Available for Productions — UK & Worldwide

For Producers · Directors · Casting Directors

Dialect & Accent Coach for Film, TV & Theatre

On-set support, cast preparation and accent continuity — from first read-through to final take. Coaching credits include John Wick: Chapter 4, Primitive War and Cowboy Bebop.

Nearly 40 years in the industry — as crew, casting director, agent and cast.

Download Full CV (PDF) Check Availability
IMDb sarah@actorsaccentcoach.com +44 7519 979793
Sarah Valentine, dialect and accent coach for film, TV and theatre

Sarah Valentine

Accent & Dialect Coach · VASTA · NZ Equity

2,000+

actors coached

40

years in the industry

1.5M+

followers

Dialect Coaching Credits

Credits on Screen & Stage

Coaching actors on set, in prep and through post — for studio features, streamers, network television and theatre.

Feature Film · Lionsgate

John Wick: Chapter 4

Coaching Scott Adkins · Dir. Chad Stahelski

Feature Film · Sparke Films

Primitive War

Coaching Tricia Helfer · Dir. Luke Sparke

Series · Netflix

Cowboy Bebop

Dir. Alex Garcia Lopez

2026
Virginia Woolf's Night & Day
Camilla Borghesani
2026
Madfabulous
Michael Hill
2025
Primitive War
Tricia Helfer
Luke Sparke, Sparke Films
2025
The Death of Snow White
Peter Anthony
2024
Waltzing with Brando
James Mackie
Bill Fishman
2024
Brando with a Glass Eye
Yiannis Niarros
Antonis Tsonis, Ficino Films
2023
John Wick: Chapter 4
Scott Adkins
Chad Stahelski, Lionsgate
2023
Sister Boniface Mysteries (TV, 11 eps)
Ami Metcalf
2021–23
Under the Vines (TV, 7 eps)
Acorn Media
2022
Blood Brothers (stage)
Angela Walker, Hamilton Theatre
2021
Cowboy Bebop (TV)
Alex Garcia Lopez, Netflix
2021
The Grand Duke of Corsica
James Mackie
Daniel Graham, Camelot Films
2021
Harrow (TV)
Sara Wiseman
2016
Billy Elliot (stage)
Auckland Theatre Company
2011
Underbelly: Land of the Long Green Cloud (TV)
Dialect coach & accent supervisor

Some credits cannot be listed due to non-disclosure agreements. Download the full CV

Selected Clients

Actors I've Coached

From Oscar-nominated leads to series regulars and action stars — the accent work has to hold up on camera, take after take.

Owen Cooper

Christian Convery

Scott Adkins

Rena Owen

Tricia Helfer

Sam Humphrey

Peter Hambleton

Aaron Jeffery

Sara Wiseman

Ami Metcalf

Kate Elliott

Stephen Lovatt

Some clients are not listed because of non-disclosure agreements.

Accent Range

USA

Standard American (Californian), New York, New Jersey, Southern American, Appalachian, Texan, Deep South, Georgia, Tennessee

British & Irish

Standard British (Contemporary RP), British RP, Welsh, Northern Irish, Southern Irish, Geordie, Liverpool (Scouse), Brummie, Cockney / London, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Manchester, West Country, Scottish, Devonshire

European

German English, French English, Russian English, Spanish English, Dutch English, Eastern European

World

South African, Jamaican, Australian, New Zealand, Afrikaans, South American English

Teaching & Workshops

  • American & Standard British Accent Intensive — Auckland (TAPAC), 28 Feb 2027; Zagreb wait list open for April 2027
  • American Accent Intensive — Exeter, Devon
  • Standard British & General American — full-day workshop, Belfast Operatic Society
  • American accent training — South Seas Film School, Auckland (up to 21 students over 21 days)
  • Dialect & accent teaching — The Actors Program, Auckland

Education & Affiliations

  • Diploma in Film & Television: Drama and Production — The Bournemouth and Poole College International
  • Member, VASTA (Voice and Speech Trainers Association)
  • Member, New Zealand Equity
Services

How I Work With Productions

Flexible engagement — from a single audition prep session to full production support across a shoot.

On-Set Dialect Support

I attend set and stay in the actor's ear between takes — protecting consistency take after take, through long days and out-of-sequence shooting.

Cast Preparation & Rehearsal

Pre-production work with one actor or the whole ensemble — building the accent before you get to set so nobody is learning on the day.

