Let’s face it – the majority of us find it difficult to recall the Spanish that we learned in high school to the extent that we can barely order food when we go on a vacation. However, a few of the globally renowned celebrities can seemingly with a lot of ease alternate between three, four, or even ten languages as if it were the simplest thing in the world.
Knowing more than one language is not only great but also a real differentiating feature in the above-mentioned three fields – Hollywood, sports, and music. These celebrities are not only winning, but they also have intellectual acumen and language abilities, be it from a heritage, a personal love, or mere inquisitiveness. Check out the language proficiency of these stars, which might motivate you to pick up your Duolingo practice rather than getting overwhelmed.
10. Natalie Portman – The Overachiever Extraordinaire
Besides being an Academy Award winner, a Harvard graduate, and a socially engaged celebrity, she is a polyglot as well. Growing up, she was bilingual in Hebrew and English, but she didn’t limit herself; she’s learned to speak Spanish, French, German, Japanese, and Arabic as well. It is said that her German is very good by people who work with her on the set, and she has confessed that she fell in love with Spanish because it is both beautiful and useful. Actually, it is not so much what she is capable of doing that comes to mind, but rather what she is not able to do.
9. Roger Federer – Serving Up Languages Like Aces
Not only one of the best athletes in history is Roger Federer the language adept as well. Federer juggles five languages with no effort: English, German, French, Italian, plus a little Swedish. Journalists really enjoy trying their luck at press conferences, but they are always met with his quick and witty response. Just like watching a match, seeing him play with different languages during an interview is almost as much fun. Almost.
8. Shakira – Multilingual and Multiplatinum
Shakira is not only a global phenomenon, but she is also a linguistic master. Shakira was born in Colombia to Spanish-Italian and Lebanese parents, and she was raised speaking Spanish as well as Italian with her father. Shortly after she graduated from high school, she learnt English, Portuguese, and had some knowledge of Arabic. Shakira also sings in French and Italian. With music being a huge part of her life, plus the charity work and multilingualism, she may be one of the most uberhuman beings around.
7. Tom Hiddleston – Loki, God of Mischief (and Grammar)
Although Tom Hiddleston is known for his portrayal of Loki, his real-life superpower may be his brain. As well as fluently speaking Italian, Spanish, and French, and studying Ancient Greek at Cambridge. Moreover, he can converse in Russian, German, Mandarin Chinese, Latin, and a bit of Korean. There have been cases during interviews when the celebrity is found suddenly turning to a different language in the middle of a sentence, leaving the interviewer confused. We suppose, Loki, the god of mischief, is somewhere smiling at this.
6. Sandra Oh – Killing It in Four Languages
Sandra Oh has a notable charisma, which makes her successful not only with her performances but also with languages. In addition to English and Korean, in which she speaks fluently, she made French her second language, courtesy of her time in Quebec, and added Spanish because of her travels and time in Barcelona. Just picture a get-together where Sandra Oh rattles off four languages with such ease that you wish the talk would never stop.
5. Penélope Cruz – The European Chameleon
Penélope Cruz is one of the top celebrities in Hollywood;d, in contrast, she is a queen of European cinema. The mother tongue of the actress born in Madrid, Spain, is Spanish; however, she has effectively become proficient in French, Italian, and English. She has also appeared many times in Italian films, has been conferred with awards abroad, and has been able to effortlessly navigate different film industries. The fact that she has accomplished the seemingly impossible with acting and languages as well is an indicator that talent is indeed universal.
4. Bradley Cooper – Hollywood to Paris
True, Bradley Cooper might be most memorable as a character from The Hangover; however, his unexpected flex? He speaks French. He embraced everything he could about the French lifestyle when he spent time at Aix-en-Provence – he basically lived like a local and continues to attract the French crowd when he conducts in-depth interviews in their language. Mix that with the fact that his Italian is a little spot of family heritage, and he is not even one less of a charmer.
3. Mila Kunis – The All-American Star with Ukrainian Roots
Mila Kunis looks like a typical American starlet, but her first language is not English- Russian. She lived in Ukraine and spoke Russian at home, and she did not learn English until she moved to the United States at the age of seven. She still slips into Russian during interviews and when she is with her family, which is proof that it is possible to immerse completely in a different culture without letting go of the one you were first part of.
2. Leonardo DiCaprio – Hollywood’s Multilingual Leading Man
Leonardo DiCaprio isn’t only a master of environmental activism, he’s also mastered Italian and German, courtesy of family heritage. His German mom and Italian-German dad ensured that he was raised with immersion in both languages, and it pays off. He’s been caught conversing in Italian when greeting the Pope and speaking in German during press conferences. Jack Dawson may not have made it off the Titanic, but Leo’s language abilities will make it out anywhere.
1. Viggo Mortensen – The King of Polyglots
Last but not least, we have the king, literally. Viggo Mortensen, the Aragorn of The Lord of the Rings, is a polyglot monarch. As a child, he grew up in Argentina and spoke both Spanish and English. Later on, he learned Danish (his father’s mother tongue) and Canadian French. Mortensen has been in films of different languages and cultures and has always managed to blend in like a linguistic chameleon. If Elvish were really a language, we are quite sure that he would learn that too.
So that’s all there is to it: ten celebrities who remind us that language is not only about communicating, but also about connecting. It is not a question whether it is Natalie Portman’s six languages she dazzles with, or Federer, who speaks to the media in any language of the world, or Viggo Mortensen, who is just as easily grasping a new language, or does a new role; these stars are the ones who tell us that words have to be the most powerful. Therefore, if next time you are really annoyed with irregular verbs and pronunciation exercises, don’t forget: even the stars who are the busiest still find time to learn new languages. So if they can do it, maybe we can too, not necessarily for work but just enough to impress our next dinner guests during a vacation.