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Some actors nail the look but completely miss the voice. Join us as we count down biopic performances where the actor's accent, tone, and delivery were a world away from the real-life person they were portraying. From exaggerated Italian accents to inconsistent British ones, these vocal mismatches had audiences doing a double take. Which performance do you think missed the mark the most?
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at biopic performances where the actor's voice, accent, and or delivery was a
00:06world away from the real-life person they were portraying.
00:09I am the legendary Colonel Tom Parker.
00:16Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg, The Social Network.
00:20You have part of my attention, you have the minimum amount.
00:23The rest of my attention is back at the offices of Facebook, where my colleagues and I are doing things
00:28that no one in this room, including and especially your clients, are intellectually or creatively capable of doing.
00:34Jesse Eisenberg's Mark Zuckerberg fires off Aaron Sorkin's dialogue in The Social Network at such a breakneck pace that the
00:40character barely resembles the real Facebook founder's speaking style.
00:43I think that just each lab needs to take the time, and when it sees that there are issues, you
00:51just take the time that you need internally to basically make sure that you're proceeding safely.
00:56Eisenberg says he actually listened to recordings of Zuckerberg's interviews and speeches while preparing for the role, but director David
01:02Fincher and writer Aaron Sorkin weren't looking for a precise impersonation.
01:06Instead, Eisenberg created a stylized version of Zuckerberg, with clip sentences, rapid-fire delivery, and almost unnerving stillness.
01:14Do you realize that you jeopardized the entire company? Do you realize that your actions could have permanently destroyed everything
01:18I've been working on?
01:19We have been working on...
01:20Without money, the site can't function. Okay, let me tell you the difference between Facebook and everybody else. We don't
01:25crash ever!
01:25The real Zuckerberg has a noticeably more relaxed, albeit awkward manner, something Jeremy Strong has tapped into for the sequel,
01:32The Social Reckoning.
01:32People around here understand that when I say no, that's the end of the debate. I'm not two years out
01:38of a dorm room anymore, Charlie. Look around!
01:41Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Edgar. Jay Edgar. He's one of the greatest actors of his generation, but even Leo can
01:47strike the wrong note.
01:48Helen.
01:53Yes?
01:57Do I kill everything that I love?
01:59In 2011's Jay Edgar, Leonardo DiCaprio plays the late FBI director, Jay Edgar Hoover.
02:05Each of the special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation must be ready and capable to meet any challenge.
02:13And while the performance earned him a Golden Globe nomination, his vocal choices have been widely scrutinized.
02:18The biggest problem? DiCaprio's Hoover accent can sound inconsistent, sometimes slipping between a more convincing period voice and something much
02:25more pronounced.
02:26Let me tell you, if you ever denigrate me in front of my staff like that again, I'll have you
02:31railroaded out of your profession. Do you understand?
02:34I apologize, sir.
02:36He also makes the performance feel more mannered than natural.
02:39Add in a biopic that received mixed reviews, and the result is a portrayal that doesn't quite reach the standard
02:43audiences had come to expect from DiCaprio.
02:45They are entirely self-serving, and their leadership is openly critical of this department here.
02:51Did you read the memos that I sent?
02:53No, no, I can't say that I have.
02:56Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs.
02:58Jobs.
02:59I'm really excited to be here.
03:01We have something really special to share with you today.
03:05The resemblance was impressive.
03:08The voice?
03:09Not so much.
03:10Ashton Kutcher put serious work into portraying tech founder Steve Jobs, studying interviews, mannerisms, posture, and even the way Jobs
03:18used his hands.
03:19This is a day I've been looking forward to for two and a half years.
03:30Every once in a while, a revolutionary product comes along that changes everything.
03:37He also specifically studied Jobs' accent, which Kutcher described as a combination of Northern California and Wisconsin.
03:43These are not three separate devices.
03:47This is one device.
03:54And we are calling it iPhone.
03:57His voice work, however, was one of the performance's biggest weak spots.
04:01When I founded this company, I had one goal in mind.
04:05And that was to do what nobody else considered possible.
04:09To put the power and the beauty of the world's most advanced technology in the hands and homes of people
04:17just like you and me.
04:18Yep.
04:19The Washington Post called Kutcher's voice the only major weakness in an otherwise striking physical transformation.
04:25Meanwhile, TechCrunch argued that Kutcher's own voice remained too recognizable.
04:29It turns out, looking like Steve Jobs only got him so far.
04:39Don't get lost in translation.
04:41Tune in to watch Mojo's 24-7 livestream by scanning the QR code on screen to join us live for
04:45more unforgettable transformations.
04:47You're not a hugger.
04:49I'm not.
04:53One million.
04:55Lindsay Lohan as Elizabeth Taylor.
04:57Liz and Dick.
04:58This accent pretty much had a mind of its own.
05:01So shoot me.
05:02Do I sound defensive?
05:03Because I'm not.
05:04When Lindsay Lohan portrayed Elizabeth Taylor in the Lifetime television movie Liz and Dick,
05:09her attempt at Taylor's accent repeatedly slipped back into her natural American delivery.
05:13It's what's wrong with us.
