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From Austin Butler To Ishaan Khatter: How Dialect Coaches Help Actors Find Their Voice
Voice coaches Erik Singer and Hetal Varia on who’s to blame for bad accents in film and the misconceptions people have about vocal training.
The morning after actor Austin Butler accepted The Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama for his role in Elvis (2022), internet headlines honed in on how the actor still sounded like the late rockstar. “Austin’s voice did change due to natural maturation, (a lot of) singing, and a bit of vocal damage,” reveals Erik Singer, who was his on-set dialect coach. “While I could still hear Elvis after the movie wrapped, it mostly came from the Golden Globes speech he began by saying ‘my boy, my boy’ — a common Elvis phrase that served as a trigger. So the accent, which he'd spent long working on, was ready to come out and play.” But even in that speech, with its echoes of Elvis, he heard more Austin than Elvis.
Singer also coached actor Ishaan Khatter for The Perfect Couple (2024) earlier this year, with the actor’s Indian-American accent being brought up in almost every review of the Netflix show. It echoed some of the talk surrounding the anglicisation of Indian accents on A Suitable Boy (2020) a few years ago — coincidentally, another Netflix show also starring Khatter.
The show’s resident dialect coach, Hetal Varia explains why: speech shifts faster than one can catch up. “In India they say ‘Saath gaon mein sur badalte hai’ (The dialect changes every seven villages). Take Mumbai, for example — why does English sound different in Bandra, Borivali and Colaba?” That’s why dialect, accent and voice coaching, though far from being standardised, is still a well-established practice the world over.
The Hollywood Reporter India asked Singer and Varia about the distinct challenges and creative nuances of accent and dialect work across Hollywood and Bollywood.
Erik, your projects are very fascinating. While Austin Butler switched between three versions of Elvis’ voice, Ishaan Khatter portrayed an Indian character in an American series.
ES: Accents are vocal biographies. Elvis sounded very different when he first blew up in the 1950s than he did in 1968, or in the 70s. Austin had to switch from young Elvis to Elvis in 1968 partway through the day. So he needed to have a very clear idea of what each voice felt like — it had to live in his body and vocal tract — and then he got a lot of practice of switching between them. Ishaan's character, on the other hand, came to the US around the age of 13, and lived here ever since. Thirteen isn't young enough to sound like a native speaker completely, but it can travel most of the way there, if one wants to. Accents are also closely linked to identity; different people make different choices. Ishaan’s character forged strong connections with the people he went to school with, and was comfortable with American culture. We wanted his accent to reflect that, which meant moving towards an American accent, without losing his Indian English foundation. I thought Ishaan did a phenomenal job.
Hetal, when one looks up voice or dialect coaching in Bollywood, your name comes up first.
HV: The first name that comes to mind is Tarla (2023). I contributed to the performance of the actors, besides their dialect, speech and subtext — even jam writing with the director for fun. I worked with all primary actors on A Suitable Boy and that was special, because it was my first intensive coaching project. I enjoyed Shantaram (2022), on which I worked with 60 actors across the globe — a special mention to Antonio Desplat, a French-English actor who learned Hindi with me. I vividly remember meeting Meghna Gulzar and Vicky Kaushal for Sam Bahadur (2023); Vicky really wanted to nail this character and was happy to work with me the whole day if needed. I've also coached the casts of international series like The Wheel of Time (2021), and The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh (2024) and I’ve had fun working with Manoj Bajpayee, too. It was heartwarming to see him look at me after a take, checking to see if he did well.
Could you walk us through a typical session?
ES: I break down the target accent into its constituent parts: individual vowel and consonant sounds, overall oral posture and intonation. Some actors have great ears, and are able to hear a sound and repeat it back accurately. But most people's ears and brains trick them and there’s interference from the mental categories established by our native accent or language. Every speech sound we make is the result of a specific physical action performed in the vocal tract so if an actor can get a hold of what that action is, that's more reliable than working by ear. They then need to practise it in context of the character’s emotional needs and circumstances. We work through the script, improvise little interviews or scenes and interact with the other people in it. Also, we let the actor experience enough different circumstances. There's a million things going on on a film set, and several balls an actor has to juggle — remembering their lines, hitting their marks, listening to their scene partners, executing the notes directors give them. The last thing they need is to think about their accent at the same time. It should be second nature by the time cameras roll.
