Ever wondered how some actors sound completely different from their iconic characters? Join us as we explore the incredible vocal transformations of actors who masterfully disguise their natural voices to bring unique characters to life on screen!
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00:00Oh, I have a little joke for you.
00:02Knock, knock. I'm not there.
00:05Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:06And today, we're counting down our picks for actors who heavily modified their voice,
00:10whether through an accent or timbre, for a television role.
00:13Any of you want to test who's got the biggest wrinklies around here,
00:18step on up.
00:21Number 30, Mark McKinney, Superstore.
00:23Sweetie, great news.
00:26I'm getting a raise!
00:28There'll be money for the houseboat and for your mom's surgery.
00:32Mark McKinney's interpretation of Glenn more than brought the character to life.
00:36We don't want to make any mistakes, not with a secret shopper in our midst.
00:40Wait, is it mist or midst?
00:42Which one were the gorillas in again?
00:43He said that playing Glenn was, quote,
00:45"...suspiciously easy,"
00:47and even compared it to putting on an old pair of shoes.
00:50It's a good thing, because McKinney seemed to undergo an almost spiritual transformation
00:54whenever he became the Cloud 9 manager.
00:56His cartoonish, Muppet-like cadence seems so authentic,
00:59it's actually jarring when you hear the actor speak in his natural voice,
01:02which is much deeper and silkier than Glenn's.
01:05I think everybody's met a character like Glenn,
01:08and I think audiences will recognize the type of person I'm playing in a heartbeat.
01:13You would never know a character like Glenn lives inside him.
01:16Number 29, Brian Baumgartner, The Office.
01:19Kevin's voice is one of the most unique parts of his character.
01:23We really don't do a lot of weddings.
01:25We actually don't play in public very often.
01:29His delivery conveys to the audience almost as much about his personality
01:33as his lines of dialogue do.
01:35As Kevin, Brian Baumgartner adopted a slow, almost childlike delivery with a lower pitch.
01:40I won the 2002 $2,500 No Limit Deuce to Seven Draw tournament
01:45at the World Series of Poker in Vegas.
01:47So, yeah, I'm pretty good at poker.
01:51In real life, however, he has a much more articulate and energetic speaking style.
01:56And that's the other thing is when I get, like, young high school kids.
02:00Now, I walked out of a store the other day and they're like,
02:02Kevin, and I'm like, you weren't born.
02:04Mr. Baumgartner has talked about how people are surprised when they hear his real voice,
02:08which is certainly a testament to how much he helped shape his character.
02:12Number 28, John Hillerman, Magnum P.I.
02:15Here's a man who managed to fool even native Brits.
02:18Texan and British accents are rather distinct from each other.
02:22So how John Hillerman managed to pull it off is incredibly impressive.
02:26Brigadier General Alistair Fowkes has graciously invited all of Robin Master's guests to dine with him tonight.
02:31That quite amazingly ain't no joke.
02:34He worked for about a year with a voice coach in order to lose his native accent.
02:38From there, it's been said that the performer listened to Laurence Olivier
02:42in order to learn to speak in the middle-slash-upper-class English accent
02:45he adopted for Jonathan Quayle Higgins III on Magnum P.I.
02:49Yeah, well, what I'm talking now is what you would call standard American stage speech.
02:53Of course, for Higgins, I actually put on a rather mild English accent.
02:58He was so convincing and so beloved as the character that he even took home a Golden Globe for the role.
03:03Well, I prefer to be called private investigator.
03:06You prefer to be called, period.
03:07Number 27, Robert Sheehan, The Umbrella Academy.
03:11No, you're not the only one who had no idea Robert Sheehan is Irish.
03:15His voice work as Klaus in The Umbrella Academy is so convincing, it's fooled pretty much everyone.
03:20I don't know where 5 is. I wasn't lying about that.
03:23But I can tell you that he hasn't been making much sense since he came back.
03:29Sheehan's native accent is completely absent in Klaus,
03:32which is especially praiseworthy with how naturally Sheehan manages to play him.
