Only Chinese – with 950 million speakers – surpasses Spanish as the most spoken language of the world. According to the Cervantes Institute, almost 600 million people – more precisely, 577 – master the Spanish language, and 478 million have it as their mother tongue. The annual reveals that Spanish is also the second language (with English in the first place) that is most used in Wikipedia, Facebook, and Twitter. Nevertheless, despite being close to the supremacy, it is not common to find international famous people familiarized with the language.
We have collected nine cases of famous characters that have been a surprise due to their mastering of Spanish.
– Gwyneth Paltrow: adoptive daughter of Talavera de la Reina
Known for: winning in 1999 an Academy Award for best actress in the film “Shakespeare in Love”. Previously, Gwyneth (USA, 1972) played in such famous films like “Seven” (1996). During the recording of that film, she worked with Brad Pitt, who was her fiancée.
Why she speaks Spanish: The renowned actress spent the summers of his adolescence in Talavera de la Reina (Toledo). When she was 15 years old, the actress stayed with the Spanish family Lázaro Ruiz. For this reason, she masters the Spanish language. She has such relationship with the city that, in 2003, she was named adoptive daughter of Talavera de la Reina.
– Jean Reno: a Frenchman who is very fond of Cádiz
Known for. He is an actor of Hispanic-French origin, who was born in Casablanca (1948). He is known for his roles in films of the nineties such as «León» (1994). He has worked with important celebrities of Hollywood such as Meg Ryan, Tom Cruise, or Robert de Niro. In 1999, due to his professional career, he was awarded with the French designation of Knight of the Legion of Honour.
Why he speaks Spanish: if we could check his identity document, we would see his actual name: Juan Moreno Herrera Jiménez. This would be a peculiar name for a French citizen, but not for someone from Cádiz. Juan Moreno, or as he is commonly known as, Jean Reno, is the son of a political exile. His father, born in Cádiz, went to France during the years of the Francoism. On March 1, 2019, he premiered his first film shot in Spanish, “4 Latas”. He plays with the Spanish actors Arturo Valls and Quique San Francisco.
– Viggo Mortensen: a nomad childhood with Argentinean accent.
Known for being the actor which will be always known as “Aragorn” by the fans of the Lord of the Rings saga. He gained his current popularity with this character. Moreover, he has worked with great stars such as Nicole Kidman, Demi More, Michael Douglas, or Gwyneth Paltrow.
Why he speaks Spanish. When he was 2 years old, his parents (a Danish father and a North American mother) moved to Argentina. He spent his childhood in this country, becoming a fan of the San Lorenzo de Almagro football team, and learning Spanish in order to adapt himself to its daily life. At the age of 11, when his parents got divorced, he went to USA to live with his mother and his siblings. He is very fluent with Spanish, which lead him to have the leading role in the Spanish film “Alatriste”.
– Marzenna Adamczyk: nobody can stop this Poland Ambassador
Known for: being the Poland Ambassador in Spain, invited by David Broncano to his programme “La Resistencia”. In a show whose purpose is to joke about with the guest, Marzenna Adamczyk (Poland, 1956) decided to make fun of everything and of everyone from the start. She go onto the stage without anyone introducing her or even knowing if she had to go in. Brocano, overwhelmed by her spontaneity, could not believe his eyes. The audience, laughing and clapping, cheered to Adamczyk,, while the social networks make her a viral phenomenon,
Why she speaks Spanish. In 1980, at the age of 24, she graduated in Hispanic Studies from the University of Warsaw. This title was her catapult to work at the Embassy of Poland in Spain for six years, (1999-2005). In 2010, she returned to Spain, in Barcelona, being the General Consul of Poland. Since 2016, she manages the position of Ambassador of Poland in Spain. Her career is so related to the Hispanic culture that it has made the Polish woman to speak Spanish with the same precision as a native. She stated in the programme “La Resistencia” that she knew the Spanish term “cochiquera”, word unknown even by a lot of Spanish natives.
– Thibaut Courtois: the Belgian that learned Spanish in few months
Known for. He is football player who was acquired by the Chelsea in 2011, team that handed him over to the Atlético de Madrid in which he spent three seasons and won an UEFA Europa League, the Copa del Rey, and a Liga, among other titles. Currently, he plays for the Real Madrid.
Why he speaks Spanish. In 2011, Courtois moved to Madrid after signing for the Atlético football team. He was 19 years old and he could not speak Spanish at all. In that team, only three players knew a little of English. This situation made the player to accelerate his learning of Spanish. “Fortunately, I am good with languages and, even I could barely speak only one word, they took me to all the suppers and quickly integrated me in the team” stated in the sports journal Marca. In just a few months, Courtois managed to communicate seamlessly in Spanish. In addition to his perseverance, there is also the fact that, since 2014, he has an intermittent relationship with a Spanish woman: Marta Domínguez. They have two children: Adriana (4 years old) and Nicolás (2 years old).
– Zoe Saldaña: a New Yorker with Caribbean origin
Known for. This actress (USA, 1978) has played in films such as «Pirates of the Caribbean» (2003), «The Terminal» (2004), or «Star Trek» (2009). However, it was the role given by James Cameron in Avatar (2009) the one that make her famous.
Why she speaks Spanish. Since she has a “ñ” in her last name, Saldaña has Latin roots. Her father is from the Dominican Republic and her mother from Puerto Rico. The actress was raised in Queens, a Latin neighbourhood of New York, where she could practice her parents’ language since her childhood.
– Nelly Furtado: from Canada to the Latin Grammy Awards
Known for: being a very famous singer in the early 2000. The music of Nelly Furtado (Canada, 1978) was a hit on international radio stations. In 2002, she won a Grammy Award for the Best Feminine Vocal Interpretation for the song “I’m like a bird”.
Why she speaks Spanish. Because when she was 14 years old, she received Spanish lessons and she liked this language so much that, in 2009, she decided to release an album entirely recorded in Spanish: “Mi plan”. For this recording, she won a Latin Grammy Award for Best Feminine Pop Vocal Album. She has responded to Latin media in Spanish several times, thus showing her Spanish language proficiency.
– Tom Hiddleston: 15 years studying Spanish just for the mere pleasure of learning
Known for: being an actor (United Kingdom, 1981) that gained his popularity in 2011 thanks to his role as Loki, character of the film “Thor” (the Marvel trilogy, with Chris Hemsworth as the starring role).
Why he speaks Spanish. Although he has no family connection with the Hispanic world, Tom Hiddleston has been studying Spanish for 15 years just for pleasure. His interest for the Spanish language and his fluency when he speaks in Spanish in public, led the Mexican Guillermo del Toro to notice him and to offer him a role in the film “Crimson Peak” (2015).
– Eva Mendes: “Entirely Cuban and completely American”
Known for: being a model and an actress who has played with Will Smith («Hitch«), Nicolas Cage («Ghost Rider«), or Denzel Washington («Training Day«).
Why she speaks Spanish. Because her parents are Cuban. She was born in Miami (where 60% of its population speaks Spanish) and,due to her being raised in California, she did not lose her parental roots. Mendes speaks fluent Spanish and she is also teaching it to Esmeralda (5 years old) and Amanda (3 years old), her daughters with Ryan Gosling.
