For Hollywood actors, it's not just how they perform, it's also how they speak that determines whether they make it to the Big Screen. That explains why some international actors are spending thousands of dollars on dialect coaches to help get roles Americans might usually play. CGTN's Frances Read reports from Los Angeles.

 

They may sound American but they're English. And Irish. Because acting American is one of the key skills Hollywood's stars are now being asked to do. But pulling off a convincing accent doesn't always work out. Well-known actor, Dick Van Dyke last month apologized for what he called the most "atrocious cockney accent in the history of cinema" as the chimney sweep in the 1964 movie Mary Poppins.

 

Maybe they've made Tinsel Town their home, maybe they even have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but most actors need a little bit of extra help and that means there's a new boom in Hollywood.

 

There's an increasing demand for dialect coaches people like Gaby Santinelli. And that's because of actors like Darren. He's British - but many of his roles in Hollywood require an American accent. He's been in popular U.S. shows from Two Broke Girls to True Blood and mastering the American accent was make or break for his career in Hollywood.

 

DARREN DARNBOROUGH ACTOR "If I'm going in for an American role, I know that I'm competing against all the Americans so you've got to be as good as them and nail the accent and if you can't do one of those things then you don't really have a chance. As an actor, the ultimate goal is for the audience to not realize because then we're doing our job."

 

GABY SANTINELLI ACCENT INTEGRATION COACH "I'm personally seeing a steady stream of actors asking for "Who can help me with my accent" and I'm sure that other dialect coaches are feeling that as well because as people are getting off flights at LAX and saying oh I got my car, I got my visa, I got my apartment, I got my agent, I got my photos. Suddenly, they're like I have to speak a different way."

 

And speaking in that different way, isn't easy at least not without sounding cheesy. GABY: "Let's try and put the parmesan cheese in my palm." FRANCES: "Put the parmesan cheese in my palm." GABY: "Yeah parmesan cheese." FRANCES: "Parm-uh-JAHHHN." GABY: "Yeah, so when you give yourself a little more time you can cover all the bases." FRANCES: "Because in England we'd say PARM-uh-zan." GABY: "Parmesan, I mean the whole word changes, so what feels too much to you and this big R feels right to me and that's where my job is to assure someone they have to go for it and commit to it." "Goo-ga, Gee-gar, Gay-gar, Gy-gar, Go-gar."

 

Coaching can cost thousands of dollars over the course of an actor's career. But if they land more roles, they know that investment will be worth it. Frances Read, CGTN, in Los Angeles.