Zachary Levi Reveals He Faked A British Accent To Land Role In Tangled

Tangled star Zachary Levi reveals he faked a British accent while auditioning for the role of Flynn Rider since they were only auditioning British actors. Levi is most well known for his work as the titular hero in Shazam! in the DCEU. He has also appeared as Fandral in Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok. In television, Levi is most notably remembered as the titular character in Chuck, as well as the recurring role of Benjamin on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

Tangled follows the story of Rapunzel, based on the Brother’s Grimm fairytale, and her desire to leave the tower she has been kept in her whole life by the manipulative Mother Gothel. This desire becomes real by the arrival of Flynn Rider, a handsome thief voiced by Levi. Levi lent his speaking and singing voice to the role, appearing on the movie’s soundtrack.

Levi revealed while on The Late Late Show with James Cordon that he faked a British accent while auditioning for the role. Levi, a born American, claims the producers were only seeing British actors since the character was written as British. When Corden asked him about faking an accent, Levi confirmed he had done this. Only after being cast did the producers decide to make the character American, which Levi was more than capable of doing. Read Levi’s full quote below:

When I was in Tangled for Disney which is such an incredible film, such an incredible experience, but yeah, they thought Flynn Ryder, the role that I ultimately played. They wanted him to have an English accent and they wouldn’t even see American actors.

And  then they gave me the job — based on my English accent. And then later, they said, ‘You know what? I think we’re going to do it with an American accent. Can you do that?’ I’m not even kidding. And I was like, ‘Yeah, I think I can do that.’

Tangled would go on to become a hit, grossing over $500 million at the box office and receiving critical acclaim from critics and audiences alike. One of the songs “I See The Light,” sung by Levi and Rapunzel voice actor Mandy Moore, would go on to win a Grammy and get nominated for an Oscar. The success of the film would inspire a tv show, several shorts, a video game, and an abridged stage adaptation on the Disney Cruise Lines.

Though not having the cultural take over that Disney’s followup Frozen had, Tangled was a clear sign of Disney’s rebound into being the go-to company for animated family films. In the mid-2000’s Disney was struggling to meet expectations set by their Golden Age, as well as the transition from hand-drawn animation to computer-generated animation. Tangled showed that Disney could still take the original formula of reinterpreting an old folk tale and change it for modern audiences, allowing for the whole family to enjoy the magic. Though Levi had to lie his way into the role, his work in Tangled speaks for itself, helping shape a movie that’s inspiring, fun, and full of heart.

Source: The Late Late Show with James Cordon

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