Even if you don't speak french, you have to listen to these celebrity interviews. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for times our favorite famous folk showed off their French-language skills.
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00:00 (speaking in foreign language)
00:03 - Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:07 And today we're counting down our picks
00:09 for times our favorite famous folk
00:11 shut off their French language skills.
00:13 (speaking in foreign language)
00:17 Number 10, Diane Kruger.
00:21 The German-born actress initially had her heart set
00:24 on a ballet career.
00:26 (speaking in foreign language)
00:30 But an injury ended up getting in the way.
00:32 And she relocated to Paris,
00:34 where she eventually made a name for herself
00:35 in French films in addition to modeling.
00:38 (speaking in foreign language)
00:42 In an interview, Kruger shared that learning the language
00:46 helped her career thrive
00:47 as it opened up a whole new avenue for her.
00:49 (speaking in foreign language)
00:58 Of course, having a fruitful career in French cinema
01:01 means that the actress appears frequently
01:03 in the French interview circuit.
01:05 Even her French accent while speaking English is impressive.
01:08 - Can I see your license and registration, please?
01:10 (speaking in foreign language)
01:11 - I'm so sorry, I don't understand.
01:12 I'm not from the country.
01:14 - Yeah, we'd probably have let her off with a warning too.
01:17 Number nine, Emma Thompson.
01:20 If someone asked you to recall your high school French,
01:23 would you sound like this?
01:24 We bet a fair share of you would say no.
01:27 (speaking in foreign language)
01:31 The multi-award winning actress
01:34 studied French advanced level exams in high school
01:37 before ultimately pursuing English in university.
01:40 But when you hear her speak in interviews,
01:42 you'd think barely a day had gone by
01:44 since she stepped out of that exam room.
01:46 (speaking in foreign language)
01:49 The actress seems perfectly comfortable
01:51 discussing an array of subjects
01:53 and easily holds her own in conversations.
01:56 Sure, she occasionally needs a little assistance,
01:58 but that's how you learn.
02:00 - Acknowledge.
02:01 (speaking in foreign language)
02:02 Okay.
02:03 (speaking in foreign language)
02:07 Just as we thought we couldn't be more in awe of her,
02:10 she reveals yet another talent.
02:13 Number eight, Tom Hiddleston.
02:15 This linguophile never shies away from an opportunity
02:18 to show off his language skills
02:20 and connect with fans around the globe.
02:22 - I suppose it is our primary tool
02:25 of externalizing the many complex feelings and thoughts
02:29 we have as human beings.
02:31 And so writers who are precise about language fascinate me.
02:35 - While promoting various movies and TV shows,
02:38 the actor has demonstrated his marvelous French skills
02:41 in numerous interviews.
02:43 (speaking in foreign language)
02:47 He's clearly at ease in the language
02:53 and can talk about everything from his work
02:55 to his interests.
02:56 However, he also seems to use these opportunities
02:59 to brush up on his French,
03:01 never shying away from asking for help
03:03 when he gets stuck on a word.
03:04 (speaking in foreign language)
03:08 He also effortlessly transitions between the two languages
03:15 to ensure his message is clear.
03:18 There's nothing low key about how much we love listening
03:20 to him speak French.
03:22 (speaking in foreign language)
03:25 Number seven, Elton John.
03:27 We don't know where this globally acclaimed musician
03:29 learned his French, but it's Pomal, don't you think?
03:33 (speaking in foreign language)
03:36 In this interview, he's easily able to talk about his career
03:42 and shows as well as discuss his favorite numbers.
03:45 No one's going to mistake him
03:47 for a French national anytime soon,
03:49 but we'd give him an A plus for effort.
03:52 And even if there's the odd error,
03:54 we can fully understand what he's saying.
03:56 (speaking in foreign language)
04:00 Plus, he simply switches back to English
04:07 whenever he finds himself stuck.
04:09 Overall, we'd have to say that he's pretty good.
04:12 And no doubt, moments like these bring a lot of delight
04:15 to his French speaking fans.
04:17 (speaking in foreign language)
04:21 (speaking in foreign language)
04:25 Number six, Serena Williams.
04:28 In an interview with "Fader" magazine,
04:30 the tennis superstar listed two reasons
04:32 she decided to learn French.
04:34 (speaking in foreign language)
04:37 One is that the language is widely spoken across Africa,
04:41 and the second was so she could converse in the language
04:44 at the French Open after wins.
04:46 (speaking in foreign language)
04:50 (speaking in foreign language)
04:53 Indeed, Williams has given on-court interviews in French
04:57 at the renowned tennis tournament across numerous years,
05:00 something we all love to see.
05:02 While she reportedly called the language switch
05:04 nerve-wracking, she seems as comfortable in French
05:07 as she does on the court.
05:09 (speaking in foreign language)
05:19 Much like her game, her language skills are a Serena slam.
05:23 She also got to fulfill her French Open dreams.
05:26 (speaking in foreign language)
05:29 Number five, Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
05:32 Gordon-Levitt is a Francophile.
05:34 He took his appreciation for the country and culture
05:37 to the next level by learning the language
05:39 and studying French poetry at Columbia University.
05:43 - Do you speak French?
05:45 - Well, no, but I will.
05:46 - Perhaps you heard his skills in the 2015 film "The Walk,"
05:50 where he plays high wire artist Philippe Petit.
