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Top 30 Celebrities Whose REAL Voice Will Surprise You

Top 30 Celebrities Whose REAL Voice Will Surprise You
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VOICE OVER: Jennifer Silverman WRITTEN BY: Ishani Sarkar
Get ready to be shook as we reveal famous faces whose speaking voices sound nothing like what you'd expect! From Hollywood icons to music superstars, these celebrities have surprised fans with accents, pitches, and styles that are a world away from their most well-known personas. Our countdown includes unexpected vocal transformations from Michael Jackson, Paris Hilton, Larry the Cable Guy, Elizabeth Holmes, Hugh Laurie, Iggy Azalea, Mia Goth, and more! Which of these stars' real voices stunned you? Let us know in the comments!

#30: Shaggy

The singer behind timeless hits like “Boombastic” and “It Wasn't Me” has an instantly recognizable voice. It is deep and raspy, perfect for toasting. However, that’s not his real voice! The artist revealed on TikTok that he came up with his signature singing voice while serving in the Marines. It started as a mimicry of drill instructors in the military, and made it to the studio simply because he thought it sounded ‘cool’. Who knew it would make him a chart-topping hitmaker? Shaggy’s natural voice, which is warmer, brighter, and considerably less gravelly, is heard in rare tracks like “Big Up”.


#29: Nancy Cartwright

This legend is one of the finest voice actresses in Hollywood. For years, she played Bart Simpson in “The Simpsons”, bringing laughter to millions around the world. Nancy grew older, but Bart stayed the same ten-year-old troublemaker. Obviously, she doesn’t speak like a prepubescent boy in real life. However, listening to her switch from her gentle, feminine voice to Bart’s bratty nasal tone is always amusing. When “The Simpsons” first came out, the network didn’t want people to know a woman was behind the voice of TV’s naughtiest little boy. However, as time passed, Cartwright stepped into the spotlight and received immense love from fans.


#28: Lil Jon

Summers in the 2000s wouldn’t be half as lit without this musician. Lil Jon paved the way for crunk in hip-hop, giving us bops like “Get Low” and Usher’s “Yeah!” These hits have a permanent place in our party playlists, because his energetic ad-libs never fail to get us hyped. However, contrary to his explosive musical persona, Lil Jon has a calm presence in real life. His natural tone, as heard in interviews, is mellow, smooth, and pleasantly deep. That only makes us respect the full force of his chants even more.


#27: Rowan Atkinson

The BAFTA TV Award-winning actor is best known for his role as the mostly silent man-child Mr. Bean. The character rarely spoke, both on the eponymous show and in the movies in the franchise. For scenes where he did speak, Atkinson gave him a low pitch, an exaggerated British accent, a pinched tone, and stiff delivery. For years, that’s the voice fans associated the actor with. Only when they branched out to explore his other works did they realize that Atkinson’s real voice has an elegant charm. He is soft-spoken, and his British accent has a classic feel to it. Each word is crisply enunciated, too, unlike Bean’s muddled style. That said, we love both Rowan and Bean equally.


#26: Ariana Grande

The Grammy-winning songstress has captivated fans all over the world with her impressive vocal range. Outside of music, she is also a talented actress, with a knack for comedy. Her impressions of celebrities like Shakira, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera prove that she’s a woman of many voices. However, what surprised fans the most was the difference between her real voice and the one we’re used to hearing from her. In several interviews, the star seems to go back and forth between pitches. One moment, her voice sounds deep and velvety, and the next, it is light and airy, with a much higher pitch. Regarding this, Ariana clarified on the “Smartless” podcast that the shift, though surprising, is a deliberate habit to preserve her voice.


#25: Pat Morita

The stand-up comedian-turned-Oscar-nominated actor is synonymous with his role as Mr. Miyagi in “The Karate Kid” franchise. The pearls of wisdom dropped by the karate master in his gentle but authoritative and measured tone stayed with us long after the movies ended. The character’s voice is distinctly Japanese-accented, but California-born Pat Morita, whose parents were Japanese immigrants, had an American accent. His real voice was also fairly higher than Miyagi’s and lacked the character’s sage-like gravity. Instead, he sounded relaxed in interviews, which reflected the actor’s friendly, warm, and naturally humorous personality.


#24: Jennifer Coolidge

The celebrated actress is beloved for her iconic film and TV roles, such as Stifler's mom from “American Pie”, Paulette from “Legally Blonde”, and Tanya from “The White Lotus”. For each of these characters, Jennifer Coolidge developed a distinct voice, which came with its own unique quirks and inflections. These scene-stealing voices were exaggerated and often breathy with a languid sing-song quality. Many fans were surprised to find out that Coolidge doesn’t draw out her words or have a naturally flirty cadence in real life. She still sounds effortlessly charismatic, especially with her rasp, but it’s far from how some of her most eccentric characters sound.


