Celebrities Who Aren’t Native English Speakers
When we watch our favorite movies or listen to hit songs, the stars often look confident and sound perfect. It’s easy to think they’ve always been that way, but many of the most famous actors and singers in Hollywood did not grow up speaking English. Actors like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sofía Vergara, and Mila Kunis all had to learn English as a second language to make it in the industry. Others had to learn it as a third or fourth language!
Imagine trying to act or sing in a language different from the one of your internal monologue. That sounds terrifying, but plenty of people do it every day. These celebrities came from countries all over the world and brought their unique cultures with them. To make their dreams come true, they studied hard with teachers and even watched countless hours of American television to perfect their accents. Next time you watch or listen to something with one of these celebrities, think about how much time and effort they’ve put in to entertain you.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger grew up in a small village in Austria, where his first language was German. When he moved to America to become an actor, he faced a big challenge. Hollywood producers told him his thick accent would prevent him from getting leading roles.
Determined to succeed, Arnold spent hours every day practicing his English and taking lessons to reduce his accent. Though he never lost it completely, his unique way of speaking became his trademark. It even helped him land his famous role in The Terminator.
Salma Hayek
Salma Hayek grew up in Coatzacoalcos, Mexico, where her first language was Spanish. She was already a big star in Mexican soap operas when she decided to move to Hollywood. To succeed there, she knew she had to learn English.
Learning a new language was not easy, especially because she has dyslexia, which can make reading and writing tricky. Despite the challenges, Salma worked hard. Her determination paid off, and she’s now a famous actress, director, and producer in Hollywood.
Sofía Vergara
Sofía Vergara was raised in Barranquilla, Colombia, and grew up speaking Spanish. She began learning English at a bilingual elementary school but didn’t become fluent until she moved to the United States. Her goal was to find success as an actress in Hollywood.
Vergara is famous for her strong accent, which she often makes jokes about. Instead of seeing it as a weakness, she has embraced it as part of her identity. Her unique voice and great sense of humor helped her become a star on the hit show Modern Family.
Penélope Cruz
Penélope Cruz was born and raised in Madrid, Spain. Her first language is Spanish. She did not start learning English until late in her childhood. Before that, she only spoke Spanish with her family and friends in her home country.
Now, she speaks English fluently, and you’ll notice she flawlessly uses an American accent when she acts. Don’t be fooled, though, she still loves her roots. She enjoys mixing a little bit of Spanish into her English when she is speaking naturally.
Shakira
Shakira was born and raised in Barranquilla, Colombia, where she grew up speaking Spanish as her first language. She has Lebanese roots from her father, which exposed her to different cultures early on. When she wanted to become an international pop star, she knew she needed to learn English to reach more fans around the world.
She worked hard to master English, but she did not stop there. Shakira has a special talent for languages and also learned to speak Portuguese, Italian, French, and some Arabic. She sings mostly in English and Spanish, but has been known to do snippets in other languages.
Mila Kunis
Mila Kunis was born in Chernivtsi, Ukraine, when it was part of the Soviet Union. Her family spoke Russian at home. When she was seven years old, her family moved to Los Angeles, California. She did not know any English and found it hard to adjust.
She has said that starting school in a new country felt like being blind and deaf because she could not understand anything. Despite the difficult start, she learned English, began acting, and eventually landed a starring role on the popular sitcom That ’70s Show, which catapulted her career.
Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron grew up on a farm in South Africa, where her first language was Afrikaans. English was her second language, and she didn’t become fluent until she moved to the United States as a teenager to pursue a career in modeling and acting.
Her journey to Hollywood was not always smooth, but she polished her English by watching TV shows and movies. Her hard work paid off, and she became an Academy Award-winning actress, known for taking on very challenging and diverse roles.
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan grew up in Hong Kong, and his first language was Cantonese. He was already a big martial arts star in Asia before trying to make it in Hollywood. When he first arrived in the United States in the 1980s, he did not speak any English, which put him in a tough spot.
To break into American films, he knew he had to master the language. Chan found creative ways to learn, like listening to American folk songs and watching movies over and over to copy the pronunciation. He even hired English teachers and studied for hours, eventually becoming a huge international star.
Ricky Martin
Ricky Martin grew up in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he was raised speaking Spanish. Music was really how he began speaking English, because he would sing English songs by rock bands like Led Zeppelin and Journey.
At age 12, he joined the Puerto Rican boy band Menudo, which was known for its bilingual performances. He sang with the band all over the world in different languages until he released his first solo album in English. Now, he speaks five languages: Spanish, English, French, Italian, and Portuguese.
Gal Gadot
Gal Gadot was born in Israel and is a native Hebrew speaker. She began taking English classes in the third grade and attributes her fluency in the language to watching Seinfeld and Friends.
Believe it or not, Gadot had to attend speech therapy as a child because she struggled with a weak voice. That’s hard to imagine when you see the successful Wonder Woman actress on the big screen now. She speaks Hebrew, English, Arabic, and a little Spanish.
Anya Taylor-Joy
While Anya Taylor-Joy is famous for her flawlessly versatile English accents—whether commandingly British in The Queen’s Gambit or distinctly American in The Witch—English is actually not her first language. Born in Miami, Anya was raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and grew up speaking Spanish as her native tongue. When her family relocated to London when she was six years old, she found the transition so disruptive that she initially refused to learn English for two years, stubbornly hoping her parents would take her back home. She eventually picked up the language around age eight. Today, she navigates both languages seamlessly, though she still interviews in a native Argentine accent when speaking Spanish.