HV: I need a clear brief. My typical session will always be centred around the script if we have less time. If not, then we start in a more playful manner and arrive at the dialect. We investigate the character — why they would speak in a certain manner. It talks about where they come from — socio-economic backgrounds, education, social circles. Exercises are about changing the shape of the mouth, holding the body in a certain manner, letting the breath travel and allowing the voice to shift with a shift in the body. When you're working on dialects, voice work also comes into play — which is something that few people in the industry talk about.
Do you collaborate with directors and screenwriters?
ES: I consult on a lot of accent and language related matters with my wife, who is a screenwriter and director, but that's just because she's my wife! Dialect coaches typically come on board relatively late in production, by which time the writer's job is usually long since finished. Directors, sure — we're usually sitting there next to them on set, or not too far away at any rate. If a character needs to have a London accent for example, there isn't just one; not even one middle-class, mid-30s, white, female London accent. There's plenty of variety that might tell a slightly different story, so directors are involved in these elements from the start.
HV: Directors and producers give me the liberty of offering dialogue modifications to suit the dialect better. In Shantaram, for example, I could offer changes to the writing because the Hindi was not humanised. It was very technical. Thankfully, I've done a lot of acting back in the day so I understand the importance of writing a dialogue that sits well in the mouth and tongue, and not just on paper.
What’s the most common misconception people have about vocal training?
ES: That accents are some sort of magic trick that actors are just supposed to be able to do. You'd never hand an actor a sword on the first day and expect them to fight with it, or throw them on the back of a horse and expect them to ride! You give them time and expert instruction. Sure, accents aren't as physically dangerous as sword-fighting or horseback riding, but they are complex physical skills that take time and support to learn. When you see a bad accent performance in a movie or a TV show, it is almost never the actor's fault. It's the production's responsibility to make sure actors have adequate time and a qualified coach.
HV: People assume bigger stars don’t require it, but we aren’t teaching them to act; voice training connects you with your own voice. It’s more than modulation, clarity of speech and vocal confidence. I won't name the actor but I was doing dialect work on a film and two hours in, they told me it helped them feel more confident, like they had found their voice. Our voice is our identity, it carries our emotions. It’s about exploring the vibration, resonance and pitch, enabling one to come into their own body. There’s a limited understanding of what goes into such training. Even for more seasoned actors — one’s voice shifts with age and time.
How important is accent work for an actor’s ability to fully inhabit a character?
ES: Absolutely vital. We're looking to integrate every piece of the accent into the character — and the actor's body and breath — right from the start. It's about repetition — pure muscle memory — but also, imagination. Accents don't take the specific forms they do because the people who speak that way share certain personality traits. But if, as an actor, one can make a connection between, let's say, the jaw positioning characteristic of their character's accent, and something that’s true to who they are — well, that's good accent work.
HV: It's important for the actor to fully embrace a character and their accent. While the accent is technical, the character's dialect speaks to their psychological framework as well. For example, if they have a stutter, there must be a reason — perhaps a hidden trauma. It adds to the storyline. And it's muscle work so the more they practise, the easier it becomes.
How did you decide to enter this profession?
ES: After my second child was born, I was looking for stability, and started coaching and teaching more. After a few years that shifted into more production work, and just took over.
HV: I did a lot of theatre back in the day and a director told me to hone my craft by studying abroad. I came across a Masters course in Voice Studies in London and went on to pursue it as a performer. I began teaching as part of my assignments… and that never stopped.
What’s next for you?
ES: A book about accents, a major video game franchise and a few coaching projects. I'm looking forward to the release of a production of Long Day's Journey Into Night (a play by Eugene O'Neill) that I coached in Ireland, with a spectacular cast: Jessica Lange, Ed Harris, Ben Foster and Colin Morgan.
HV: Two films that I can’t speak of yet. I work intensively with actors from drama schools and will collaborate with Netflix and Commune on conducting a voice workshop. I co-run a venture, Ekalavya.art, and also take on a few corporate one-on-ones and mentorship programs for artists.