03:36He seems to make his voice floatier, lazier, and more eccentric
03:40in order to match the character's offbeat personality.
03:43I can't just call dad in the afterlife and be like,
03:46Dad, could you stop playing tennis with Hitler for a moment and take a quick call?
03:51In real life, however, the actor's tone has a deeper and sharper quality.
03:55And of course, that distinct Irish lilt.
03:58Barry's tea versus lion's tea.
04:00Now, I'm reading these off of a teleprompter, right?
04:03And Barry's tea, yeah, lion's tea, spelt with an I.
04:07What a bunch of British morons.
04:09Number 26, Melanie Linsky, Togetherness.
04:12Oh my God, your voice is throwing me, man.
04:15Really?
04:17This New Zealander is known for disappearing into American roles.
04:21I am freaking out right now.
04:23Like, I might cry.
04:24Because I'm obsessed with you.
04:25I love you so much.
04:26Everyone in my life has been making so much fun of me.
04:29We love her in Two and a Half Men and in Yellow Jackets.
04:32But Togetherness is perhaps where her voice work is most impressive.
04:36It's undeniably subtle, blending seamlessly in with the rest of the U.S. cast.
04:40Oh, dude.
04:41So early.
04:42No.
04:43While we've witnessed Linsky execute regional accents skillfully,
04:47her character Michelle Pearson in Togetherness
04:49has more of a soft, everyday, middle-class American accent.
04:52And it is unreal how Linsky never seems to slip up.
04:56Why don't you come out with us tonight?
04:58What?
04:59Come with me and Brett.
05:00Come on date night with us.
05:02Because of her frequent involvement in American-based projects,
05:06Melanie Linsky is a rare case where almost none of her characters
05:09sound like her in real life.
05:1125.
05:12Toni Collette, United States of Tara
05:14Then I met my husband and three days into our,
05:17what was what we now know as a relationship,
05:20I shaved my head to test him to see if he still liked me when I looked like that.
05:23Not only did this Australian actor pull off an American accent,
05:26she pulled off different vocal inflections too.
05:29I only smoke when I party.
05:31Well, this isn't a party.
05:33This is you.
05:35As a woman with dissociative identity disorder,
05:37her character Tara has several different alters
05:39who come up over the course of the series,
05:41each with their own unique personalities and manners of speaking.
05:44Do you know how much it blows being 15 and stuck in this ancient body?
05:48I mean, look, I have a muffin top.
05:50This can be difficult for actors to pull off in their native accent,
05:53never mind one from across seas.
05:55Collette manages it all flawlessly.
05:57Though we're familiar with her incredible range from Hereditary,
06:00The Sixth Sense, Little Miss Sunshine, and Knives Out,
06:04it gets to shine all in one place in United States of Tara.
06:07Maybe I should have seen this coming.
06:15I can't deal with this right now.
06:21I've also heard that you're toxic,
06:23and if I join your merry little band of political hobbyists here,
06:27I'm gonna end up regretting it.
06:29With Eli Gold's high-pressure job,
06:31it's no wonder he speaks the way he does.
06:33Rarely does he waste words,
06:34and he can often be heard cutting people off
06:36or delivering his thoughts impatiently.
06:38This must be the faked photo. Do you have the original?
06:40Nope.
06:41The envelope it came in?
06:42Thrown away.
06:43Thrown away or destroyed?
06:44Thrown away.
06:45Well, that was clumsy.
06:47Eli sits slightly higher in Alan Cummings' register,
06:50and the actor always ensures his tone is terse,
06:53clipped, and effortlessly American.
06:55It's why it's so surprising to hear him in interviews,
06:58where he lets out his expressive, playful nature.
07:00But he's a massive fan of Oprah, as we all know.
07:03And... Oh, he don't, but he is.
07:05And, uh...
07:07He's also a Scottishman,
07:08which gives his real voice a rich, rolling quality.
07:18Even British actors on set didn't clock James Marster's true dialect.
