11 (more) celebrities you didn't know were multilingual

We might know them as the stars who light up the big screen, but did you know some of your favorite celebrities are just as talented at learning languages? Whether they were born into bilingual families or studied hard to master a language for a role, they prove that being multilingual can supercharge your success.

Here’s a list of famous faces who are low-key multilingual to inspire you to join the club.

1. Timothée Chalamet – English & French

French by name, French by nature. The American-born star of Call Me by Your Name and Dune is a fluent French speaker known for doing lengthy interviews in the language. The talented actor holds both U.S. and French citizenship, and spent many summers in France visiting his father’s side of the family.

2. Lupita Nyong’o – Spanish, English, Swahili & Luo

Born in Mexico City to Kenyan parents, the Black Panther star holds citizenship in both these countries and grew up speaking English, as well as Swahili and Luo. As a teenager, Lupita’s parents sent her to Mexico so she could gain Spanish fluency in the country where she was born. The talented multilingual even spent time learning Xhosa — a South African Nguni language spoken by around 10 million people — for her role in Black Panther.

3. Dua Lipa – English & Albanian

Born and raised in London, the celebrated pop singer is of Kosovo-Albanian descent and spent some time in Kosovo as a teenager. She is proudly fluent in the language, sometimes taking the time in interviews to teach her counterparts some basic Albanian phrases. She was also pleased to get her Albanian citizenship in 2022.

4. Trevor Noah – English, Afrikaans, Zulu, Xhosa, Tswana, Tsonga, Southern Sotho & German

The writer, comedian, actor, and former Daily Show host grew up in South Africa and speaks seven of the country’s 11 official languages — including Zulu, Xhosa, Tswana, Tsonga, Southern Sotho, Afrikaans, and English. Thanks to his Swiss-German heritage on his father’s side, he also speaks German, cementing his status as a true polyglot.

5. Pedro Pascal – Spanish & English

Everyone’s current favorite leading man, known for The Last of Us and The Mandalorian, was born in the Chilean capital of Santiago and grew up speaking Spanish. After his family relocated to the United States as political refugees during his early childhood, he learned English. His Spanish bilingualism is on full display in the Netflix show Narcos, where he plays DEA agent Javier Peña, switching effortlessly between English and Spanish.

6. Yara Shahidi – Farsi & English

First finding fame in the American sitcom Black-ish and its subsequent spin-off Grown-ish, Yara Shahidi is also a known social activist and spokeswoman for the younger generation regarding topics in politics and social justice. Her father is of Iranian descent, and she grew up speaking Farsi and frequently refers to her proud Iranian heritage.

7. Rami Malek – Egyptian Arabic & English

Born in California to Egyptian parents, Malek learned to speak Egyptian Arabic at home before learning English. The Oscar-winning actor speaks openly and passionately of his roots, expressing deep pride in his Egyptian heritage, language, and culture.

8. Camila Cabello – Spanish & English

This singer-songwriter was born in Havana and grew up speaking Spanish in her early childhood days, living in both Cuba and Mexico. Her family later moved to Miami, where she stayed deeply connected to the language thanks to the city’s large Latino community. She often calls Spanish her “happy place,” where she says she connects to her childhood and can access different sides of her personality — something many multilingual speakers can relate to.

9. Emma Mackey – French & English

Despite her quintessentially British accent, the Sex Education star actually grew up in France, only moving to England at the age of 17 to attend university. Mackey has made good use of her bilingual background. She’s landed starring roles in both English and French-language productions, including a leading role in Eiffel, a French biopic about the inventor of the Eiffel Tower.

10. Alicia Vikander – Swedish, English, French & Danish

The star of the 2018 Tomb Raider film hails from Sweden but is also fluent in both French and English. In preparation for her role in the 2012 Danish film A Royal Affair, she spent two months intensively learning Danish and working with a dialect coach to perfect her accent.

11. Anya Taylor-Joy – Spanish & English

Best known for her breakout role in The Queen’s Gambit, Taylor-Joy has a British-Argentinian background and lived in Buenos Aires until the age of six, when she moved to London with her family. She’s been candid about her initial struggles adapting to life in England and learning to speak English, often watching movies to improve her fluency. For her role in The Queen’s Gambit, she learned some Russian phrases, adding another layer to her impressive linguistic range.

It’s fascinating to discover how many of today’s biggest celebrities have embraced language learning as part of their rise to fame. Whether your dream is to light up the big screen or travel the world, let their stories inspire your own language-learning journey.