I didn't like Margot Robbie's American (New York?) accent in Wolf of Wall Street.
She didn't particularly sound Australian, just weird and like she was trying too hard.
I thought her accent was spot on. I was shocked when i read she was australian. Australians really master the american accent much better than anyone else when it comes to roles.
Plus it was Margot's VERY FIRST ROLE movie role outside of australia, so she doesn't have years of experiences like other actors who have done worse accents than her to be able to perfect it.
Melissa George does a very good American accent in The Good Wife but whatever accent she was attempting in that BBC drama called Hunted was terrible. I think she was attempting a British accent but it kept changing from British to Swedish then German and South African.
Jonathan Rhys Meyer in The Tudors. He can do a young English accent, he can do an old man voice. However he cannot combine the two and the final episodes of The Tudors are skreemishly embarrassing as Henry VIII has a very strong old Irish man voice.
Meryl Streep is often held up as a paragon of great accents but in Bridges Of Madison County I was so shocked she was doing Italian!! It was a generic Eastern European accent that she always does.
The characters Mike and Donna in Suits both tried English accents in a recent episode and were both comical - but I think they were intentional, or at least I hope they were.
Elijah Wood's cockney accent as the Artful Dodger in a 90's film version of Oliver Twist. Honestly, I couldn't stop laughing every time he opened his mouth. Even worse than Mr Van Dyke!
It really is. He essentially plays Phil Mitchell in period garb. I recall him screaming "Kaffrin" at his first wife and then (bizarrely) shouting at Jane Seymour's (played by Emilia Fox) dead body, "Oi command ya'te WAKE UP!". I believe we also saw him knocking Jane around while she was alive - something the real Henry (though a tyrannical monster) was never reported as having done.
Here's a clip of Henry VIII lording it over Robert Aske - but rather than sounding like the latter's imperious ruler, sounding like his mob boss:
I remember that. It was hilarious! He just cannot and doesn't even attempt to do any accent other than his own. Did you see him in 'Moonfleet' on Sky? (on around Christmas time). He was supposed to be playing a West Country smuggler (it's set in Dorset in the 18th century I think). Of course with Ray W playing the part the character suddenly seemed to have arrived from the East End.
I don't understand how actors like this get work. Surely 'doing accents' is one of the basic skills every actor should have? OK, I can see some people may find it harder than others, but that's what dialect coaches are for. It just seems arrogant to not even try. And annoys the viewers!
Connoisseurs of bad accents really need to check out:
*Denzel's Sarf London in For Queen & Country
*Denzel's Jafaican in The Mighty Quinn
*Forest Whittaker's whatever-the-****-that-is in The Crying Game
*Brad Pitt's baad patois in Meet Joe Black
Irish, Cockney/London, Aussie and Afrikaans seem to be the downfall of many a fine actor.
Connoisseurs of bad accents really need to check out:
*Denzel's Sarf London in For Queen & Country
*Denzel's Jafaican in The Mighty Quinn
*Forest Whittaker's whatever-the-****-that-is in The Crying Game
*Brad Pitt's baad patois in Meet Joe Black
Irish, Cockney/London, Aussie and Afrikaans seem to be the downfall of many a fine actor.
ps: I love Denzel, but maan...:D
I would have to add Scottish to that accent graveyard. Being Scottish one notices and i can't think of one non Scottish actor who has nailed it. Mel Gibson has been panned for Braveheart, but for me, it was no worse than any other i have heard.:)
And talking of Braveheart, probably the best Scottish accent ive heard from a non Scot is Hamish played by the ever great Brendan Gleeson. Some might say being Irish may give him an edge, but ive heard some nasty Scottish accents attempted by Irishmen and vice versa.
I watched one of those American ghost programmes ? The Haunting - it wasn't the good Paranormal Witness anyway.
It was a re-enactment of ghostly goings on in a pub in the north east of England. The actual people plus their Geordie and Macham accents talked about what happened so the cast had examples of how they should sound. I think most of them got a poor approximation except one man who was hilarious - think he played the landlrd. It was a mixture of bad cockney a la Dick Van Dyke, Irish and upper class English. I am a better actor and mimic!
Also I think it is quite low budget - they've had stories set in Northern Ireland complete with houses with screen doors and porches as in the U.S. They also use the same houses and interiors over and over again. The music and story lines are often similar too.
I thought her accent was spot on. I was shocked when i read she was australian. Australians really master the american accent much better than anyone else when it comes to roles.
Plus it was Margot's VERY FIRST ROLE movie role outside of australia, so she doesn't have years of experiences like other actors who have done worse accents than her to be able to perfect it.
Her first role after Neighbours was actually ABC's Pan Am during the 2011-2012 season in which she starred as an American 'air hostess' , thus pre-dating Wolf of Wall street by a year or so. I don't recall there being particular issues with her accent on that show, though she did look absurdly cute in her 1960's Flight Attendant uniform so perhaps I wasn't concentrating as much on what was coming out of her mouth (I can't believe anyone watching her in Wolf of Wall Street was really paying attention to the accent much either! )
Her first role after Neighbours was actually ABC's Pan Am during the 2011-2012 season in which she starred as an American 'air hostess' , thus pre-dating Wolf of Wall street by a year or so. I don't recall there being particular issues with her accent on that show, though she did look absurdly cute in her 1960's Flight Attendant uniform so perhaps I wasn't concentrating as much on what was coming out of her mouth (I can't believe anyone watching her in Wolf of Wall Street was really paying attention to the accent much either! )
I know Pan Am was her first role after Neighbours, which is why if you look back at my original post, I did say her first role in a movie. Not first role overall.