05:15Apparently, people don't want to be seen with us.
05:18Apparently, no one in London's ever had an affair.
05:21Let me guess.
05:22Your niece?
05:24Hypocrites.
05:24All of you.
05:25Taylor was born in London and had a distinctive, refined accent.
05:29I've had extreme happiness, I've had addictions.
05:34I'm like a living example of what people can go through and survive.
05:40Lohan's performance, meanwhile, was frequently criticized for sounding much more like Lohan herself.
05:45The irony is that Lohan had already demonstrated an impressive English accent as a child in the parent trap.
05:50Don't you see it?
05:51See what?
05:52The resemblance between us.
05:54So the problem wasn't that she couldn't do one.
05:56It was that the Taylor voice simply wasn't consistently there.
06:01You're still a star.
06:02Hey, you are the biggest star.
06:04I'm a joke.
06:06No.
06:07Aaron Dean Eisenberg as Ric Flair, the Iron Claw.
06:12Walk the aisle, daddy's boy!
06:15Walk the aisle!
06:17Wait, that's not how Ric Flair woos.
06:20Aaron Dean Eisenberg has only a brief appearance as the wrestling legend in the Iron Claw,
06:24but his portrayal drew plenty of criticism from wrestling fans.
06:27I don't cry, I don't complain, I carry on.
06:32But the bottom nine is, I am talking right now.
06:36Hey, listen to me, listen to me.
06:38The problem isn't simply the accent.
06:40Flair's voice, cadence, timing, and flamboyant delivery are so distinctive
06:44that attempting to recreate him is practically an impressionist nightmare.
06:48You know that I'm a money man?
06:50Woo!
06:51Deluxe!
06:52So gear up, Texas!
06:55You're starved for the sight of a real man!
06:57In Ric Flair, you got a real man.
07:01I'd start calling me...
07:02hero.
07:03And yes, the famous woo became a major sticking point for viewers.
07:08Woo!
07:10Woo!
07:12Eisenberg himself said he deliberately stayed away from doing an impression,
07:15instead trying to capture Flair's essence and energy.
07:18If you're a man,
07:21you take the ups and downs.
07:23If you're a real man,
07:25you never go down,
07:26you just stay up.
07:29That's why I'm the world's heavyweight champion.
07:32But with the nature boy,
07:34close enough is not nearly good enough.
07:37Will Smith as Muhammad Ali.
07:38Ali.
07:39I am the greatest.
07:41I'm a bad man.
07:43I should not be around.
07:44Did he ever hurt you guys?
07:46I'm only 22 years old.
07:47I ain't got a mark on my face.
07:49I must be the greatest.
07:51I must be the greatest.
07:52Okay, so nobody was going to make Muhammad Ali easy to imitate.
07:56And sure, Will Smith put enormous effort into the voice,
07:58working with dialect instructors to recreate Ali's distinctive resonance
08:02and vocal placement.
08:03I'm staying right here.
08:05You want to send me to jail?
08:06Fine, you go right ahead.
08:08I've been in jail for 400 years.
08:09I could be there for four or five more.
08:11But I ain't going those 10,000 miles to help murder and kill other poor people.
08:15If I want to die, I'll die right here, right now, fighting you.
08:18Smith explained that Ali had a powerful chest resonance,
08:21combined with a constricted throat,
08:23that produced his recognizable sound.
08:25So I'm in office now.
08:26I'm the heavyweight champ of the world.
08:27And I don't have to talk no more and say I'm the greatest
08:29because people tell me I'm the greatest.
08:31But even with all that preparation,
08:33many felt they could still hear Will Smith underneath the performance.
08:37You know all them reporters and writers in there?
08:41They say George is going to kill me.
08:44And while Smith admirably captured the lyrical quality of Ali's voice,
08:47he never completely disappeared into it.
08:49You should have asked Smoke and Joe, what have he been smoking?
08:52That distinction matters because Ali wasn't merely an athlete
08:56with a recognizable accent.
08:58His rhythm, timing, and verbal performance were part of his identity.
09:02I'm the king of the world.
09:03Hold it, hold it, hold it.
09:04I'm pretty.
09:04Hold it, you're not that free.
09:05I'm a bad man.
09:07I shook up the world.
09:09I shook up the world.
09:10Ana de Armas as Marilyn Monroe, blonde.
09:13At the premiere, I shut my eyes a lot.
09:18I couldn't believe that girl was me.
09:21Ana de Armas faced criticism after the first blonde trailer was released,
09:25with viewers hearing traces of her native Cuban-Spanish accent
09:28beneath her recreation of Marilyn Monroe's famous breathy delivery.
09:32I would rather say that I have direct approval, and that is true.
09:37This you think is important?
09:39Yes, it is.
09:40Very important to me.
09:41But while the criticism was real, so was the preparation.
09:44The Armas spent months working with a dialect coach
09:47and studied Monroe's speech extensively.
09:50Baby makes his wishes known.
09:52Norma's just the best.
09:54Director Andrew Dominick said he wanted something closer to Norma Jean
09:58rather than a cartoonish imitation of Marilyn,
10:00while Monroe's estate publicly defended De Armas.
