Actors Who Learned New Languages for International Co-Productions

To create believable performances, actors often have to push themselves beyond what’s easy. This is particularly true for films made with international partners, where filmmakers want to attract audiences worldwide. Some actors spend months learning new accents or even entire languages to truly become their characters. Here’s a look at some male actors who rose to that challenge.

Robert De Niro

Robert De Niro is well-known for going to great lengths to prepare for his roles. For example, to play a young Vito Corleone in ‘The Godfather Part II’ (1974), he lived in Sicily for months to learn the local dialect. His character speaks almost entirely in Sicilian throughout the film, and this commitment to authenticity resulted in a remarkably believable performance. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the role.

Viggo Mortensen

Viggo Mortensen is known for being able to speak many languages well. But for his role in the 2007 film ‘Eastern Promises,’ he had to learn Russian and Ukrainian. He spent weeks in Russia immersing himself in the language and culture to get the accent just right. Critics particularly praised his realistic and frightening performance as the mob enforcer Nikolai Luzhin, and he even received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor for the part.

Timothée Chalamet

Timothée Chalamet fully immersed himself in preparing for his role in ‘Call Me by Your Name’ (2017). He traveled to Italy weeks before filming started to learn the language, and he also took piano and guitar lessons to convincingly play those instruments in the movie. Being able to speak Italian allowed him to add his own touches to scenes and build strong relationships with the Italian cast and crew. This role was his big break, launching him to fame worldwide.

Wagner Moura

As a huge movie buff, I was completely blown away by Wagner Moura’s performance as Pablo Escobar in ‘Narcos.’ It’s incredible how dedicated he was to the role! He actually moved to Medellín for months before filming even started. He wasn’t a Spanish speaker, so he took university classes to learn the language, and even focused on mastering the specific accent from that region of Colombia. Honestly, the physical and linguistic commitment he made really defined his portrayal. It’s no exaggeration to say his performance was the heart of the show and a huge reason it became so popular worldwide.

Colin Firth

As a huge movie fan, I always remember Colin Firth’s storyline in ‘Love Actually.’ It’s so sweet – his character falls for a housekeeper who doesn’t speak much English, and the language barrier is a big part of their story. What really got to me was that Firth actually learned some basic Portuguese just for the scene where he proposes! It made that moment feel so much more genuine and vulnerable, and honestly, it’s still one of my favorite scenes in the whole movie.

Mark Strong

Mark Strong is a remarkably versatile actor, frequently taking on demanding roles. For the 2008 spy thriller ‘Body of Lies,’ he went the extra mile, learning Arabic to convincingly portray the head of Jordanian intelligence. He collaborated with a dialect coach to perfect his pronunciation, aiming for an authoritative and accurate delivery. Many viewers and critics agreed that his performance was the best part of the film, and he stood out alongside established stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe.

Vincent Cassel

Vincent Cassel is a French actor known for working on films from around the world. He’s particularly remembered for his role in the 2007 film ‘Eastern Promises,’ where he acted alongside Viggo Mortensen and even learned to speak Russian. To play the part convincingly, he developed a forceful and intense acting style with the help of a coach. Cassel has continued to use his language abilities in various European films, and remains a popular choice for roles that demand someone who can easily learn and use different languages.

Daniel Day-Lewis

Daniel Day-Lewis is famous for completely becoming his characters. For the movie ‘The Unbearable Lightness of Being,’ he learned Czech so he could fully understand and portray his role, even though most of the film is in English. He wanted to capture the natural flow of the language. Remarkably, he stayed in character for the entire shoot. This dedication to preparation is what has made him such a respected actor.

Willem Dafoe

Willem Dafoe played Pier Paolo Pasolini in the 2014 biographical drama ‘Pasolini’. To accurately portray the filmmaker’s last days, Dafoe learned to speak Italian. Having worked in Italy often and with a deep appreciation for the culture, he was able to deliver the film’s complex dialogue convincingly. The movie showcased his commitment to working on international films.

Mads Mikkelsen

Mads Mikkelsen is a Danish actor known for his work in both Hollywood and European films. For his role as the famous Russian composer Igor Stravinsky in the 2009 film ‘Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky’, he undertook extensive preparation. This included learning to speak French with a Russian accent, becoming proficient in Russian, and learning to play the piano for the film’s musical scenes. His dedication led to a nuanced and convincing portrayal.

Riz Ahmed

For the 2019 film ‘Sound of Metal,’ Riz Ahmed took on a huge task. He dedicated months to learning American Sign Language to portray a drummer who was losing his hearing. He truly lived the part, spending time with and learning from members of the deaf community. The role demanded he express deep feelings without speaking, and his moving performance was recognized with an Academy Award nomination.

