TESTIMONIALS
"I have known JB and been a fan of his work for six years, starting the moment he walked into a meeting for my movie 'The Count of Monte Cristo' and instantly convinced me he was a hoary old Italian pirate. I immediately cast him as Luigi Vampa. He was just as comfortable as an English knight when we worked together a second time in 'Tristan & Isolde'. He has a masterful ear for the rhythm and timbre of an accent and the way that he links that to character is a rare quality. Not only that, he is a talented and patient tutor."
Kevin Reynolds, Director
The Count of Monte Cristo, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Tristan & Isolde.
"There's no fancy method; just an individualized approach that enables JB to coach in a way that really speaks to actors as opposed to confusing them - he is a remarkable teacher and he has an amazing ear,"
Rufus Sewell
Actor - The Illusionist, A Knight's Tale, Dark City
"I have known JB Blanc since the early 1990s when we acted together over several seasons at The Royal National Theatre. He is an extremely versatile actor, with an incredibly sharp ear for dialect. Understanding that all of us have the same basic vocal equipment, he is somehow able to think and feel his way into being a person from another culture, and to sound authentic as that character. More importantly, working with specific techniques, he can guide fellow actors through that process. I have personally consulted him on accents from South African to Russian, to regional British, American, and Australian, with excellent results."
Colin McPhillamy
Actor and Writer
"I came to JB to study a Yorkshire accent through a highly recommended referral by a friend, and fellow actor. I have to say that I was more than pleased with the one-on-one session I received with JB. He had a clear understanding for the mechanics of the European Accent, as well as the historical and geographical backgrounds (which he also provided). Being from Europe himself, and having traveled through all of its various regions, he provided an invaluable educational experience. I've taken dialect courses, and I've purchased the books on tape, and those only provide you with the generic sense of what a dialect should be. JB provides a sound that is rich, authentic, and specific to the region of the world that it's been taken from. He does all this maintaining a positive energy, and a friendly working environment, which is ideal when learning anything for the first time. He tapes a recording of the session, afterwards, so you can take it home to practice. I now understand why he came with such a high referral. The session is definitely worth the very reasonable rates he charges and I will most definitely be back!"
Tyler McGraw
Actor
"I had the pleasure of working with JB recently on 'The Company' for Sony Television and TNT. JB was playing Manuel Pinero, Fidel Castro's head of secret police. On our first day on location in Puerto Rico, one of the producers approached JB and I and announced that the scenes had been translated into Spanish and we were set up to shoot the first one the next day. JB gently had to point out that he did not, in fact speak any Spanish and frantic phone calls to and from the director ensued. It turned out they were so convinced by his audition tape, that they assumed he was Latino!"
Ramon Franco
Actor
"I had a last minute theatre audition for a play set in Cornwall in the 1950's and was in a panic. A friend in London recommended JB and I literally called him up at about 8 in the evening. He told me to come over immediately to his place and we sat and worked for 2 hours solid. JB was calm, reassuring and professional. He breaks the accent down into the sheer mechanics of how the mouth gets around certain sounds, making it extremely clear for me to understand. Were it not for him, I would almost certainly have blown the meeting. As it was I was confident enough to get a callback and the very next week, got the job! I cannot recommend him highly enough."
Chris Hollis
Actor