Becoming an Actor With a Stutter or Lisp

According to Penn Medicine, a speech difference—sometimes called a speech disorder, disability, impediment, or impairment—is a “condition in which a person has problems creating or forming the speech sounds needed to communicate with others.” This can be caused by a variety of factors, including developmental delays, genetics, illnesses, and brain trauma. 

Lisps and stuttering are two of the most common speech differences faced by adults. 

Lisps: A lisp is characterized by difficulty producing the sounds /s/ and /z/, and can be interdental or palatal, explains speech-language pathologist Mikee Larrazabal:

• Interdental: “when the tongue protrudes between the teeth while producing /s/ and /z/ sounds. This may sound like they are saying ‘th’ instead of ‘s’ or ‘z’ ” 
• Palatal: “when the tongue raises up towards the hard palate while producing /s/ and /z/ sounds. This may sound as if they are saying ‘sh’ instead of ‘s’ or ‘ch’ instead of ‘z’ ”

Stutters: Stutters are disruptions in someone’s flow of speech, and can take the form of prolongations, repetitions, or blocks, according to speech therapist Abby Barnes: 

• Prolongations: “when a person holds out a sound for too long, to where the speech sounds abnormal”
• Repetitions: “when a person repeats the first sound or syllable of a word at least three times more than is needed”
• Blocks: “when a person is unable to move their mouth and use their voice to continue speaking”

How are speech differences treated? 

Speech issues are usually treated through speech therapy and ongoing exercises. These might take the form of articulation, fluency, diction, and cadence exercises, as well as practicing speech sounds in different contexts.

For example, the 2010 film “The King’s Speech” portrays the real-life story of how the future King George VI worked with speech therapist Lionel Logue to cope with his stammer—including a pivotal moment when his stutter improves as he reads the “To be, or not to be” soliloquy from “Hamlet” while listening to classical music. Similarly, President Joe Biden famously attributed overcoming his stutter to his time spent reading poetry and applying cadence to his speaking.

1. Visit a doctor. A sudden-onset speech difference can be caused by a traumatic brain injury, neurodegenerative disease, or stroke, so make an appointment with your primary care physician, or seek treatment immediately, to rule out any health concerns.

2. See a speech therapist. Speech therapists can provide the tools you need to diminish a stutter or lisp and communicate clearly and effectively. “Actors have speech and voice demands greater than the average person,” explains speech-language pathologist Monica Lowy. “Whether auditioning or playing a role, poor articulation or vocal technique can negatively impact the career of even the most talented performer. In order to book that commercial, get that part, or perform without vocal fatigue or strain, you need the right skills and technique to ensure success.”

Actor Paul Haber (“The Mentalist,” “CSI: Miami”) attributes speech therapy and becoming an actor as helping get rid of the lisp he discovered at 14 by hearing himself on a tape recorder. He vividly recalls his therapist “pulling out a straw and showing me where to put the tip of my tongue. It seemed so obvious to everyone who does it correctly, but it wasn’t for me.”

3. Try speech therapy apps. Apps such as Stamurai, BeneTalk, Articulate S, and LispTherapy allow you to practice articulation, pronunciation, and fluency at your own pace.

4. Keep on keeping on. Treating a speech difference is a long process— something that one must truly apply oneself to. For Haber, the profit in the experience (aside from developing perfect diction) has been in the boost it gave to his career: He earns a living not just as a stage and screen actor, but from frequent voiceover work as well. The point, he says, is that “how we speak is a habit, and the idea is you have to replace one habit—which maybe was all you ever knew growing up—with a new and improved habit, and that takes an awful lot of work.” Ultimately, though, speaking becomes “like working any other muscle… something you don’t even have to think about anymore.”

5. Embrace it. What would Ben Mendelsohn or Drew Barrymore be without their trademark lisps? If it feels right to you, try gaining confidence in your unique speaking instead of thinking of it as a hindrance.

lev radin/Debby Wong/Featureflash Photo Agency/Shutterstock

• Marilyn Monroe: The blond bombshell worked with a speech therapist to overcome her stutter, leading her to develop her trademark breathy voice.
• Bruce Willis: After having a stutter throughout his childhood, Willis diligently attended speech therapy while in college.
• Samuel L. Jackson: “It’s OK to make people wait to hear what you have to say, because what you have to say is important,” Jackson said in a speech for the American Institute for Stuttering.
• Barbara Walters: NBC assigned a speech therapist to Walters to try and get rid of her lisp. Ultimately, the TV personality decided to stop speech therapy and accept her lisp.
• James Earl Jones: “Stuttering is painful,” the voice of Darth Vader said. “In Sunday school, I’d try to read my lessons and the children behind me were falling on the floor with laughter.” Years of practice allowed Jones to create the voice recognized for its sonorous gravel rather than its stutter.