Will Ferrell

Okay, so I’m a huge Will Ferrell fan, and ‘Casa de mi Padre’ is seriously one of his most underrated movies. He went all-in on this one – it’s a full-on Spanish-language comedy! He didn’t actually learn Spanish, but he memorized everything phonetically and worked with a coach to nail the pronunciation. The whole thing is shot like a telenovela, with English subtitles, which is hilarious. And the best part? Ferrell plays it completely straight, even with this totally ridiculous plot. It’s just a really unique and committed performance, and honestly, it makes the movie stand out in his film work.

Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp played King Louis XV in the 2023 historical drama ‘Jeanne du Barry’. He worked hard to perfect his French accent for the role, and the film represented his return to leading roles in European cinema. Depp performed all of his lines in French, matching the language used by the rest of the cast, and critics acknowledged his commitment to fitting in with the French-speaking actors.

Jim Caviezel

As a huge fan of ‘The Passion of the Christ,’ I always marvel at what Jim Caviezel did for that role. Mel Gibson really wanted total authenticity, so he decided the movie wouldn’t have any modern languages. That meant Jim had to learn Aramaic and Latin – the actual languages they would have spoken back then! He completely memorized everything to make the film as historically accurate as possible, and I think that dedication to realism is a big reason why it resonated with so many people and became such a huge hit.

Chow Yun-Fat

Chow Yun-Fat was already famous in Hong Kong when he started making movies in Hollywood. For his first American film, ‘The Replacement Killers’ (1998), he had to learn English, and he worked very hard with a coach to memorize his lines by sound. Even with the language challenges, his natural charm stood out. He continued to improve his English for later, bigger international films.

Jet Li

As a huge cinema fan, I’ve always been impressed by Jet Li’s journey. He’s a true martial arts master, and it’s amazing how he broke into Hollywood. I remember being blown away by his first role in ‘Lethal Weapon 4’ back in 1998. What’s even more incredible is that he barely spoke any English then! He essentially learned his lines phonetically and worked with a tutor to pick up the necessary vocabulary for filming. That combination of his incredible physical skills and his surprisingly intimidating presence really made him a star with Western audiences right away.

Jackie Chan

Jackie Chan worked for many years to become successful in America. In his early American films, like ‘The Big Brawl’ (1980), he had to memorize lines by sounding them out, as he didn’t speak much English at the time. It was difficult at first, but he kept trying for decades. Finally, he felt confident enough to make up lines on the spot in English during the ‘Rush Hour’ movies. His commitment to learning English was key to becoming a world-famous star.

Lee Byung-hun

Lee Byung-hun is a hugely popular actor in South Korea who has also found success in Hollywood. He famously learned English to play Storm Shadow in the 2009 film ‘G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra’, and continued to hone his English skills for roles in films like ‘The Magnificent Seven’ and ‘Terminator Genisys’. By being able to perform in English, he helped pave the way for other Korean actors to work in Western films. He continues to be a key player in international film projects.

Rain

Rain is a popular singer and actor from South Korea who appeared in the 2008 movie ‘Speed Racer’. To prepare for the role of a racer in the film, directed by the Wachowskis, he had to learn English quickly, as the part involved speaking fast and expressing feelings in a new language. He then took on a leading role in ‘Ninja Assassin’, which also required him to perform lines in English. His move from being a musician to starring in international action movies was quite remarkable.

Donnie Yen

Donnie Yen is a hugely popular martial arts actor, famous for his role in the ‘Ip Man’ films. He also played Chirrut Îmwe, a blind warrior, in the 2016 movie ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.’ To make his character’s spiritual sayings more impactful, Yen carefully worked on how he spoke English and even helped develop the character’s history and lines. His performance quickly became a favorite among Star Wars fans.

Steven Yeun

Steven Yeun first became well-known in the United States, but he returned to Korea to star in the 2018 film ‘Burning.’ Despite being Korean-American, he had to refine his Korean language skills for the part. The character he played needed a particular, elegant way of speaking that wasn’t how he normally talked. Reviewers praised his performance, calling it both unsettling and intriguing. ‘Burning’ is now considered one of the great films of modern Korean cinema.

Gael García Bernal

Gael García Bernal is a Mexican actor known for his work in films around the world. He showed his linguistic skills in the 2006 film ‘The Science of Sleep’ by performing in both French and English – he even learned French for the role! The character he played frequently switched between languages, which helped create the film’s dreamlike quality. Since then, Bernal has continued to act in multiple languages and collaborate with filmmakers from many different countries.

Tahar Rahim

Tahar Rahim is a French actor with Algerian roots. For the 2021 film ‘The Mauritanian,’ he taught himself English to play a prisoner held at Guantanamo Bay who learns the language while in captivity. Rahim mirrored his character’s journey, mastering English for the role, and received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance.

Jean Reno

Jean Reno is a famous French actor who also became well-known in Hollywood. He learned English so he could star in the 1994 film ‘Léon: The Professional’, where he played a quiet, skilled hitman.

2026-01-28 22:18