I remember seeing an old black and white film called How Green Was My Valley, which is supposed to be about the Welsh mining community - every actor in the film was Irish! I suppose the Americans wouldn't have known the difference to be honest!
Sometimes the accents do seem ramped up soundwise though.
I remember watching one of the Emily episodes of Friends and a housemate wondering why they couldn't get a real English actress instead of an American putting on a bad accent.
Certainly even our most common regional accents are usually a bit more 'refined' than the average american accent so if they are the isolated British accent the contrast can seem like they are putting it on even if its their normal accent
Certainly even our most common regional accents are usually a bit more 'refined' than the average american accent so if they are the isolated British accent the contrast can seem like they are putting it on even if its their normal accent
Yeah that was what I put it down to when I first saw those episodes.
The guy who played Ian in Desperate Housewives also seemed to do a bad English accent. (Scottish actor)
I'd love to see a Cockney Henry VIII. I've never seen Winstone's version. It sounds hilarious :eek:
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:
Jesse Spencer in Chicago Fire is pretty bad especially the pilot and first half of season 1. He just can't mask the Aussie accent even as he tries to put a Chicago accent on. It has either got better or its got to the point where I have just got used to it as I'm not noticing it anymore.
And Tatiana Maslany in Orphan Black has an awful English Accent. It more like someone who has split most of their life between Australia and South Africa but has then spent the last few years in Canada and has then drank about 15 pints before being dared to speak in an English accent by her friends
Staying on the period theme, the old American movie 'The Tower of London', which was about Richard III, featured the entire English court speaking in 1940s American accents. Vincent Price played the Duke of Clarence in his usual accent, and Barbara O'Neil (best known as Scarlett O'Hara's mother) played an American Elizabeth Woodville.
Also, Keith Barron played Rose's Australian sheep farmer fiance, Gregory in Upstairs, Downstairs. His accent was hilarious - he always referred to Rose as "Rowze" in the most exaggerated manner possible.
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:
It amuses me that both Ray Winstone and Sean Bean are in that scene. Both are known for keeping their Cockney and Yorkshire accents in most of their roles. At least Bean's was more accurate though, if I'm remembering correctly.
I clicked that quote button trying to bring up that blue thing to reply to woot
-whoo for his comments about Americans doing wrong American accents
nothing happened, how does it work?
sorry for being thick, I only know B I U etc
What I wanted to respond was :-
very informative woot_whoo thanks for the American angle.
Since I'm here
These responses don't have to be about the worst accents, how about the best accent switch in TV or films by actors /actresses?
I'll mention one that I admire
The guy who played David the ignoramus on Heartbeat, but was great at accents in other things aswell. I don't know his name, but he played the father of the great dancer on strictly in Corrie.
Any help on that name? its driving me crazy.
In films I'll go for Alan Rickman as a German in Die Hard.
No doubt, Germans will disagree, and he'll be in the other category!
Buffy The Vampire Slayer had some dodgy accents. The 'British' Potential Slayer, Molly, in the last season had an appalling accent. But is was nowhere near as bad as Juliet Landau's Drusilla. And then there was Angel's Irish accent in flashbacks! And let's not forget the new slayer, Kendra's 'Jamaican' accent.
That said, both Spike and Wesley's accents mostly worked. Wesley's slipped occasionally (especially in Angel), but Spike's sounded to me like someone who'd lived in America for a long time.
Matt Frewer's Australian accent as Jim Taggart in Eureka was pretty bad as well.
I loved Juliet's accent in Buffy. I really thought she was British, both her and James, unti i watched an interview on my dvd extras and learned they were not
I have found Pheobe Tonkin's american accent awful in The Secret Circle, The Vampire Diaries and now The Originals. She makes it so obvious she is australian. Not like Claire Holt who is also Australian but does her british accent spot on.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer had some dodgy accents. The 'British' Potential Slayer, Molly, in the last season had an appalling accent. But is was nowhere near as bad as Juliet Landau's Drusilla. And then there was Angel's Irish accent in flashbacks! And let's not forget the new slayer, Kendra's 'Jamaican' accent.
That said, both Spike and Wesley's accents mostly worked. Wesley's slipped occasionally (especially in Angel), but Spike's sounded to me like someone who'd lived in America for a long time.
