How To Woo in the Language of Love
What better way to learn to woo in the language of love than to ask a Frenchman? OK, we didn't ask a Frenchman… we asked Gregory Jbara, who plays zee very French chief of police, Andre, in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. And though Jbara is an American, he has his own spin on the right way to find love with a French twist.
Choose Your Tongue Carefully
Jbara acknowledges that choosing to woo in French is wise. "You don't want to do it in Croatian or Arabic because there's actually a lot more phlegm involved there," he advises. "It's not as sexy, apparently." On the other hand, Jbara notes that one doesn't actually need to learn French; just speak with a French accent. "When you are trying to say the word 'dance,' pronounce it like 'dinse,'" he encourages. Jbara has some additional advice. "French is nice, but learn Spanish if you want to get a job."
Go Lowbrow
Given history, you'd think that wooing in the language of love would require access to fine wines, cheeses and foie gras. Not so, says Jbara. "I have found that American women prefer beer," he says. "It's a big misconception that you have to have fancy things. French men have found much more success in using Budweiser as the wooing libation." Of course, one still must remember Jbara's number one tip. "Order them a beer, but do it with a French accent," he notes. "You can actually probably say a mug of mud, 'We'll have two mugs of mud, please.' That should work."
Be Chic
Working on the French accent and the art of ordering a beer? Good. Now what else do you need? A suit! "The key to being chic," Jbara shares, "is—ironically—that all you need is one suit. If you have one good suit, you can wear it all the time, which I happen to do in the entire show. But it's a nice suit. So, get one nice suit. It's all you need."