07:22In order to play Spike,
07:23Marster's dramatically reshaped his voice
07:26to be a rough Cockney accent with dropped R's,
07:28glottal stops, and elongated vowels.
07:42He's originally from California,
07:44and definitely sounds like it.
07:46But you would never know that if you only know him from Buffy.
07:58More than the accent change,
08:00his voice is also noticeably lower in pitch and grittier,
08:03which fits Spike perfectly.
08:05Marster's would go on to say that doing the accent was stressful
08:08because he was constantly worried about slipping.
08:10But we think he did phenomenally.
08:20Number 22, Matthew McFadyen, Succession.
08:29Born in England and having lived in Scotland,
08:32Matthew McFadyen should have had a lot more trouble
08:34putting on as good of an American accent as he does.
08:37Not only is it completely authentic-sounding,
08:40but McFadyen is also able to code switch as his character,
08:43depending on who Tom is interacting with.
08:59With Greg, for instance,
09:01he often takes on a mocking or condescending tone.
09:04With Shiv, whose actress, Sarah Snook,
09:06also does a great American accent,
09:08he's a lot more subdued.
09:10McFadyen also employs vocal tics for Tom,
09:12like nervous laughter and voice cracks
09:14when he's been caught off guard.
09:17Number 21, Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones.
09:20There are a number of actors who adjusted their voices
09:23in order to play Game of Thrones characters,
09:25but we think Peter Dinklage in particular
09:27deserves a lot of acclaim for his voice work.
09:30The New Jerseyan managed a remarkably refined
09:32and natural-sounding British-received pronunciation accent.
09:47Unlike his faster, more casual speech,
09:49Dinklage delivers lines more slowly as Tyrion,
09:52often pausing for effect.
10:00As a result, his character manages to sound
10:02commanding and calculated without ever overdoing it.
10:05It cements Dinklage as the perfect choice for Tyrion.
10:16If something feels that good...
10:17It's not gonna work.
10:18It's not gonna work. Nobody's gonna buy this.
10:20Number 20, Yael Stone, Orange is the New Black.
10:24Orange is the New Black's Yael Stone
10:26brought life to the quirky character of Lorna Morello.
10:29They let you drive?
10:30Who else is gonna do it?
10:32We do everything around here.
10:34The character's thick, high-pitched Boston accent is iconic,
10:37but in real life, Yael Stone's voice is quite different.
10:41She has an Australian accent and a grounded demeanor,
10:44with a more serious tone than the character she portrays.
10:53Hearing her natural voice goes to show
10:55how versatile Stone is as an actress,
10:57and makes you appreciate the incredible amount of effort
11:00and talent that she put into portraying Lorna.
11:03I don't know if there's anyone that talks like this.
11:05It's a crazy thing. I'm not sure. I don't know.
11:08There may be a little of, uh,
11:10maybe Adelaide from Guys and Dolls in there.
11:14Number 19, Matthew Rhys, The Americans.
11:17Matthew Rhys is a talented Welsh actor
11:19with a portfolio of compelling performances in American television.
11:23He gained widespread acclaim for playing
11:25Philip Jennings on The Americans.
11:27That's against spies, right?
11:28Exactly.
11:29I have to make sure I don't do any spying around here.
11:32Oh, you better not. Especially for those Russians.
11:35Oh, yeah, they're the worst, right?
11:37The Soviet spy really had to perfect an American accent
11:40to blend into the 1980s Washington, D.C. suburbs.
11:43Not only is Rhys' accent captivating,
11:46but so is his ability to portray the morally complex character.
11:50I don't know why you should trust me.
11:53You should hate me. You should...
11:56You should probably shoot me.
12:00But we're getting in that car.
12:02To the surprise of a lot of fans,
12:04his voice is nothing like Philip's.
12:06He has a rich and melodic natural Welsh accent,
12:09which makes him sound distinctly charming.
12:12Philip is often stoic and brooding,
12:14but in interviews, Rhys appears relaxed and humorous,
12:17showcasing just how phenomenal his acting talents are.
