Accent & dialect coach
Foreign accents & languages for TV, film and theatre
A decade of film, television and theatre — from Chakobsa for the cast of Dune to Russian for David Tennant and French for Helen Mirren. View my IMDb page
On set, Dune: Part Two — behind-the-scenes footage, Warner Bros.
What I do
Dialect and language coaching
I coach actors in French, Russian and Italian, in Japanese and Mandarin, and in constructed languages built for the screen. I also work with non-native casts performing in English.
I specialise in coaching for film, TV and theatre and I have worked with some well-known names in the industry, including: Dame Helen Mirren, Saoirse Ronan, Timothée Chalamet, Margot Robbie, James Norton, Jason Isaacs, Tahar Rahim, Jenna Coleman, Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Pine, David Tennant, Olivia Colman, Javier Bardem, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, Austin Butler, Charlotte Rampling, Stellan Skarsgård, Christopher Walken, Eddie Redmayne, Mark Rylance, Anya Taylor-Joy, Michael Fassbender, Asa Butterfield, John Malkovich, Pedro Pascal, Mark Wahlberg, Jenna Ortega, Emilia Clarke and Tilda Swinton — and film directors such as Josie Rourke, Joss Whedon and Denis Villeneuve.
I am passionate about languages. I am a French native and have a BA (hons) in Russian language. I have also studied Italian, Mandarin and Japanese. I hold a certification from Alliance Française to teach French as a foreign language and am trained in accent coaching with Knight Thompson Speechwork.
I started working with actors in 2013 and understand the unique requirements of finding the voice of a character, whether they are fictional or not. I work with actors to prepare for auditions and to support them during production. I specialise in French, Russian and Italian, either in English or in the target language, but can support any European language. I have also coached Japanese and French African accents, and I coach English to non-natives to help create a pleasing ‘foreign’ English accent.
Selected work
- Dune: Part Two & ThreeChakobsa — dialect coach
- The CrownFrench — series 6
- LitvinenkoRussian — David Tennant
- Mary Queen of ScotsFrench — Saoirse Ronan
- Great ExpectationsFrench — Olivia Colman
- The Hundred-Foot JourneyFrench — Helen Mirren
Chakobsa
Teaching a language that doesn’t exist
Dune: Part Two — on set, and credited on screen as dialect coach
Credits
Film, television and theatre
Thirty-four productions in a decade — for the BBC, Netflix, Apple, HBO, ITV and Warner Bros., and for the Donmar, the Almeida and the Crucible.
Film
Television
Theatre
Method
Four ways into an accent
An accent is four problems, not one. Solve them in the right order and it stops being an impression and starts being a way of speaking.
With Helen Mirren — The Hundred-Foot Journey
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People 01
Accent is part of identity and accent acquisition an act of imagination. In order to speak believably in an accent we need to imagine ourselves as someone who speaks that way. Listening to people speaking in that accent will help you get accustomed to their way of speaking. I will help you find audio material that you can listen to over and over for your practice.
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Posture 02
This is the “home base” for the speech muscles (or articulators). Oral posture is something you must feel in your vocal tract. It is however useful to break down its constituent elements such as jaw height, general lip movement or tongue placement.
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Pronunciation 03
With the help of lexical sets we will analyse the physicality and precise movements and shapes of the articulators for main vowels and consonants. We will practice these sounds in isolated words, sentences, texts and finally spontaneous speech.
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Prosody 04
In other words, here, we will analyse the melody, pitch, rhythm and stress of your target accent. You will get familiar with syllable-timed languages (such as French, Italian, Polish, Spanish, Finnish or Icelandic), that give the impression of taking an approximately equal amount of time to speak each syllable and stress-timed languages (like English, Russian, Swedish, Dutch or German) giving the impression of taking an approximately equal amount of time between stressed syllables.
Testimonials
I have never been so intimidated by any requirement I’ve been asked to fulfil, than needing to learn and be proficient in Russian. I was terrified, and then I met Fabien.
Through his remarkable talent, encouragement and care I achieved the unimaginable, and pulled off speaking Russian!
His method is incredibly thorough, yet foolproof, all it requires is putting in the work. From the imagery to the stories to the ways we ensured I always got pronunciation spot on, Fabien’s method felt like I could do it and do it with confidence.
I think his understanding of working with creatives really made the language less about theory and grammar and all the things that terrify us, and more about creating stories that I could memorise and take ownership of.
He is also just a deeply empathetic and supportive presence to have on set. I will be forever grateful for the work we did together and would recommend him to anyone and everyone!
Working on Dune meant stepping into a world where language carries culture, history, and emotion, and Fabien was instrumental in bringing that authenticity to life.
What impressed me most was not only his deep knowledge of phonetics and language, but the way he makes a language feel alive. Chakobsa could easily have sounded technical or artificial in the wrong hands. Fabien’s approach was the opposite: he helped us understand the rhythm, the intention, and the emotional truth behind every line.
He never overwhelms you with theory. Instead, he gives you simple, practical tools that immediately unlock the line and make the language feel natural to speak.
What I particularly appreciated was his patience and his precision. Fabien is an extraordinary coach and a wonderful collaborator for any actor or production.
Over the years, Fabien has taken me (very patiently) by the hand as I’ve attempted to master a language in as little as a couple of months — whether it’s for work or just for me.
He makes every session enjoyable and as conversational as possible so that you attain real, practical language skills. There is no one else I would recommend but Fabien and there is no one else I trust more than him to get me to a place of security in my chosen language/accent.
You have been patient, skilful, patient, fastidious, clear, and patient. You seem to know when to give a note and when to let it develop. Your gentleness and sensitivity mixed with tenacity and skill is something to marvel at.
Contact
Enquiries go through my agent
For availability, rates and booking — for productions, casting and individual actors alike.
Get in touch