Keanu Reeves attempting a British accent and failing horrendously in Dracula was one of the most cringemaking pieces of dialogue ever.
Check out the last ten seconds of the clip below for one of the world's most terrible stabs at an accent ever, combined with appalling acting.
I remember that. It was hilarious! He just cannot and doesn't even attempt to do any accent other than his own. Did you see him in 'Moonfleet' on Sky? (on around Christmas time). He was supposed to be playing a West Country smuggler (it's set in Dorset in the 18th century I think). Of course with Ray W playing the part the character suddenly seemed to have arrived from the East End.
'twas more Purfleet* than Moonfleet, aye!
* A Thames-side town in Essex, just inside the M25 - the sort of place folks from Winstone's 'manor' like to migrate to when they've made something of themselves (though Ray himself lives near Harlow I believe)
Comments
She didn't particularly sound Australian, just weird and like she was trying too hard.
I thought her accent was spot on. I was shocked when i read she was australian. Australians really master the american accent much better than anyone else when it comes to roles.
Plus it was Margot's VERY FIRST ROLE movie role outside of australia, so she doesn't have years of experiences like other actors who have done worse accents than her to be able to perfect it.
Meryl Streep is often held up as a paragon of great accents but in Bridges Of Madison County I was so shocked she was doing Italian!! It was a generic Eastern European accent that she always does.
I am pretty sure that anyone who has ever seen Mary Poppins, including young childen, will know that that was Dick van Dyke.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBkWLkQvoXA
I remember that. It was hilarious! He just cannot and doesn't even attempt to do any accent other than his own. Did you see him in 'Moonfleet' on Sky? (on around Christmas time). He was supposed to be playing a West Country smuggler (it's set in Dorset in the 18th century I think). Of course with Ray W playing the part the character suddenly seemed to have arrived from the East End.
I don't understand how actors like this get work. Surely 'doing accents' is one of the basic skills every actor should have? OK, I can see some people may find it harder than others, but that's what dialect coaches are for. It just seems arrogant to not even try. And annoys the viewers!
*Denzel's Sarf London in For Queen & Country
*Denzel's Jafaican in The Mighty Quinn
*Forest Whittaker's whatever-the-****-that-is in The Crying Game
*Brad Pitt's baad patois in Meet Joe Black
Irish, Cockney/London, Aussie and Afrikaans seem to be the downfall of many a fine actor.
ps: I love Denzel, but maan...:D
Ray Winstone in The Departed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Fo7T6Jj6KQ
"Ah'm not s'bad. Not s'bad at allll. 'ow about YEEEEEWWW?"
I did think it sounded odd at first then I heard an English actor who spoke exactly the same way... err... will return when I can remember who
I would have to add Scottish to that accent graveyard. Being Scottish one notices and i can't think of one non Scottish actor who has nailed it. Mel Gibson has been panned for Braveheart, but for me, it was no worse than any other i have heard.:)
And talking of Braveheart, probably the best Scottish accent ive heard from a non Scot is Hamish played by the ever great Brendan Gleeson. Some might say being Irish may give him an edge, but ive heard some nasty Scottish accents attempted by Irishmen and vice versa.
It was a re-enactment of ghostly goings on in a pub in the north east of England. The actual people plus their Geordie and Macham accents talked about what happened so the cast had examples of how they should sound. I think most of them got a poor approximation except one man who was hilarious - think he played the landlrd. It was a mixture of bad cockney a la Dick Van Dyke, Irish and upper class English. I am a better actor and mimic!
Also I think it is quite low budget - they've had stories set in Northern Ireland complete with houses with screen doors and porches as in the U.S. They also use the same houses and interiors over and over again. The music and story lines are often similar too.
That wasn't Irish, twas Orish.
https://youtu.be/VIr8HtdOFwo?t=1h6m43s
Speaking of Ray:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIxQFUV_AcA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cvn0F0LEVNE
Her first role after Neighbours was actually ABC's Pan Am during the 2011-2012 season in which she starred as an American 'air hostess' , thus pre-dating Wolf of Wall street by a year or so. I don't recall there being particular issues with her accent on that show, though she did look absurdly cute in her 1960's Flight Attendant uniform so perhaps I wasn't concentrating as much on what was coming out of her mouth (I can't believe anyone watching her in Wolf of Wall Street was really paying attention to the accent much either!
I know Pan Am was her first role after Neighbours, which is why if you look back at my original post, I did say her first role in a movie. Not first role overall.
Brad made a film where he was suppose to be a Irish IRA man, oh dear
Check out the last ten seconds of the clip below for one of the world's most terrible stabs at an accent ever, combined with appalling acting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNVCtz45eKY
'twas more Purfleet* than Moonfleet, aye!
* A Thames-side town in Essex, just inside the M25 - the sort of place folks from Winstone's 'manor' like to migrate to when they've made something of themselves (though Ray himself lives near Harlow I believe)