he has a strong familial connection to France.
05:38 His father, Marc Chalamet,
05:40 is from the southern part of the country
05:42 and also worked as the New York correspondent
05:44 for daily French newspaper, Le Parisien.
05:47 Not only is Timothee multilingual,
05:49 but he also has dual American and French citizenship.
05:53 (speaking in foreign language)
05:57 (laughing)
05:59 - I don't know, I don't know.
06:03 (speaking in foreign language)
06:06 - Number five, Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
06:09 - You wanna take a shot?
06:10 Be my guest.
06:11 She's actually looking for a French too.
06:13 - Are you serious?
06:14 - That's perfect.
06:15 - Do you speak French?
06:17 - Well, no, but I will.
06:18 - While one of Joseph Gordon-Levitt's big breaks
06:21 came playing an alien on "Third Rock from the Sun,"
06:24 we don't need to tell you
06:25 that he actually isn't from outer space.
06:28 But while calling him an extraterrestrial would be wrong,
06:31 you can definitely call him a Francophile.
06:34 (speaking in foreign language)
06:38 - His affinity began decades ago
06:51 and manifested in his studying French subjects
06:54 at Columbia University,
06:56 his love for French new wave cinema,
06:58 and his fluency in speaking the French language.
07:01 Oh, and in singing it as well,
07:03 as he's demonstrated at several events
07:06 for his Hit Record collaboration platform.
07:08 (singing in foreign language)
07:12 Number four, Jodie Foster.
07:19 While Jodie Foster didn't study in France,
07:22 she did study at a bilingual
07:24 French English prep school in California,
07:26 the Lycée Français de Los Angeles.
07:29 Not only did she master French there,
07:31 she also gave the French valedictorian speech
07:34 the year she graduated.
07:35 (speaking in foreign language)
07:39 To say her ability to speak the language is good
07:46 would be an understatement.
07:48 As if that wasn't enough,
07:49 she's also appeared in French motion picture productions.
07:53 (speaking in foreign language)
07:56 And if you're watching a French dub
08:06 of one of her English movies,
08:07 you'll also usually be hearing her.
08:10 Oh, and she also speaks Italian.
08:11 Although, as she reportedly says in one interview,
08:14 she does so with a quote, "horrible French accent."
08:17 (speaking in foreign language)
08:21 Number three, Hugh Grant.
08:24 Yes, it's true.
08:25 Hugh Grant can be ridiculously charming
08:28 in multiple languages.
08:29 - Is that true?
08:30 - I have an extremely high opinion of my French,
08:32 which is not necessarily matched by the reality.
08:35 - Many kids learn French in school,
08:37 but at least some of Grant's access to the language
08:40 seemingly came through the home.
08:42 You see, his mother, Finvola Susan McClain,
08:45 was an educator, and you guessed it,
08:47 one of the subjects she taught was indeed French.
08:50 Grant also lived in France
08:52 as part of an exchange program when he was 14.
08:55 (speaking in foreign language)
08:57 His French might not be as technically good
09:00 as some others on this list, but it's still praiseworthy.
09:03 Plus, there's no denying how endearing he can be
09:05 in whatever language he's speaking.
09:07 (speaking in foreign language)
09:11 (audience cheering)
09:14 Number two, Emma Watson.
09:17 As British as she is, did you know that Emma Watson
09:20 wasn't actually born in the UK?
09:22 In fact, although both her parents are English,
09:24 she didn't move to England
09:26 until she was about five years old.
09:28 So where did Watson spend the first five years of her life?
09:31 - Is it really boring to say the Eiffel Tower
09:33 when it's all like glittery and sparkly and?
09:36 - Well, given the subject of this list,
09:38 you might've guessed that the answer is France.
09:41 Born in Paris, Watson was obviously immersed
09:44 in the local language in her early years.
09:46 (speaking in foreign language)
09:50 While she will admit her speaking skills aren't perfect,
09:56 we'd say the "Harry Potter" star can still rock an interview
09:59 in the language of love.
10:00 (speaking in foreign language)
10:03 Before we unveil our top pick,
10:05 here are a few honorable mentions.
10:07 Sigourney Weaver.
10:08 She can beat up aliens and speak French.
10:11 Maybe not at the same time, though.
10:13 (speaking in foreign language)
10:17 And it was a sublime experience.
10:20 Marlon Brando.
10:21 Brando learned the language
10:23 after falling for French actress, Tarita Teripaya.
10:27 (speaking in foreign language)
10:31 Audrey Hepburn.
10:40 French was just one of several languages
10:43 Hepburn could converse in.
10:45 (speaking in foreign language)
10:49 Diane Kruger.
10:58 When she relocated to France as a teen,
11:00 she added the language to her repertoire.
11:03 (speaking in foreign language)
11:07 (speaking in foreign language)
11:11 Shakira.
11:17 She doesn't just speak French, she sings in French too.
11:20 (singing in foreign language)
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11:43 Number one, Bradley Cooper.
11:46 Bradley Cooper's deep dive into the French language
11:49 dates back to his time at Georgetown University.
11:52 (speaking in foreign language)
11:56 While his major during his studies there was English,
12:03 the future movie star also did a minor in French.
12:06 Thus, Cooper mastered the language
12:08 while at the prestigious institution
12:10 and even completed an exchange in the South of France.
12:13 (speaking in foreign language)
12:17 He's also seemingly maintained his fluency
12:27 in the language over the years.
12:28 Indeed, he's done numerous interviews in French
12:31 and has shown off his skills a few times
12:33 in film roles as well.
12:35 (speaking in foreign language)
12:38 Color us impressed.
12:40 Which of these multilingual celebs surprised you the most?
12:43 Voulez-vous leave us a comment.
12:45 Do you agree with our picks?
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