Acting isnt easy. And it can be made more difficult by not having a repertoire of accents ready to land specific roles.

Online PR News � 29-July-2019 � Acting isnt easy. And it can be made more difficult by not having a repertoire of accents ready to land specific roles.

At least, according to The Accent Coach, Claudette Roche, getting a variety of accents down is becoming more and more crucial when it comes to being a successful actor or actress.

Acting roles are becoming more and more versatile, and the competition continues to remain high. If you cant nail those specific accents required for a role, you arent going to get it, Roche explains.

She continues, It narrows the potential roles you will land. And for many, it crushes their life-long dreams.

Various actors and actresses have won awards for their ability to portray a character with a convincing foreign accent. Take Meryl Streep, for instance. She won an Academy Award for her role as the former British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher.

But interestingly, the accent problem works the other way around as well. Roche explains, Its fascinating how an actor with a foreign accent may also struggle to land a role. They often end up working on ways to reduce their accent. And again, they frequently are able to better land roles when they have a larger repertoire of accents.

As for the best way to learn new accents, The Accent Coach offers up a few tips, Listening is number one. Listen to how the words are said or formed. How are the vowels pronounced? Listening is really important in the early stages of adopting a new accent. After that, it comes down to a lot of practice and patience. Often, I recommend to my clients that they record themselves and listen to themselves. They can then adjust and correct accordingly.

Roche further explains, The best movie accents are the ones that the audience doesnt even notice. Its when the audience is surprised to learn that the actor portraying the character isnt actually Australian or British. Thats impressive.

And what exactly makes accents so impressive? Roche answers, Its literally using your tongue and mouth in a way that is not natural to you. Its learning something entirely new. Its like when youve done something one way your entire life, and now youre learning a new way or relearning it. Thats kind of what its like when learning a new accent. Its tough work! But I would definitely say if you want to make it as an actor or actress that its entirely worth it.