#23: Andrew Lincoln

This actor’s breakout Hollywood role as Rick Grimes in “The Walking Dead” convinced many new fans that he was from the Southern United States. This was because Grimes, who hails from King County, Georgia, has a strong Southern accent, which is delivered impressively by Andrew Lincoln. From the rhythm to the intonation, the star nailed his character’s voice. While there were some moments when his Southern pronunciation spawned memes within the fandom – like how he said ‘Carl’ – no one expected Lincoln to be a Londoner. His actual British accent is polished, and his real voice is a baritone, with a smoothness you won’t find in Rick’s gruff tone. Needless to say, Andrew worked hard on Rick’s accent, and it paid off.


#22: Daniel Day-Lewis

The three-time Oscar winner is widely recognized as a Hollywood legend. His portrayal of American characters, most notably the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, has earned him countless accolades. His American accent is as flawless as it gets, which often makes us forget that he’s actually from across the pond. He's also a master of adopting distinct voices for his roles, going beyond just accents. When he’s not inhabiting a character, Daniel Day-Lewis speaks in a soft and poised manner, with a graceful English accent. His voice effortlessly commands respect and attention, without being loud. Even if he was narrating a grocery list, we could listen to him for hours.


#21: Austin Butler


From playing teen heartthrobs to embodying the King of Rock and Roll, this actor has come a long way. Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis” made him a superstar, earning him an Oscar nod. He was dedicated to Method acting for this project, and it took a major toll on his physical health. While he eventually moved on from the character, fans noticed that he couldn’t fully shake off Elvis’s voice, which seemed to influence his natural cadence. Before “Elvis”, his normal voice sat in a higher register, and he spoke with little to no drawl. Nowadays, the actor sports a much lower and huskier voice, occasionally incorporating a subtle Southern lilt. Needless to say, we’re not mad at this new normal.


#20: James Marsters

Whether you were irritated whenever he showed up or you were hopelessly in love with him, Spike always brought fresh energy to “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Actor James Marsters and his dashing British accent made it hard to be neutral on him. But for years, fans have been shocked over and over again when they hear Marsters’ actual voice. He’s not British at all. And that brooding darkness he also brings to the voice is purely for the character’s sake. He’s actually a California native. When he speaks, he speaks in a fairly neutral American accent and a lightness totally at odds with his sound as Spike.


#19: David Suchet

For almost 25 years, the London-born actor disappeared into Agatha Christie’s famously finicky Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot. David Suchet’s performance was defined by its technical ambitions and attention to detail. He found Poirot’s accent and voice by completely changing the way he sounded. That trademark delicate voice and crisp Belgian accent are actually a far cry from the actor’s true voice, which has a deep and resonant tone. To find Poirot’s voice, he had to find a mix between the sounds of French and Belgian, then use his head voice instead of his chest voice.


#18: Dacre Montgomery

The doe-eyed actor first made waves and sent hearts fluttering when he appeared as the gorgeous but deeply disturbed lifeguard Billy Hargrove on “Stranger Things.” He really commits to that character’s intense bellowing and deep, menacing voice. Billy is the quintessential 80s American bully. But Dacre Montgomery was actually born and raised in Australia. On top of that, his real voice is much more soothing to listen to when he’s not playing such an abusive guy. There’s something even sweet about his real voice, especially when you know he can go fully and horrifyingly evil.


#17: Stephanie Beatriz

Detective Rosa Diaz has a pretty dark and intimidating presence. It’s not just that she doesn’t suffer fools. There’s a brooding presence to her. She’s like if Daria Morgendorffer grew up and suddenly decided to become a cop. Actress Stephanie Beatriz’s weighty, deep voice for the character is purely an invention. In real-life, she is bubbly and her voice naturally reflects that. It’s almost frightening how different she sounds when she’s not in character as Diaz. But Beatriz’s biggest stroke of genius is using her actual voice when the character is undercover. How deep does the deception go?


#16: Katherine Langford

First coming to prominence on the controversial Netflix series, “13 Reasons Why,” Katherine Langford nailed her American accent. Not only did she have to play a main character. She had to narrate all of the early episodes. The margin of error was pretty small. Aside from slight vowel sounds here and there, she pretty much nailed it. If you didn’t know she was actually Australian, you might not even notice. Appearances in “Knives Out,” “Love, Simon,” and further roles continued to cast her as American, leading to shock from viewers when they heard her Aussie dialect for the first time.