12:21Whether you're watching rugby or singing songs
12:24or, you know, tearing up at Tom Jones,
12:27that is unwavering in me,
12:30which is great for, you know, for what I do,
12:32which is, you know, running away in flights of fancy.
12:3618. Dominic West, The Wire
12:39You do any accents? English, British, Scottish, something like that?
12:42Crikey!
12:44I was looking to get a little hanky-panky,
12:47and this one bloke gave me this number
12:49to call when I got across the pond.
12:52We got it, sir. We got it.
12:54After watching The Wire, many people will believe Dominic West,
12:58the actor behind detective Jimmy McNulty,
13:00was a Baltimore local.
13:02If you've ever heard him speak in real life,
13:04you'll know he sounds nothing at all like his character.
13:07Whenever I open my mouth, in a rumble of wire vans,
13:10I'm conscious of a sort of rather deflation of,
13:14oh dear, he's not McNulty.
13:17In reality, he has a charming English accent
13:20with a refined tone that majorly contrasts
13:22with McNulty's manner of speaking.
13:24Beyond The Wire, West has shown versatility in a variety of roles,
13:28such as his portrayal of Prince Charles on The Crown.
13:31West masterfully embodied Jimmy McNulty,
13:34a flawed but captivating protagonist.
13:36But his real-life persona is far removed
13:39from the gritty world of Baltimore's crime-riddled streets.
13:42Miss Snoppy always stole the money.
13:44Why'd you let him play?
13:46Cots.
13:48This America, man.
13:53Fans of the hit series Killing Eve will quickly become familiar
13:56with Jodie Comer's character Villanelle.
13:58She's a stylish Russian assassin
14:00with ruthless efficiency and playful charm.
14:03Aren't you always a different person?
14:05Aren't you?
14:06At least I'm good at playing someone else.
14:08Well, not that good, obviously.
14:11Don't speak to me like that, Eve.
14:16I like you, but I don't like you that much.
14:18Comer's portrayal is chillingly intense
14:21and one of the most memorable characters on television.
14:24But in real life, Jodie Comer has a strong yet soothing Liverpool accent.
14:28A lot of people just look at me and think,
14:30is it hair?
14:31But I had one recently that was really strange.
14:34Someone asked me for a photograph.
14:36That is a big contrast from Villanelle's Russian brogue
14:39and distinctly theatrical tone.
14:41Comer's natural scouse dialect is warm and friendly,
14:44unlike the sinister tones of the ruthless killer.
14:47She has an unparalleled ability to switch between accents,
14:50which is a testament to her talent.
14:52She's just arrived from New York
14:54after one too many nights on the wrong side of the bridge,
14:57and she has a really, really, really annoying accent.
15:07I like her accent.
15:11Niles is a witty and sophisticated butler,
15:14portrayed by Daniel Davis on the popular 90s sitcom The Nanny.
15:17Niles is famous for his dry humor, sharp wit,
15:20and loyalty to the Sheffield family.
15:22Mind you, in this fight in the tournament,
15:24you'll have to take care of the children.
15:26Oh, that sounds like fun.
15:30Oh dear, I think I'm coming down with something.
15:36It's getting worse.
15:37His one-liners are some of the best in the show,
15:40with impeccable timing.
15:41Davis brought this character to life in such a way
15:43that fans still adore him more than 20 years later.
15:46Oop, I'm dating myself.
15:48Dating yourself?
15:49That's pathetic.
15:50Even you can do better than you.
15:52His distinct English accent is also iconic,
15:55but he's really from Arkansas.
15:57Beyond The Nanny, Davis has had a diverse career,
16:00where he effortlessly shifts between characters
16:02and rarely speaks in his laid-back and relatable true voice.
16:06I brought a pretty good range,
16:09having done a lot of classics, a lot of Shakespeare.
16:12And having grown up in Arkansas,
16:14I did not have the southern accent.
16:20A former wealthy soap star,
16:21Moira Rose still has the sensibilities of a one-percenter,
16:25despite having lost all her money.
16:27This wine is awful.
