‘People get upset about it’: Tammin Sursok explains why she adopted an American accent

The Young and the Restless actress was forced to ditch her beloved Australian accent several decades ago for one important reason.

Pretty Little Liars actress Tammin Sursok has unveiled the truth behind why her “all over the place” accent is infuriating Australians.

The 39-year-old kicked off her acting career in 2000, after scoring a role on long-running drama Home And Away as Dani Sutherland, the rebellious eldest daughter of the Sutherland family.

While she was born in South Africa, the actress and musician spent most of her childhood in Australia after her family migrated to the country when she was six-years-old.

Consequently, she effortlessly adopted the Australian accent while capturing the heart of those living Down Under.

Due to her success, Sursok quickly worked her way up the ranks before becoming a well-known name in Hollywood.

Tammin Sursok was forced to ditch her Aussie accent on Young and the Restless. Picture: CBS / Supplied

In 2006, she moved to Los Angeles to concentrate on acting after her music career failed to take off, and made her film debut in teen-romance film Aquamarine.

While she was allowed to keep her Australian ways for the gig, it was her next role in hit soap opera series The Young and the Restless where she was forced to part ways with her beloved accent.

“I was really young, 21, and I was taking over a character who is very American,” she told The Project on Friday night.

“They almost fired me because my Australian accent kept coming in and out.”

She explained in a bid to keep her job, she adopted the American accent in her everyday life to practise using it for the show based on advice from her now-husband US filmmaker Sean McEwen.

“(He said) Be like Russell Crowe, just be method. For Young and the Restless I (was) method. It was my dream job,” she said.

After living in the States for more than a decade, Sursok admitted she now has an “all over the place” accent, which is mostly American with a bit of an Australian tone on some words.

“People get upset about it. (Or more like) just Australians,” she said.

.@TamminSursok has been living in America for 15 years, and her accent, as she puts it, is 'all over the place'. She reveals how it happened but also how quickly she can go back to being a normal Aussie. pic.twitter.com/88YgAJ7hu4

— The Project (@theprojecttv) June 9, 2023

Sursok also dished out the dirt on why she slightly regrets dumping an ex-lover, who is now a big Hollywood star.

“Sometimes the biggest celebrities you think would be the nicest are the worst. Sometimes the ones you think won‘t be so great are great,” she explained.

“I‘m not going to say the name but I was dating a non-real celebrity in Los Angeles and I called my mum, I was 21, and said ‘I’m going to break up with him, he’s not going to be very successful’.”

Unfortunately Sursok’s observations were wrong because the unidentified secret lover is now an A-lister actor.

“(Dumping him) was a bad decision,” she said.

“I‘m sorry, husband, I love you so much! Our kids watching, I love you, but I could be living in a $30 million mansion right now.”

Sursok’s most recent acting project was her role as a mother in the film Blood Sweat and Cheer, who has gone back to school as a cheerleader to “kill people”.

The film is available on American streaming platform Tubi.

She also co-hosts podcast “Women on Top” which discusses the joys and chaos of motherhood – alongside entertainment host Roxy Manning.