#15: Melanie Lynskey

A well-rounded character actress can play anyone from anywhere. Melanie Lynskey has been dazzling TV audiences on the psychological thriller “Yellowjackets” since 2021, and has been playing American characters for the better part of 30 years. But that flawless dialect is not her native one. Lynskey is actually from New Zealand. She’s been altering her relatively high-pitched voice and kiwi accent for projects since making the crossover to American movies in the late 90s. Kelly Clarkson was all of us when she was thrown off by Lynskey’s real voice during an appearance on her daytime talk show.


#14: Teller

Any person’s voice would be a surprise if you’ve never heard them speak before. Teller is the silent half of the bestselling comedy-magician double act, Penn & Teller. While his partner Penn Jillette does the talking, Teller’s silence is a huge part of the comedy. His muteness is purely for the stage. It was a conscious choice he made to combat what he thought of as cliché magician patter. It’s also his counterintuitive strategy to command attention. It’s almost even more hilarious that after all that time not speaking, in reality, he just sounds like some guy.


#13: Jodie Comer

The slippery assassin from the BBC’s “Killing Eve” is a chameleon. She can slip into almost any accent so naturally that you almost forget there’s a real person in there. This show was the first time many audiences, particularly Americans, really got to see actress Jodie Comer’s immense talent for dialects and just being legitimately terrifying in general. Hers is actually a Scouse accent, a dialect native to Liverpool and its surrounding areas. It’s a surprisingly strong sound for someone who can so easily dip in and out of other dialects with that much ease.


#12: Gilbert Gottfried

If there’s one thing you can say about this comedian’s voice, it’s that it was distinctive. Grating and unmistakable, the late Gilbert Gottfried’s shrill voice sounded like the wrong answer buzzer on a game show. The angrier he got, the more pronounced and funnier it became. But if you thought that was his real voice, we’ve got news for you. You’ve been fooled. Over the years, fans got rare peeks behind the curtain, and there was a very clear difference between his show voice and his real one. However, that strong Brooklyn accent is the real deal.


#11: Marilyn Monroe

The movie star and style icon captivated the world with her highly stylized femininity. A delicate, breathy voice was a big part of Marilyn Monroe’s star persona. In her most famous roles, she played on her presumed naivete, and that airy voice became a huge part of selling the fantasy. Some movies, usually the lesser known ones, gave her a chance to use her true vocal placement, which was deeper and earthy. But it was rare that she really got to use it. While she made gold out of these characteristically dim-witted or passive roles, it’s just as thrilling to hear her sound like a real person.


#10: Megan Mullally

What would classic sitcom “Will & Grace” be without its standout supporting character, Karen Walker? Her shrill nasally voice became a trademark of her character, making each line delivery hilariously iconic. Actress Megan Mullally actually used her real voice in the pilot episode of “Will & Grace,” but from the second episode on her voice became gradually higher as she settled into the quirks of her character. Karen Walker was such a breakout role for Mullally that many fans were surprised to learn that Mullally’s real voice wasn’t nearly as cartoonish as her character’s. More recently, Mullally’s real voice has become a bit more well known due to her scene-stealing performances as Ron Swanson’s ex-wife Tammy in “Parks and Rec.”


#9: Steve-O

The rough, gravelly voice of this “Jackass” star seems to fit his up-for-anything, extreme risk-taking personality so well, it’s surprising that it’s not his real voice. Even more shocking, Steve-O himself didn’t know the sound of his real voice until just a few years ago. A meeting with an ear, nose, and throat doctor revealed that Steve-O had learned to speak entirely the wrong way. Rather than using his vocal chords, he spoke using his throat muscles. The star has been working with a vocal coach to practice speaking in a healthier way, and hearing his “normal voice” is pretty jarring. Now the dilemma is whether to keep the voice he’s known for or embrace his new, healthier speaking voice.


#8: Melissa Rauch

When Bernadette Rostenkowski was introduced in the third season of “The Big Bang Theory,” actress Melissa Rauch was determined to make a memorable impression. Fans slowly grew to love the small-but-mighty microbiologist and her signature squeaky voice. After ten years playing the same character on one of the most popular shows on television, Rauch became closely linked to her character. For this reason, many “Big Bang Theory” fans are surprised when they discover that Rauch’s voice sounds distinctly different from her character’s. Interviews with the actress reveal that her squeaky voice was actually a brilliant character choice that made Bernadette instantly recognizable even before she appeared onscreen.


