The Colombian actress, who is known for her thick Spanish accent, stars alongside the Oscar winner in new comedy Hot Pursuit, in which Witherspoon shows off her language skills.

However, Witherspoon struggled to perfect her pronunciation and Vergara found it hilarious.

During a joint interview with U.S. talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, Witherspoon says, "I had sympathy for you (Vergara) because I had to speak Spanish in the movie. I studied Spanish in high school for two years and I thought I did a really good job and I worked really hard.

"I got to the scene and I was doing it (in Spanish) and then she turned to me and started laughing!... She wasn't even nice about it. She was like, 'You sound terrible!' And then we saw the whole movie, she goes, 'You gotta do the thing where you speak Spanish, because Spanish people are going to think that's so funny!'"

Vergara adds, "Because it was horrible! It was not very good... Now I finally understand why I am so funny to the Americans! It's so ridiculous. I was ruining whole takes! But it's my favourite part of the movie."