15 Actors That Play Americans So Often They Had Us Fooled

Movies set in America are, without a doubt, the most popular and profitable way of making money in the medium. Not only is the American audience an important one to win, American culture has made its way all over the world. When a movie is set in New York, people know world-wide what to expect from such a setting.

This means that a lot of actors can have a successful career playing American characters, even if they aren’t American themselves. Here, we’ve prepared a list of the actors that are known for their American roles, but they hail from completely different countries themselves.

Tom Holland

Tom Holland’s natural London accent can sound worlds away from Peter Parker’s American voice. Between Spider-Man and other American roles, Holland has spent years using an American accent so consistently that audiences sometimes forget how British he actually sounds.

Christian Bale

Christian Bale has played so many Americans that his Welsh origins can feel like trivia. From Patrick Bateman to Batman and beyond, Bale has repeatedly adopted American voices, once explaining that playing American characters had become remarkably natural for him.

Hugh Laurie

Hugh Laurie’s Dr. Gregory House is probably one of television’s greatest accent magic tricks. His American voice was so convincing during his audition that producer Bryan Singer reportedly believed Laurie was an American actor until learning otherwise.

Idris Elba

Idris Elba’s Stringer Bell became so synonymous with Baltimore that his natural East London accent can surprise viewers. Elba has repeatedly played Americans, and his work on The Wire was convincing enough to fool people involved in casting.

Andrew Garfield

Andrew Garfield was actually born in Los Angeles but raised in England, making his American identity slightly more complicated. His American accent became especially familiar through The Social Network, The Amazing Spider-Man, and Hacksaw Ridge.

Daniel Kaluuya

Daniel Kaluuya’s American performances became so convincing that hearing his natural working-class London accent can be genuinely jarring. He played Americans in Get Out and Judas and the Black Messiah, among several other major productions.

Margot Robbie

Australian actress Margot Robbie has spent much of her Hollywood career switching into American voices. From The Wolf of Wall Street and I, Tonya to Barbie, she has repeatedly made an American accent feel completely natural.

Emily Blunt

Emily Blunt has used American accents throughout much of her Hollywood career, including Charlie Wilson’s War, The Jane Austen Book Club, and Sunshine Cleaning. Considering her natural London accent, her frequent American roles can make the switch surprisingly easy to forget.

Rosamund Pike

Rosamund Pike’s portrayal of Amy Dunne in Gone Girl required her to master a distinctly American voice, despite her English upbringing. She has also used American accents in films including Jack Reacher, making her real voice an occasional surprise.

Naomi Watts

Naomi Watts has played Americans so frequently that audiences can easily forget she is English-born. Her performances in Mulholland Drive, The Ring, and numerous other American productions helped make her adopted screen voice feel completely natural.

Chiwetel Ejiofor

Chiwetel Ejiofor has repeatedly disappeared into American characters, particularly in historical dramas. His performances in 12 Years a Slave and American-based productions helped establish an American screen voice so convincing that his British accent can catch audiences off guard.

Colin Farrell

Irish actor Colin Farrell has spent much of his career moving between his native accent and American voices. Phone Booth gave him a Bronx-style accent, while Tigerland and Minority Report required entirely different American approaches.

Michael Fassbender

Michael Fassbender was born in Germany and raised in Ireland, yet American characters became a major part of his career. From Steve Jobs to other American roles, his ability to alter his voice can make his Irish accent surprisingly easy to forget.

Jude Law

Jude Law’s British accent is instantly recognizable in many roles, but he has also demonstrated a convincing American voice repeatedly. The Talented Mr. Ripley is a particularly strong example, showing how completely he can change his vocal identity.

Daniel Craig

Daniel Craig may be forever associated with James Bond’s British voice, but the English actor has repeatedly played Americans, including Southern and contemporary characters. His ability to bury his natural accent beneath different voices makes his range easy to underestimate.