#7: Mia Goth

This actress has become a certified scream queen thanks to her recent roles in Ti West’s “X” film series. Her impeccable Southern accent in the roles of both Maxine Minx and Pearl sounds so believable that many are shocked to learn that Goth isn’t from the South, and she’s not even American at all. Goth was born in London and lived in the United Kingdom, Brazil, and Canada throughout her childhood, but her natural speaking voice is distinctively English. Goth’s ability to totally transform her voice is truly a testament to her incredible talent.


#6: Iggy Azalea

This Australian musician moved to the United States at age sixteen with dreams of becoming a famous rapper. It took a few years, but she eventually landed a chart-topping single with 2014’s “Fancy.” Azalea’s voice in her music is clearly influenced by the rap and hip-hop artists who came before her. Given that the genre was created by and popularized by black artists, this has led some to accuse Azalea of putting on a “blaccent” in her music. Interviews of Azalea speaking in her Aussie-accented natural voice further highlight the artificial nature of her performing voice.


#5: Hugh Laurie

Of course this entry will be no surprise to British viewers, but Americans who know Hugh Laurie from his longtime role on “House” might be surprised to hear his real voice. Laurie was born in Oxford, England, and rose to fame across the pond as part of a comedic duo with Stephen Fry. Aside from a few film roles, Laurie was mostly unknown in the United States until “House” premiered in 2004. Laurie’s accent was so convincing even “House” executive producer Bryan Singer didn’t realize Laurie was British until after he’d already been cast. With Laurie in the starring role, the series was a massive success and ran for eight seasons.


#4: Elizabeth Holmes

The infamous founder of the defunct blood-testing company Theranos was known for her strikingly deep voice. Many wondered whether it was genuine, digging through old interviews and talking with people from Holmes’ past to ask whether she’d always spoken like that. This quickly revealed that her natural speaking voice was very different, and her deep baritone had been like a character for Holmes, putting on her market-disrupting startup-founder persona. Once it came out that her Theranos technology was completely fake, Holmes was arrested and charged with fraud. While on trial, Holmes dropped the voice, some say in an effort to come across as softer and more genuine.


#3: Larry the Cable Guy (Dan Whitney)

Nebraska-born Dan Whitney rose to fame under a completely new name and a totally new voice. Better known as Larry the Cable Guy, his distinctive Southern accent was so hilariously compelling that it got him cast in a massive Pixar franchise as the anthropomorphic tow truck, Tow Mater. The inspiration for his Southern persona came from his college roommates from Georgia and Texas at the University of Nebraska, where Whitney studied drama and speech. With a clear passion for comedy and a talent for manipulating his voice, it’s no surprise Whitney became successful with such a distinctive and memorable character.


#2: Paris Hilton

Paris Hilton was everywhere in the early 2000s, and so was her trademark voice. Her breathy, “baby-voice” tone seemed to fit the persona of a ditzy socialite that was marketed to the public during her time on “The Simple Life.” No one suspected her voice wasn’t genuine, but Hilton revealed in 2020 that she had been putting on a character the entire time. Hilton, who survived abusive boarding schools as a teenager, says she created her ditzy blonde persona as a protective mask in response to her trauma. Though Hilton still frequently uses her character voice in public appearances, she noticeably switches to her natural voice anytime she’s dealing with a serious topic.


#1: Michael Jackson

There were many elements that made up the King of Pop’s unforgettable persona, one significant one being his high-pitched voice. That distinctive voice was a signature of his music that seemed to carry over into his speaking voice, at least according to many public interviews. However, some fans point to certain concert footage and other videos of Jackson where he speaks in a more natural sounding voice, alleging that this was his real voice. Liza Minnelli, a close friend of Jackson’s, says she heard his natural speaking voice on rare occasions. Like Paris Hilton, it appears that Jackson’s voice was part of his public persona, and he used his real voice only in private and on serious occasions.


Were you pleasantly surprised or disappointed by these stars’ real voices? Tell us in the comments!

MsMojo Michael Jackson Paris Hilton Larry the Cable Guy Dan Whitney Elizabeth Holmes Hugh Laurie Iggy Azalea Mia Goth Melissa Rauch Steve-O Megan Mullally Marilyn Monroe Gilbert Gottfried Jodie Comer Teller Melanie Lynskey Katherine Langford Stephanie Beatriz Dacre Montgomery David Suchet James Marsters Austin Butler Daniel Day Lewis Andrew Lincoln Jennifer Coolidge Pat Morita Ariana Grande Rowan Atkinson Lil Jon
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