No, it's not a result of faking or bad acting. It's a real (but very rare) disorder called Foreign Accent Syndrome, and it can change a person's everyday speech patterns to sound strikingly similar to a completely different culture.
Little is known about the disorder except that it's brought on by stroke or traumatic brain injury and is connect with certain brain structures. Still, Foreign Accent Syndrome has yet to be officially recognized as a DSM disorder--in part because, frankly, it sounds relatively harmless.
This isn't necessarily the case, however. Neurologist Jennifer Gurd notes, "The way we speak is an important part of our personality and influences the way people interact with us."
A case study named Astrid, for instance, was hit in the head with WWII shrapnel at her home in Norway. The result was a curiously strong German accent. Seen as a enemy sympathizer then, she was shunned.
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