16:29Give me another glass.
16:30Her usual manner of speaking is noticeably deeper
16:33and more prim and proper than Catherine O'Hara's.
16:35This adds to the character's eccentricities,
16:37since it gives the impression that her voice is an affectation,
16:40even when she's trying to appear warm and friendly.
16:43You've all so graciously welcomed us into your heavenly hamlet.
16:47O'Hara, on the other hand,
16:48comes across as super approachable and down-to-earth.
16:51I'm sorry I wasn't name-dropping, I was just telling the truth.
16:53The fact that she can sell this snobby upper-class character so well
16:57is just proof of her greatness.
16:59Let's go.
17:00I've had enough waking hours for one day.
17:06If you've only seen American interviews with Barrowman,
17:09you might be wondering why he's on this list.
17:11His best-known character, Captain Jack Harkness,
17:14might be a product of British television,
17:16but he sounds decidedly American.
17:18Woke up in bed with both my executioners.
17:20Hmm, lovely couple.
17:22They stayed in touch.
17:24Can't say that about most executioners.
17:26And so does Barrowman, most of the time.
17:29Although he was born in Scotland,
17:30he moved to the States when he was only eight years old,
17:33and his typical accent is an unremarkable Midwestern one.
17:36So Captain Jack changed my life.
17:39It was also a character who changed the face of television.
17:42As a result, however,
17:44when he finds himself among his fellow Scots,
17:46he reverts to his native Scottish dialect.
17:49And the difference is stark.
17:51This is how I speak at home.
17:52When I'm with other Scottish people,
17:54it just happens.
17:55It's like being bilingual.
17:57This is a phenomenon referred to as being bi-dialectal,
18:00which is when someone who grew up around two different accents
18:03can switch between them depending on which one they hear.
18:05And it's very cool.
18:06I can't tell you what I'm thinking right now.
18:08Number 13, Idris Elba, The Wire.
18:11Your American accent has not always been that good.
18:18My insides are constricting for you right now.
18:20I don't know what's going on.
18:21Oh, you do.
18:22Dominic West isn't the only Brit
18:24pretending to be a Baltimorean on The Wire.
18:26By now, Idris Elba is famous enough
18:28that most people probably know
18:30he sounds nothing like his character Stringer Bell in real life.
18:33But when The Wire first hit airwaves,
18:35Elba wasn't such a big name,
18:37and many fans had no idea that his native dialect
18:39is quite different from the ruthless Baltimore crime bosses.
18:42We got bosses that wouldn't know police work
18:44if it bit them in the ass.
18:45Elba actually grew up in an inner borough of London,
18:48and his natural English accent
18:50has been said to be almost close to Cockney.
18:52Of course, his Baltimore accent is no less commanding.
18:56It's like a 40-degree day.
18:58Ain't nobody got nothing to say about a 40-degree day.
19:01Number 12, Jaleel White, Family Matters.
19:04Family Matters featured the unforgettable character Steve Urkel,
19:07portrayed by the legendary Jaleel White.
19:10White became a household name for this role,
19:12known for his suspenders, nerdy glasses,
19:15and his iconic catchphrase.
19:17Did I do that?
19:19Urkel was a clumsy but lovable character
19:21who became a cultural icon.
19:23In reality, White sounds completely different
19:26from the character who made him famous.
19:28There is no Steve here.
19:30I'm Stefan, sweet thing.
19:35Stefan Urkel.
19:37Urkel has a high-pitched and exaggerated voice
19:40with quirky mannerisms and hilarious delivery.
19:43White's natural voice is much deeper
19:45and sounds significantly more mature.
19:47This makes you appreciate Urkel even more,
19:50as it showcases just how much talent
19:52Jaleel White brought to the table.
19:54Yo, sweet thing.
20:00Are you okay?
20:04Yeah.
20:10Now sweat, my pet.
20:12Number 11, Stephanie Beatrice, Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
20:15Rosa Diaz is the quintessential
20:17no-nonsense, hard-nosed detective.
