8 celebrities you probably didn’t know could speak French, from Hollywood’s Timothée Chalamet, Bradley Cooper and Gwyneth Paltrow, to Shakira, Serena Williams and Emily in Paris’ Lily Collins
Peut être it’s high time to brush up on our French? While it’s not the easiest of languages to master, certain celebrities have certainly tried their best to learn it – and there are some pretty surprising entries on this list.
Here are eight stars who you probably never knew could speak French:
1. Lily Collins
Lily Collins actually grew up speaking French with her half-Swiss brothers IRL. Photo: @lilyjcollins/Instagram
The Emily in Paris actress revealed that she grew up learning French in school and speaking it with her younger brothers who are half-Swiss, per Grazia. While she isn’t the most fluent any more as she stopped using the language as much, she did say the Netflix series became a catalyst for her to speak it fully again. The 35-year-old also shared in an interview with The Netflix Afterparty that “it’s very weird” to fake being bad at French when she’s able to speak it in real life.
2. Bradley Cooper
You may be surprised to find this quintessential American actor on the list, but Cooper could hold his own in a conversation with a host even on French TV. The Hangover star spent a semester abroad in a university near Aix-en-Provence while he pursued his bachelor’s degree. He has credited his host family for helping him learn how to speak the language, as well as fully immersing himself in the culture, per Frenchly.
3. Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp in Cannes, in 2023. Photo: TNS
Perhaps it’s no shock to find the Pirates of the Caribbean star on this list, as he was in a relationship with French model Vanessa Paradis for 14 years, and his daughter Lily-Rose is half-French. In fact, he even has a village in the south of France – and while his French is reportedly far from perfect, he seems to have an accent that the French love.
4. Serena Williams
Serena Williams at Paris Fashion Week in March, in Paris, France. Photo: Getty Images
The tennis legend decided to learn the language to get the French public at Roland Garros actively on her side for the French Open tournament, per Frenchly. Talk about determination! She also once shared with The Fader she was interested in learning it because it is spoken in many African countries.
5. Timothée Chalamet
Timothée Chalamet is the star of both new Dune films. Photo: @tchalamet/Instagram
While the Dune star is a New Yorker, he did spend summers visiting his paternal grandparents in a village southwest of Lyon, where he played outside “while the adults had coffee”, per Vulture. Chalamet also spoke lots of French in the 2017 film Call Me By Your Name, and he’s not shy to show off his skills in interviews.
6. Shakira
Shakira on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, in May 2022. Photo: Getty Images
The Colombian artist is known to speak multiple languages fluently, including Spanish, English, Portuguese and Catalan. The “Puntería” singer also has elementary knowledge of Italian and French. She’s given interviews in French and even did a cover of a song by Francis Cabrel, “Je l’aime à Mourir”.
7. Gwyneth Paltrow
Goop Founder Gwyneth Paltrow in 2022. Photo: Getty Images
The Goop founder is able to speak Spanish fluently and seems to know her way around a second Romance language, too. She once answered questions at a press conference for Iron Man 3 all on her own in French. Bravo!
8. Jodie Foster
Jodie Foster went to a French speaking prep school in Los Angeles. Photo: EPA-EFE
Not many people know that the Academy Award-winning actress can speak French fluently. Foster studied at the prep school Lycée Français de Los Angeles for 12 years, and her French is so good that she even does the dubbing herself for her films in French.
