All American: Daniel Ezra's Accent Was So Good He Fooled The Crew
It's a familiar phenomenon in today's film and television industry: You finish watching a movie or TV show, and then you see an interview from one of the lead actors and are stunned to find out their real-life accent is completely different from that of their character. As it turns out, it's not always just viewers who get fooled by these acts of vocal subterfuge. "All American" star Daniel Ezra has claimed that his own American accent for the show fooled members of the crew, who didn't even know what his actual voice sounded like until filming wrapped on the pilot, proving definitively that he belongs on any list of actors who aren't American with the best American accents.
Ezra spoke to the hosts of "The Real" to promote the show, and they seemed very interested in his American accent on "All American." He said, "I pretty much stay[ed] in the accent throughout filming, so most of the crew didn't realize I was British until we wrapped the pilot."
He even obliged the hosts with an example of his accent work, sharing in his familiar "All American" voice that "Rob [Hardy], the director, he took me to South Central LA. He directed the pilot, and he took me down to Crenshaw" — much to the delight of the show's hosts.
Ezra studied Los Angeles rappers and spoke to Americans to perfect the accent
Daniel Ezra's American accent for "All American" is so convincing in part because of all the concentration and focus he put into keeping it throughout filming. He revealed another part of his process on "The Real" as well: "I'd listen to only LA artists; I'd listen to only Californian rap artists and just stay with it," the actor said.
Ezra's "All American" accent is the talk of Hollywood, and he also spoke to E! about his process of perfecting it to what you hear on the show, which involved practicing it nonstop in real-life conversation. "Once I got through border control and everything, I practiced going to restaurants and the park and talking to as much people as I possibly could," Ezra said. Judging by the results, and the fact that much of the crew didn't even realize he was actually British, Ezra's work on the accent certainly paid off.
"All American" Season 5 just wrapped up on The CW last month.