10:03Critics, however, remained divided,
10:05with many hearing Ana's Cuban accent throughout.
10:08Are you happy for me?
10:11Us?
10:12The Gemini, I mean?
10:17Yes!
10:19Jared Leto as Paolo Gucci, House of Gucci.
10:22Papa!
10:24Subtlety has left the building.
10:26In 2021's House of Gucci,
10:28Jared Leto's take on Paolo Gucci became one of the most talked about
10:31and mocked parts of the film,
10:33largely because of that wildly exaggerated Italian accent.
10:36You have a gift, I'm telling you.
10:38Oh, stop.
10:39Stop, you're going to make me...
10:42You're going to make me cry.
10:45Nobody has ever said that to me.
10:47Nobody.
10:49Critics compared it to everything from a cartoon character
10:52to an Italian parody,
10:53making Leto's interpretation dramatically different
10:56from the real Paolo Gucci.
10:57Never confuse sheet with chocolate.
11:03They may look the same,
11:06but the taste very different.
11:10Trust me, I know.
11:13Leto later explained that he had very little source material to work from
11:16and said he had only about a minute and a half of Paolo's voice
11:18in an interview to go off of.
11:20It's funny because I showed up for the first day of work in character
11:24and I went up and I said,
11:26Papa, you know,
11:27and he looked over and kind of just skirted away from me.
11:31I said, oh.
11:32That may explain the freedom of the performance,
11:34but did he have to take it that far?
11:36I'm Paolo.
11:39Paolo Gucci.
11:42And I am going to start my own life.
11:47Tom Hanks as Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis.
11:50For those of you who are wondering who this fella here,
11:54is I am the legendary Colonel Tom Parker.
12:01In 2022's Elvis,
12:03Tom Hanks plays Presley's manager Colonel Tom Parker
12:06with an exaggerated European-sounding voice
12:08that is dramatically different from Parker's actual speech.
12:11I did all the promotion,
12:14the outdoor advertising,
12:16and he did the show on the stage,
12:18and the fans made it possible.
12:21You can promote all you want to,
12:24but if the people don't want to buy a ticket,
12:26it doesn't help.
12:28Parker was Dutch-born,
12:29but claimed to be an American from West Virginia.
12:31As Baz Luhrmann said the very first time I met him,
12:34he wasn't a Colonel,
12:35he wasn't a Tom,
12:36he wasn't even a Parker.
12:37Surviving interviews show
12:38that his actual voice was far more American-sounding
12:41than Hanks' heavily exaggerated,
12:42Dutch-inflected performance.
12:44No one could never replace her,
12:47but you listen to me.
12:49From this moment on,
12:51anything she would have done,
12:53I will carry out.
12:55Hanks instead gives Parker
12:56an unmistakably foreign-sounding voice,
12:59making the contrast especially hard to miss.
13:01We usually stay home
13:03during the Academy Award,
13:04and he pays our money,
13:06and if he bought us the Oscar,
13:08I'd give him his money back,
13:09and I never saw him again.
13:10It's a memorable interpretation,
13:12but put Hanks' Parker
13:13next to archival recordings of the real man,
13:15and the difference is striking.
13:16Historically accurate?
13:17Yeah, not quite.
13:19Has the word gone, Matt?
13:21Unit security is not what it needs to be.
13:23And he knows it.
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13:35Are you not entertained?
13:37Colin Farrell as Alexander the Great.
13:40Alexander.
13:40Maybe it's just us,
13:42but an ancient Macedonian ruler
13:43like Alexander the Great
13:44probably never sounded like a guy from Dublin.
13:47But in Alexander,
13:48Colin Farrell plays him
13:49with a softened version
13:50of his natural Irish accent.
13:52Oh, we all suffer.
13:54Your father.
13:56Mine.
13:59They all came to the end of their time,
14:00and in the end,
14:01when it's over,
14:02all that matters is what you've done.
14:04Was it intentional?
14:05Well...
14:06It turns out director Oliver Stone
14:07deliberately had Macedonian characters
14:09use Irish or other Celtic-sounding accents,
14:12because he viewed the Macedonians
14:14as occupying a position,
14:15somewhat analogous to the Irish and Scots
14:17within the British Empire.
14:19How can you behave so shamelessly in public?
14:22Because it was meant to be.
14:25This isn't how I wanted to become king.
14:27No one blames you.
14:28They blame me already behind my back!
14:30It's secret!
14:31So technically,
14:32Farrell wasn't attempting
14:33to reconstruct Alexander's actual voice.
14:35In fact, that's impossible,
14:37since there are no surviving recordings of Alexander.
14:39Still,
14:40hearing Ireland's Colin Farrell
14:42deliver speeches
14:42as one of history's greatest conquerors
14:44makes for quite the vocal mismatch.
14:46Have I become so arrogant
14:48that I am blind?
14:52Sometimes,
14:54to expect the best of everyone
14:57is arrogance.
14:58Which of these biopic voices
15:00miss the mark the most?
15:01Let us know what you thought of them
15:02in the comments down below.