Getting the Queen’s accent right is hard even for British people, so it was a good job The Crown‘s Claire Foy was on hand last night (April 26) to help Method Man and James Corden.
Claire was a guest on The Late Late Show alongside Method, who was there to promote the second season of Drop the Mic.
When James asked about the royal accent she and Matt Smith perfected to play Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip in The Crown, the interview quickly morphed into an impromptu voice coaching session.
According to Claire, the key phrase for sounding just like the Queen is, “dirty mouse, house.” When Method gave it a go, it seemed to work perfectly. But for James, it was a feat he could only achieve by screwing up his nose, apparently.
Watch and try it for yourself:
See? Easy.
Claire may have perfected Queen’s voice but that doesn’t mean she’s up for every vocal challenge that comes her way. When James asked whether she’d ever consider trying her hand at a rap battle, she was quick to respond with a resounding “no.”
And when he pushed it a bit, asking if she’d reconsider to go up against Dame Helen Mirren, it was still a hard no. “I watched the one you did with Helen Mirren and it made me have heart palpitations.” Us too, Claire!
Does her “dirty mouse” technique work for you?