05:53 (speaking in foreign language)
05:57 Or maybe you've tuned in to one of the interviews
06:01 where he confidently answers questions
06:03 on a number of topics in French.
06:05 (speaking in foreign language)
06:15 His language level is reasonably high
06:18 and he has almost no trouble holding conversations.
06:21 For someone who seemingly decided to study the language
06:23 purely out of personal interest, he's really good.
06:27 We are, (speaking in foreign language)
06:28 very impressed.
06:30 (speaking in foreign language)
06:34 (speaking in foreign language)
06:38 Number four, Viggo Mortensen.
06:51 Perhaps one of Hollywood's most skillful polyglots,
06:55 there seems to be no language Mortensen can't nail.
06:58 (speaking in foreign language)
07:02 We can't definitively say where he learned his French,
07:05 but it could be because his multilingual family
07:07 moved around a lot,
07:09 or simply because he had an affinity for learning languages.
07:12 (speaking in foreign language)
07:16 In interviews, even if you don't understand what he's saying
07:25 you can tell that he takes the time to consider his words
07:28 so that he can relate to anyone tuning in.
07:31 He clearly has a broad vocabulary
07:33 and his accent is impeccable too.
07:36 (speaking in foreign language)
07:39 Think that's impressive?
07:47 He also learned to adapt his French with an Algerian dialect
07:51 for his movie "Far From Men".
07:53 (speaking in foreign language)
07:57 (swallowing)
07:59 (speaking in foreign language)
08:02 Number three, Audrey Hepburn.
08:04 This star of old Hollywood was talented,
08:07 charming and graceful.
08:08 Traits that she radiated in a number of languages,
08:11 including, you guessed it, French.
08:14 (speaking in foreign language)
08:18 The late actress was born in Belgium,
08:22 where we imagine she picked up the language as a child.
08:25 She practically spoke like a native,
08:27 showing off her vast vocabulary
08:29 and basically perfect accent.
08:31 (speaking in foreign language)
08:35 She was no stranger to the French interview circuit
08:39 and undoubtedly delighted many fans
08:42 by sharing her charm and elegance in their language.
08:45 (speaking in foreign language)
08:49 Whether you're a born French speaker
08:55 or would struggle to translate "bonjour",
08:57 you can't deny how romantic Hepburn's French sounds.
09:01 She practically epitomizes why it's often considered
09:04 the language of love.
09:05 (speaking in foreign language)
09:09 Number two, Bradley Cooper.
09:17 (speaking in foreign language)
09:18 If you already swoon at the mere sight of Bradley Cooper,
09:22 just wait until you hear him speak French.
09:24 Didn't know he could do that?
09:25 You're not alone.
09:27 (speaking in foreign language)
09:31 He arguably tends to be quite coy
09:42 about his language skills,
09:43 but he will occasionally whip out his French
09:45 for an interview.
09:47 Unlike many of us who couldn't wait until the days
09:49 when "Où est la bibliothèque?" were behind us,
09:52 his school days seemingly ignited his love of the language.
09:55 (speaking in foreign language)
09:59 He minored in French at Georgetown
10:08 and spent some time in Aix-en-Provence
10:11 as part of an exchange program.
10:13 As if he didn't have enough talent to flaunt,
10:16 now we melt hearing him speak French to
10:18 (speaking in foreign language)
10:22 Before we unveil our top pick,
10:31 here are a few honorable mentions.
10:33 Elle Macpherson, the model and businesswoman
10:36 apparently learned French while in a relationship
10:39 with Arpad Busson.
10:40 (speaking in foreign language)
10:45 (speaking in foreign language)
10:49 Hugh Grant.
10:53 We imagine Grant's impressive grip on the language
10:55 made his school teacher mom very proud.
10:58 (speaking in foreign language)
11:02 Timothy Chalamet.
11:11 This American French citizen would spend summers
11:14 with his grandparents in France.
11:16 (speaking in foreign language)
11:20 Emma Watson.
11:28 The actress lived in France until the age of five
11:31 and can still speak the language.
11:33 Listen for yourselves.
11:34 (speaking in foreign language)
11:43 Marlon Brando.
11:44 He apparently learned the language
11:46 while with actress Tarita Terrapia.
11:48 (speaking in foreign language)
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12:12 Number one, Jodie Foster.
12:15 As a child, Foster studied at the Lycée Français
12:18 de Los Angeles, which explains her fluency.
12:21 (speaking in foreign language)
12:24 This certainly helped her career
12:26 as she was able to act in French movies
12:28 and dub herself in translated versions
12:30 of her English spoken films.
12:32 (speaking in foreign language)
12:36 Of course, this means there are countless examples
12:39 of her giving interviews in perfect French.
12:42 Even a native speaker or the world's greatest Francophile
12:45 might have to nitpick the most minute details
12:48 to find any issues with her language.
12:50 (speaking in foreign language)
12:54 If only we'd paid more attention in French class,
13:04 maybe we'd have Foster's career today.
13:07 Okay, maybe not, but we can still appreciate
13:09 that her French is (speaking in foreign language)
13:12 (speaking in foreign language)
13:16 Which celeb were you most surprised
13:23 to learn speaks French?
13:25 You don't have to flex your Francais,
13:27 but let us know in the comments.
13:29 (speaking in foreign language)
13:32 Do you agree with our picks?
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