Would it sound awkward if I say "act" instead of "play" in this context?

Native speaker’s answer
Rebecca
If you said, "act as an American," that would be a little bit better, but the context is still a bit awkward! Because if someone "acts" as someone or something, they behave in that way, and it may not have anything to do with acting or film. Whereas if you "play" a role for a performance or a film, then you are portraying a specific character. Ex: Don't act as if you don't know what you did was wrong. Ex: Stop acting like a child. Ex: I played Juliet in "Romeo and Juliet" last year in our school play. Ex: Would you be able to play an Alien for the new space film?