Audition & Self-Tape Prep

Fast turnaround accent sessions for actors in callbacks and self-tapes. Often booked the day before — I'm used to that.

Script Recording Service

Your script recorded in the required accent, with phonetics, so cast can learn it by ear and arrive prepared. Popular with productions casting remotely.

Accent Design & Continuity

Specific regional, period or class choices researched and documented, so every department and every episode is working to the same brief.

Casting & Production Consultancy

Two decades as a casting director and agency founder — I can advise on accent authenticity at the casting stage, before it becomes a problem in the edit.

Full CV

Everything Else on the CV

Nearly four decades across film, television and theatre — in front of the camera, behind the desk and on set.

Download CV (PDF) View IMDb Profile

Nearly 40

Years in the Industry

Casting Director

& Talent Agency Founder

Production Crew

Runner to Production Manager

Professional Actor

Film, TV & Theatre

Career

Present — UK

Dialect & Accent Coach

Coaching actors and productions in American, Standard British and a wide range of regional accents. On-set support, cast prep, script recording and audition intensives, delivered in person and remotely worldwide. Creator of The Valentine Method.

New Zealand

Founder — Background Talent / BGT NZ

Founded and ran New Zealand's leading talent agency, supplying featured and background cast to major international productions including The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Mission: Impossible and Power Rangers.

New Zealand

Casting Director

Casting across film, television and commercials, working with international casting teams and directors on productions shooting in New Zealand.

London

Production — Runner to Production Manager

Began at 18 in London as a runner, progressing through Second AD, First AD and Production Manager roles — a grounding in how sets actually run that shapes every coaching engagement I take on.

Television

  • Top of the Lake (2013)

    Prue — Dir. Jane Campion · See Saw Films

  • When We Go To War (2015)

    Nona — Dir. Peter Burger · Jump Film & TV

  • Shortland Street (2014)

    Louisa Marks · South Pacific Pictures

  • Hounds (2012)

    Margaret · The Downlowconcept

  • Power Rangers RPM (2009)

    Nurse · Ranger Productions

  • Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1995)

    Princess

Feature Films

  • Brando with a Glass Eye (2024)

    Emily

  • Whina (2022)

    Elaine — starring Rena Owen

  • The Tender Trap (2021)

    Lesley — starring Rima Te Wiata

  • Broken Hallelujah (2014)

    Valerie Grubner — Dir. Alistair Riddell

  • Romeo & Juliet: A Love Song (2013)

    Prince's Wife — Dir. Tim van Dammen

  • The Insatiable Moon (2010)

    Penny — Dir. Rosemary Riddell

  • Century (1993)

    Giggling Girl — starring Miranda Richardson & Clive Owen

TV Movies & Shorts

  • One Must Change (2025)

    Queen Magdalene — Short Film

  • Silence (2021)

    Short Film

  • Lilly (2017)

    Boardroom Member — TV Short

  • Bliss (2011)

    Frau Muller — Dir. Fiona Samuels · MF Films

  • Bloodlines (2010)

    Psych Nurse — Dir. Peter Burger · Screentime NZ

Theatre & Commercials

  • Christmas Monologues (2009)

    Chrissy — Dir. Katrina Chandra

  • One Wedding & A Funeral (2003)

    Theatre Sports Company

  • Peaches Are The Juiciest Fruit (2002)

    Karen

Commercials include

Vogels (Dir. Vincent Ward) Steinlager (Dir. Vincent Ward) Schweppes ANZ Bank New World SPARC Sport NZ
Why Me

I've been on your side of the call sheet

Most dialect coaches come from a teaching background. I came from production. I've been the runner, the First AD, the Production Manager, the casting director and the actor waiting on their close-up.

That means I understand call times, lighting setups, out-of-sequence shooting and the fact that nobody wants a coach who slows the day down. I work quietly, in the ear, and I stay out of the way.

And because I ran one of New Zealand's biggest talent agencies, I also understand exactly what you're dealing with at the casting stage — and can flag accent problems before they're baked in.

Set-ready, not classroom-bound

Comfortable working to a shooting schedule, not a lesson plan.

British & New Zealand citizen

Right to work in the UK and NZ. Available for international travel with a visa.

One point of contact

Direct communication with me — no agency layer to slow things down.

View my IMDb Profile
Questions

Common questions from productions

Let's talk about your production

Tell me the project, the accent, the shoot dates and where you're filming — I'll come back to you with availability and a quote.

Prefer email?

sarah@sarahvalentine.com