Matt Frewer's Australian accent as Jim Taggart in Eureka was pretty bad as well.
I think Alexis Denisof spent a lot of time in England when he was younger. I'm always surprised when I hear his regular accent. I think he sounds better as Wesley. Juliet's accent almost seemed to be done for pure comedy value and James Marsters did a decent job most of the time. David's accent was terrible, although he did a better job than me. I've heard a few Jamaican people claim that Kendra's accent was actually pretty good and that it came from a specific part of Jamaica, but I can't comment myself. Molly's was bloody awful :sleep:
I think Alexis Denisof spent a lot of time in England when he was younger. I'm always surprised when I hear his regular accent. I think he sounds better as Wesley. Juliet's accent almost seemed to be done for pure comedy value and James Marsters did a decent job most of the time. David's accent was terrible, although he did a better job than me. I've heard a few Jamaican people claim that Kendra's accent was actually pretty good and that it came from a specific part of Jamaica, but I can't comment myself. Molly's was bloody awful :sleep:
Bianca Lawson has said several times that she hated her accent for Kendra, but it was what she was told to do and she never had much time or coaching for the accent anyway.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer had some dodgy accents. The 'British' Potential Slayer, Molly, in the last season had an appalling accent. But is was nowhere near as bad as Juliet Landau's Drusilla. And then there was Angel's Irish accent in flashbacks! And let's not forget the new slayer, Kendra's 'Jamaican' accent.
That said, both Spike and Wesley's accents mostly worked. Wesley's slipped occasionally (especially in Angel), but Spike's sounded to me like someone who'd lived in America for a long time.
Matt Frewer's Australian accent as Jim Taggart in Eureka was pretty bad as well.
I think Alexis Denisof spent a lot of time in England when he was younger. I'm always surprised when I hear his regular accent. I think he sounds better as Wesley. Juliet's accent almost seemed to be done for pure comedy value and James Marsters did a decent job most of the time. David's accent was terrible, although he did a better job than me. I've heard a few Jamaican people claim that Kendra's accent was actually pretty good and that it came from a specific part of Jamaica, but I can't comment myself. Molly's was bloody awful :sleep:
Bianca Lawson has said several times that she hated her accent for Kendra, but it was what she was told to do and she never had much time or coaching for the accent anyway.
Yeah I just recently read that a dialect coach taught Bianca a very specific regional Jamaican accent which she apparently nailed but the cast, crew and even Bianca herself thought it sounded awful.
Theres a Sean Bean movie 'When Saturday Comes' which, if I remember correctly, has some rather dubious Yorkshire and Irish accents in it.
Also, one of the later 'Murder She Wrote' TV Movies had Jessica Fletcher visiting an Ireland full of hilarious accents (ahh beejesus I'll be Oirish don't cha no etc)
I thought Peter Dinklage has done a great job in Game of Thrones. The trick is not to force it too far away from the actor's true accent, so it doesn't sound affected all the time. The most important thing is that his accent hasn't affected his brilliant acting at all.
Jason stathams American accent that he has attempted several times, is just dreadful. I think he must have given up trying now as he uses his own accent. Which is damn sexy anyway me thinks!!!
That said I'm so used to hearing Damian Lewis in Homeland or Band of Brothers that to me HIS English accent sounds fake.
When I told some American friends that both Damian Lewis, and Dominic West were English they wouldn't believe me.
I Googled their Wikipedia pages to prove it, and they still wouldn't have it, they said I'd entered the wrong names.
They gave in eventually, when I found a YouTube clip of Dominic West portraying Fred West, the Gloucester murderer.
It goes to show you how good the two actors must be though, when Americans firmly believe that they're home grown.
I am new to this, and have only just recently been shown how to use google, but even I know how to use the B I U buttons!
OK I will go first, we can have a hypothetical award, if anyone can be be bothered to total them up.
It's only a bit of fun!
I have so many ''Cockney Manchester" ones from Frasier, but I will choose one of my favourite actors Mel Gibson, who, apparently was born in Peekskill, New York, United States.
I thought he was from Australia, until I googled that he moved there aged 12, so at least he switched one accent. Unfortunately not 2 with Scottish!