20:19Many of her colleagues are intimidated by her,
20:22and she has a somewhat deep, serious voice
20:24to fit her personality.
20:26Plans are plans. I'm a badass, not an anarchist.
20:28Stephanie Beatrice's natural pitch, on the other hand,
20:30is much more high to moderate.
20:32I really loved the character. I wore all black.
20:34I wore my black leather jacket. I wore my black boots.
20:37But die-hard fans might have noticed
20:39that Rosa's voice evolved over the course of the series.
20:42In season one, it was only slightly deeper
20:44than Beatrice's ordinary speaking voice.
20:46Looks like the perp stole a computer, a watch,
20:49and a jamón ibérico ham, valued at, what, $6,000.
20:54In later seasons, her pitch dropped considerably,
20:57to the point that by the show's end,
20:59Beatrice and her character sound like
21:01completely different people.
21:02Yeah, we know that. We're just surprised that you know that.
21:04Number 10, Rose McIver, Ghosts.
21:06Samantha Arendaker is a cheerful young woman,
21:09despite being haunted by quirky spirits
21:11on the popular comedy series, Ghosts.
21:13They're not gonna find anything, because I now know
21:15there's nothing wrong with me.
21:16Okay, but the doctor said...
21:18That was the living doctor.
21:19Of course she thinks I'm delusional.
21:21She's not trained for this, but the ghost doctor...
21:23Okay, that's where you start to lose me.
21:25Actress Rose McIver does a masterful job
21:27at making Sam warm, relatable, and hilarious
21:30with a light American accent.
21:31In fact, McIver is from New Zealand,
21:33and has a fairly deep tone compared to Sam's
21:36upbeat and bubbly personality.
21:37None of these have been shows that people
21:39kind of just disengage, you know, watch,
21:42and kind of leave afterwards.
21:43It's like, it seems to kind of build this
21:46collective, creative thing that happens out of them.
21:49McIver has refined this accent across
21:51a variety of American roles,
21:53most notably starring as the undead Liv Moore
21:55on iZombie.
21:56No matter how dark the subject matter,
21:58her versatile voice always brightens things up.
22:01They say you're welcome.
22:02They? There's two of them?
22:05Yep.
22:07Are we done here?
22:08Number nine, Lucy Lawless,
22:10Xena, Warrior Princess.
22:12So what do you guys think of the show?
22:14I like the one that plays me.
22:16She's got a century.
22:17Lucy Lawless is synonymous with Xena,
22:20the heroic lead on the beloved fantasy action series
22:22Xena, Warrior Princess.
22:23Her commanding presence captured the hearts
22:25of fans globally, making her an icon.
22:28That was me once.
22:32And then...
22:38The water ripples and churns.
22:41That's what I became.
22:43Lawless played the role with remarkable strength,
22:45resilience, and a rather arbitrary American accent.
22:49In reality, the actress hails from New Zealand
22:51and has a much softer and more relaxed voice
22:54than the tough, bold Warrior Princess.
22:56Never done any kung fu, really, no sports at all.
22:59And I had thought I was going to do Shakespeare.
23:03You know, I thought I was going to go to England
23:05and study theater.
23:07Lawless's real-life personality is far removed
23:09from the mythological epic battles that Xena is known for,
23:12bringing further attention to her stunning range as an actress.
23:16Number eight, Pedro Pascal, Game of Thrones.
23:19Many people assume that the Chilean-born actor
23:21naturally speaks with a Spanish accent.
23:23It's not an absurd idea,
23:24considering that he sometimes uses one.
23:26I am Javi.
23:27But Pascal actually grew up in California and Texas,
23:30and his native accent is pretty standard American.
23:33Yeah, I feel kind of Texan, actually.
23:35Oberyn Martell was the first Dornish character
23:38to appear on Game of Thrones,
23:39so Pascal played an important role in determining
23:42what the people of the fictional Dorne
23:44would sound like going forward.
23:45And after I turn sad, I grow angry.
23:49Since he grew up in a family of Spanish speakers,
23:51it makes sense that this accent
23:53is the one that comes easily to him.
