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
- Season 4, part 1 of Emily in Paris just dropped today, and we’re not looking forward to hearing Emily’s French … but did you know that Lily Collins had to fake not knowing the language in the show?
- While tennis legend Serena Williams was interested in French as it’s spoken in several African countries, Jodie Foster picked it up at school, and even does the dubbing for her own films in French
Netflix’s Emily in Paris is back! The first part of season four is set to premiere today, on August 15, while part two will drop almost a month later on September 12.
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
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.