My choice is
Mel Gibson in Braveheart
I didn't think Gibson's accent was that bad; Orson Welles did a version of Macbeth, and his Scottish accent was far worse, for a start.
But that's forgivable because his character is not English (it's a fantasy show) and they're not in England. So any accent (phony or not) is fine for GAME OF THRONES.
I think Peter Dinklage has to have an English accent because otherwise he'd have the only US accent in the show and it would seem very odd.
Comments
Apart from that, Dick Van Dyke was pretty bad!!
Certainly even our most common regional accents are usually a bit more 'refined' than the average american accent so if they are the isolated British accent the contrast can seem like they are putting it on even if its their normal accent
Yeah that was what I put it down to when I first saw those episodes.
The guy who played Ian in Desperate Housewives also seemed to do a bad English accent. (Scottish actor)
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:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMsBhfW0BAM
And Tatiana Maslany in Orphan Black has an awful English Accent. It more like someone who has split most of their life between Australia and South Africa but has then spent the last few years in Canada and has then drank about 15 pints before being dared to speak in an English accent by her friends
Also, Keith Barron played Rose's Australian sheep farmer fiance, Gregory in Upstairs, Downstairs. His accent was hilarious - he always referred to Rose as "Rowze" in the most exaggerated manner possible.
His English accent was actually decent in Ever After. I wonder what happened. Or maybe it just sounded decent next to Drew Barrymore's attempt :eek:
I clicked that quote button trying to bring up that blue thing to reply to woot
-whoo for his comments about Americans doing wrong American accents
nothing happened, how does it work?
sorry for being thick, I only know B I U etc
What I wanted to respond was :-
very informative woot_whoo thanks for the American angle.
Since I'm here
These responses don't have to be about the worst accents, how about the best accent switch in TV or films by actors /actresses?
I'll mention one that I admire
The guy who played David the ignoramus on Heartbeat, but was great at accents in other things aswell. I don't know his name, but he played the father of the great dancer on strictly in Corrie.
Any help on that name? its driving me crazy.
In films I'll go for Alan Rickman as a German in Die Hard.
No doubt, Germans will disagree, and he'll be in the other category!
That said, both Spike and Wesley's accents mostly worked. Wesley's slipped occasionally (especially in Angel), but Spike's sounded to me like someone who'd lived in America for a long time.
Matt Frewer's Australian accent as Jim Taggart in Eureka was pretty bad as well.
I have found Pheobe Tonkin's american accent awful in The Secret Circle, The Vampire Diaries and now The Originals. She makes it so obvious she is australian. Not like Claire Holt who is also Australian but does her british accent spot on.
I think Alexis Denisof spent a lot of time in England when he was younger. I'm always surprised when I hear his regular accent. I think he sounds better as Wesley. Juliet's accent almost seemed to be done for pure comedy value and James Marsters did a decent job most of the time. David's accent was terrible, although he did a better job than me. I've heard a few Jamaican people claim that Kendra's accent was actually pretty good and that it came from a specific part of Jamaica, but I can't comment myself. Molly's was bloody awful :sleep:
Bianca Lawson has said several times that she hated her accent for Kendra, but it was what she was told to do and she never had much time or coaching for the accent anyway.
Yeah I just recently read that a dialect coach taught Bianca a very specific regional Jamaican accent which she apparently nailed but the cast, crew and even Bianca herself thought it sounded awful.
Also, one of the later 'Murder She Wrote' TV Movies had Jessica Fletcher visiting an Ireland full of hilarious accents (ahh beejesus I'll be Oirish don't cha no etc)
When I told some American friends that both Damian Lewis, and Dominic West were English they wouldn't believe me.
I Googled their Wikipedia pages to prove it, and they still wouldn't have it, they said I'd entered the wrong names.
They gave in eventually, when I found a YouTube clip of Dominic West portraying Fred West, the Gloucester murderer.
It goes to show you how good the two actors must be though, when Americans firmly believe that they're home grown.
I couldn't work out whether his character in The Transporter was meant to be British or American!
I didn't think Gibson's accent was that bad; Orson Welles did a version of Macbeth, and his Scottish accent was far worse, for a start.
It's not just me then
I think Peter Dinklage has to have an English accent because otherwise he'd have the only US accent in the show and it would seem very odd.