23:55It is a big and beautiful world.
23:58Most of us live and die in the same corner
24:01where we were born and never get to see any of it.
24:05I don't want to be most of us.
24:07Number seven, Maggie Wheeler, Friends.
24:10Oh. My. God.
24:12If you know Friends, then you know Janice,
24:15Chandler's mostly ex-girlfriend
24:16whose surprise reappearances eventually become a running joke.
24:20Oh. My. God.
24:23Janice's most distinctive feature is her voice.
24:26Loud, nasally, and extremely New York.
24:29It'd probably be pretty grating to listen to in real life,
24:32but her voice, along with her famous catchphrase,
24:34made her into one of the most beloved
24:36recurring characters on the series.
24:38Okay, I'm gonna need a comforter.
24:40But do you have a hypoallergenic one?
24:42Because otherwise I get very nasal.
24:43Although Wheeler drew inspiration for Janice
24:46from the New Yorkers she grew up around,
24:47her real voice couldn't be more different.
24:50Really, I heard her. I knew who she was to me.
24:53It's almost jarring to hear it coming out of that familiar face.
24:56That's fine.
25:01It is?
25:02Mm-hmm.
25:03Because I know that this isn't the end.
25:07Number six, Millie Bobby Brown, Stranger Things.
25:11Eleven from Stranger Things is a young girl
25:13with peculiar psychokinetic powers and a hidden past.
25:16She's one of the show's central characters
25:18and was superbly portrayed by Millie Bobby Brown.
25:21Mike.
25:22Yeah?
25:23Friends don't lie.
25:25Her performance is powerful,
25:27and the character is known for speaking
25:29in a soft, childlike American accent.
25:31Brown, on the other hand, naturally has a strong,
25:34confident, and expressive English dialect.
25:36Granted, it has thinned from her growing up in the States.
25:39I hate finger sandwiches.
25:42And I'm gonna just say that.
25:44Now, cold sandwiches are my dad and I's
25:46least favorite thing ever.
25:48Now, scones are delicious.
25:50Scones.
25:51I don't say scones. I actually say scones.
25:53Beyond Stranger Things, Brown has taken on many other roles
25:56with a great variety of accents and voices.
25:59Brown's true voice and personality
26:01are a strong reminder of how dynamic her acting truly is.
26:04I can fight.
26:06Better than any of us.
26:08Number five, Melissa Rauch, The Big Bang Theory.
26:12Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz's high pitch
26:14and usually sweet intonation seem to fit
26:16with Rauch's diminutive stature.
26:18Gosh, Amy, I'm sensing a little hostility.
26:20Is it maybe because, like Sheldon's work,
26:22your sex life is also theoretical?
26:24That's one reason it's always surprising and hilarious
26:27when she suddenly belts out a line like Howard's mother.
26:30Does he like the pancakes?
26:33He didn't try them yet!
26:35In fact, the voice and the character have become so intertwined
26:38that fans sometimes don't recognize the actress
26:40when she's speaking in her natural tone.
26:42Bernadette's voice is very similar to my mother's,
26:45except without the Jersey accent.
26:47It turns out that Rauch is a bit of a vocal chameleon.
26:50She's done voice work for a number of animated shows and films
26:53and even brought Harley Quinn to life
26:55alongside the incomparable Kevin Conroy.
26:58Harley, there are lives at stake.
27:00Oh, my God!
27:02Yeah, yeah, the whole world's gonna plot.
27:04I get it, I get it.
27:05Number four, Cillian Murphy, Peaky Blinders.
27:08Like I said about reprising characters,
27:10I've never done that before, but to have these roles
27:12that are extraordinarily written in such great detail
27:15and to be able to go back to them season after season,
27:18it's been a real gift for me.
27:20Peaky Blinders focuses on the exploits of Thomas Shelby,
27:23leader of the Shelby crime family in 1920s Birmingham.
27:26Shelby is a cunning and ruthless character
27:28with a gritty working-class Brummie accent.
