It really shocked me when I learned Damion Lewis, who played Dick Winters in Band of Brothers, was English. I've read that the real Dick Winters could not believe they had some red headed English guy playing him but in the end thought Damion did a great job in the role.
Things you're tired of seeing in movies
- Thread starter Joosh
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p51
Sr Member
I knew some guys who worked on the series (I was still active duty Army at the time, otherwise I'd have tried to get in on it through them) and they said about half the primary actors were Brits. It surprised them to hear the final accents in the completed series as they mostly heard those actors in their natural voices when the cameras weren't rolling.
Check out the cast list, it's amazing how many future big stars there were in that series.
That that was a big one, he was awesome in that, and then Jamie Bamber in Battlestar Galactica. We heard him interviewed and his real voice is higher pitched so we said he should just use the American accent.
Hugh Laurie was the big shocker for me, but not because I saw him in House and thought he was American. I've been a huge fan of his for decades (Blackadder, Jeeves & Wooster, A bit of Fry & Laurie) and when I saw him it was like watching a cat bark. Not only that, but COMPLETELY convincing that it was perfectly normal for this cat to bark. Lol
On the flip side I was in London about 8 years ago and watched some made for TV movie that had an American character in it. The accent was laughable and he kept calling people "dog" 'cause that's clearly what all Americans call eachother.
So it's not all British actors, just the good ones.
On the flip side I was in London about 8 years ago and watched some made for TV movie that had an American character in it. The accent was laughable and he kept calling people "dog" 'cause that's clearly what all Americans call eachother.
So it's not all British actors, just the good ones.
Riceball
Master Member
I've seen bits of Hugh Laurie as House and, in my opinion, his American accent is not the best. His regular accent seems to slip through a bit, granted I might be a bit biased in that I know that he's a Brit so I'm probably listening for it more. The same goes for Michael Sheen on Prodigal Son, although I'd say that his accent is a step down from Hugh Laurie's as his accent shows through even more than Hugh's does.Hugh Laurie was the big shocker for me, but not because I saw him in House and thought he was American. I've been a huge fan of his for decades (Blackadder, Jeeves & Wooster, A bit of Fry & Laurie) and when I saw him it was like watching a cat bark. Not only that, but COMPLETELY convincing that it was perfectly normal for this cat to bark. Lol
On the flip side I was in London about 8 years ago and watched some made for TV movie that had an American character in it. The accent was laughable and he kept calling people "dog" 'cause that's clearly what all Americans call eachother.
So it's not all British actors, just the good ones.
Speaking of Prodigal Son, Tom Payne, another Brit, does a pretty good job with his American accent. His accent is really good and it's rare that I can hints of his natural accent.
p51
Sr Member
I'm from the Deep South originally and had a friend who tried to make a go of acting career. She moved to "Noo Yawk" and tried her hand at casting for a play for a Southern character. In her audition, this guy why was as Southern as Times Square told her that her accent was not convincing. As she was leaving she bumped into him and he then realized it was the real thing when she was still talking like that. He still held fast to her accent not being 'correct.'
The funny thing is for decades, Brit actors would only try that accent and none other for this side of the pond.
Makes sense, as a Southern accent is a slow modification of a British one over many generations. In the hills of Appalachia, many people were speaking a pretty close version of olde English.
But the thing I wonder about is when someone managed to get Brit actors to speak in American accents? For a very long time it was considered an unattainable goal. But one day, it was happening all the time.
Was there some kind of breakthrough that led to that?
Riceball
Master Member
This probably happened after enough British actors started to realize that they could expand their career opportunities by working in Hollywood. I'd imagine that shortly after, or maybe even before, acting schools figured if they can take a Scot, Irishman, Welsh, or even somebody with a less than posh accent and make them sound like English royalty, they could just as easily teach them how to sound like a Yank.
CT1138
Sr Member
I've always had a knack for accents and impersonations to a small extent, mostly as a fun thing to amuse myself. I'm best at Brooklynn, western Russian, Indian, Dublin Irish, and a few different types of British. The thing about accents is that you also have to remember that each of those places has many different dialects that come with their own accents. Ireland is no bigger than Iowa, but has over two dozen different accents. My neighbor is from Cork, and he sounds nothing like my friend from Belfast, who sounds nothing like people native to Dublin. England is the same way.Coaching, practicing and more coaching on set
The best thing to do is figure out which accent I want to do and stick with it. I don't try to look at the other accents, because that only confuses me. I speak German as a second language, and while I don't consciously choose an accent for it, native speakers tell me that I sound like I'm from the Frankfurt am Main area.
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I like seeing when people realise there's a multitude of accents in the UK, as it means as a country we are doing a better job of showing off more than the historically known King's/Queen's English. I think many never used to really learn (even within the UK( about the way counties and countries' histories in the UK had on the accents, and the differences between them.
Riceball
Master Member
I saw a thing on accents a while back in where it was mentioned that in the past to work on air for the BBC you need to have or be able to do the RP accent. But in recent years that has changed and you hear more regional accents being used on the BBC now.I like seeing when people realise there's a multitude of accents in the UK, as it means as a country we are doing a better job of showing off more than the historically known King's/Queen's English. I think many never used to really learn (even within the UK( about the way counties and countries' histories in the UK had on the accents, and the differences between them.
p51
Sr Member
When it comes to languages, I thought the second best* part of "Inglorious Basterds" was the SS guy realizing the Brit officer's German didn't sound like anything he'd ever heard before. I'd always wondered about that from previous movies as I knew that just because you speak a language good enough to understand someone, it doesn't make you sound like a native.
*The best part when Der Fuehrer got riddled with 9MM at the end, of course
*The best part when Der Fuehrer got riddled with 9MM at the end, of course
I believe there was one POW escape during WW2 where the US soldier was caught for that reason. He learned German in school, but his accent didn't match the region his forged ID said he was from.
That's correct. Accents and languages have been issues in the UK for a long time. Regional identities in the UK have been a big factor in society for arguably a millenia, that is slowly working itself out
I rewatched that Wanted movie with Angelina Jolie (yes I know James McAvoy is the star, but she's the star.. ) and I wish they would stop doing the scene with meat hanging in a room the people are fighting in. Hey good guy, you're going to get ambushed when you're in the middle of the beef sides! Chuck a grenade or two in there before you go in! The other thing is when the bad guy is hiding and the good guy is looking for him, but the good guy runs around yelling the bad guys' name. Just shut the heck up and be stealthy and you might get the drop on him! Oh and after writing that I find it humorous that those were the things that bugged me, not the "curve the bullet" thing.
) and I wish they would stop doing the scene with meat hanging in a room the people are fighting in. Hey good guy, you're going to get ambushed when you're in the middle of the beef sides! Chuck a grenade or two in there before you go in! The other thing is when the bad guy is hiding and the good guy is looking for him, but the good guy runs around yelling the bad guys' name. Just shut the heck up and be stealthy and you might get the drop on him! Oh and after writing that I find it humorous that those were the things that bugged me, not the "curve the bullet" thing. 
Cephus
Master Member
mattycsi
Master Member
Taking that back to the accents issue.I rewatched that Wanted movie with Angelina Jolie (yes I know James McAvoy is the star, but she's the star..
My kid was watching Celebrity Great British Bake Off the other day. An old episode saved on the Tivo box, and James McAvoy was on it.
I realised I'd never really heard him speak with a Scots accent. It was quite bizarre.
I'm intrigued that Mel Gibson seems to no longer have his Australian accent. I wonder if that happened naturally or if he's been method acting as an American since the 90's. Then again he was born in the US originally so maybe he was method acting as an Aussie all that time haha.
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