27:30The only difference between you and me, Freddie,
27:33is that sometimes my horses stand a chance of winning.
27:38In actuality, Murphy is from Ireland
27:40and possesses a soft, melodic speaking voice
27:43with a soothing and charming affect.
27:45This is in stark contrast to Shelby's harsh voice,
27:48which has become as iconic as Murphy's performance.
27:51Birmingham's is considered one of the most difficult
27:53English accents to pull off,
27:55but Murphy makes it look as effortless
27:57as every other accent he's adopted in his distinguished career.
28:00Would you like to see my mask?
28:03I use it in my experiments.
28:053. Hugh Laurie – House
28:08Laurie became fairly well-known on the British comedy scene
28:11as part of his two-man act with Stephen Fry in the 80s.
28:14Some of you may be wondering how my colleague
28:17came by this bandage upon his head.
28:19It's very simple. A nurse put it on.
28:21But many Americans were first introduced to him
28:23as the brilliant yet caustic Dr. Gregory House.
28:26I think your argument is specious.
28:28I think your tie is ugly.
28:29He might be humble about his talent,
28:31but Laurie pulls off an American accent so flawlessly
28:33that lots of fans were shocked to discover
28:35he's actually British.
28:37House's voice is almost gravelly,
28:39while Laurie is a bit more soft-spoken
28:41with a polished and proper British dialect.
28:43I just felt like it had to be, you know,
28:46it had to be right.
28:47Yeah.
28:48Because it would get in the way if it wasn't right.
28:50It's almost hard to believe
28:51that both voices come from the same man.
28:53You can fake sincerity.
28:55You can fake pretty much anything.
28:562. Andrew Lincoln – The Walking Dead
28:59If you had told us in 2009
29:01that Mark from Love Actually
29:03would totally nail the role of a Kentucky lawman
29:05in a gory zombie apocalypse show,
29:07we probably wouldn't have believed you.
29:09And yet that's exactly what happened.
29:11To portray Rick Grimes,
29:13Lincoln takes on an American accent
29:15with a light but noticeable twang,
29:17completely unlike his usual posh English speech.
29:20I would say it's a work in progress,
29:22but it's a work in progress, apparently.
29:24Rick's voice also gets progressively more gruff
29:26over the course of the series,
29:28reflecting the trauma and violence he's lived through.
29:30Lincoln disappears so completely into the part,
29:33it's easy to forget what he really sounds like.
29:40Before we continue,
29:41be sure to subscribe to our channel
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29:561. Megan Mullally – Will & Grace
29:59Her name might not have been in the title,
30:01but Karen stole this show so many times,
30:03maybe it should have been.
30:04He's a little nervous.
30:05He's a little nervous.
30:07Oh, hell, I'm a little nervous.
30:08Thanks to Mullally's over-the-top performance
30:10and that impossibly squeaky voice,
30:12some of the funniest and most memorable moments
30:14come from when she's on screen.
30:16Oh, my God.
30:19The end of me.
30:20I don't think I can go on.
30:22Of course, her real voice has a much more reasonable tone.
30:25Mullally admits that her risky acting choices
30:27haven't always paid off in the past.
30:29Either I would come in with this crazy character,
30:31with a crazy character,
30:32and I'd either not get cast,
30:34or I'd get cast and then get fired
30:37or almost get fired,
30:38or, you know.
30:40Playing Karen with that absurdly high pitch
30:42was certainly taking a chance,
30:43but in the end,
30:44it's one of the things that made the character
30:46downright iconic.
30:48Hi, my name is Karen Walker.
30:49Not like that.
30:50Not like that.
30:52Oh, my God, that voice is ridiculous.
30:55Which actor's real voice were you shocked to hear
30:57for the first time?
30:58Let us know in the comments.
30:59Hello.
31:05New teeth.
31:06That's weird.
31:07So, where was I?
31:08Oh, that's right.
31:10Barcelona.
31:12Do you agree with our picks?
31:13Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo,
31:15and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell
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31:24See you next time.