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Original poster

Bad accents in tv/ films

191 replies

Bearpawk · 14/06/2024 19:49

Anybody else get really bothered by this?

Honestly it makes my skin crawl for some reason and that's ALL I can think about/ hear and it completely ruins whatever I'm watching.
Some examples - Suranne Jones in dr foster
Lemon in Bullet Train
The sister in Insomnia

Arghhhh am I the only one who picks up on it ?

OP posts:
thecatneuterer · 15/06/2024 15:53

Orphan Black (it's shit regardless of accents), but anyway the lead actress (who to be fair has to play six different parts, all with different accents), does an appalling British accent - sort of a bad attempt at early 1900s cockney (supposed to be present day). Meanwhile her brother (they are supposed to have grown up together) has an absolutely spot on Watford accent (despite not being British). The scenes where they are talking together sound ludicrous.

Nevercloserfortherestofourlives · 15/06/2024 16:02

NooNakedJacuzziness · 14/06/2024 20:51

Daphne's family in Frasier - awful!!

Also, Daphne. The awful northern accent she put on was terrible. Really detracted from her very good acting.

Nevercloserfortherestofourlives · 15/06/2024 16:03

Nevercloserfortherestofourlives · 15/06/2024 16:02

Also, Daphne. The awful northern accent she put on was terrible. Really detracted from her very good acting.

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I say this as someone from very near Manchester whose accent is nothing like hers.

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Nevercloserfortherestofourlives · 15/06/2024 16:04

LadyMuckRake · 14/06/2024 21:12

Oh yes, this wins.

Was it deliberate? Her brother had a cockney accent? Were they sending themselves up? As in daphne's family have British accents. Two different accents!

Edited
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Sorry, cross posted

LadyMonicaBaddingham · 15/06/2024 16:17

Johnny Depp in 'From Hell' has a fantastically wandering accent, it takes in RP, Cockney, Mid-Atlantic and occasionally throws in a bit of West Country for good luck...

Redlarge · 15/06/2024 16:21

MrsWidgerysLodger · 15/06/2024 15:19

Has anyone mentioned Keanu Reeves is Dracula yet? Absolutely stellar cast other than that (and I usually love Keanu)

Isn't he just his own voice in that

Redlarge · 15/06/2024 16:21

Bulkypeepants · 15/06/2024 07:53

Anne Hathaway in One Day had me cringing
Worst Yorkshire accent and probably just generally the worst British accent on screen.

Yeah so bad

Nevercloserfortherestofourlives · 15/06/2024 16:36

BringMeSunshineAllDayLong · 14/06/2024 23:36

This was my worst thought. It was worse than when I attempt a Welsh accent and it ends up in some awful India piss take. Embarrassing on all levels.

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😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Nevercloserfortherestofourlives · 15/06/2024 16:42

Justleaveitblankthen · 15/06/2024 05:34

This!
I have always had a bee in my bonnet about 'Daphne's' horrendous supposedly Manc' accent.

Actually took offence 😂

Then her bloody Mother shows up and took it to a whole other level 😬

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Quite. Absolutely awful and as you say offensive ( I don’t really know why it’s offensive but it just bloody is, to me who actually speaks Manc)
😂

Crinkle77 · 15/06/2024 17:10

Abouttimeforanamechange · 14/06/2024 20:38

American movies portraying an English person - the accent makes me cringe

The only English or British accent by an American actor I've ever thought was anywhere near convincing was James Marsters - Spike in Buffy. According to Wikipedia, he was coached by Anthony Head.

I was a smallish child when Mary Poppins came out. I remember sitting there in the cinema thinking a childish equivalent of 'wtf?' at Dick Van Dyke's accent.

I thought Michael C. Hall did a pretty decent English accent in Stay Close.

Worst was the Irish accents in an episode of Murder She Wrote when it was set in Ireland.

OrangeBananaFish · 15/06/2024 17:13

BlueThursday · 15/06/2024 10:01

Alan Cummings in the Traitors……

I was thinking of this. What is he trying to do?

Also the end of Pretty Little Liars. I didn't mind the show, but the London accent at the end was just horrible. I googled to see if it was just me and from what I could tell a lot of comments saying it was bad were Brits, but there were a lot of comments saying that it was really good. These however, seemed to come from America.

BiscuityBoyle · 15/06/2024 17:17

I never understand why they get Benedict Cumberbatch to play Americans. Everyone knows he’s English. His big thing is being English. That is his schtick, why cast him and then make him American? American has actors.

OrangeWire · 15/06/2024 17:30

Abouttimeforanamechange · 14/06/2024 20:38

American movies portraying an English person - the accent makes me cringe

The only English or British accent by an American actor I've ever thought was anywhere near convincing was James Marsters - Spike in Buffy. According to Wikipedia, he was coached by Anthony Head.

I was a smallish child when Mary Poppins came out. I remember sitting there in the cinema thinking a childish equivalent of 'wtf?' at Dick Van Dyke's accent.

What about David Boreanaz’s Irish accent though 😂

MrsWidgerysLodger · 15/06/2024 17:31

Redlarge · 15/06/2024 16:21

Isn't he just his own voice in that

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Nope. He attempted an English accent and it's a MESS

MinervaMcGonagallsCat · 15/06/2024 17:31

SirChenjins · 14/06/2024 19:53

I watched Jessie Buckley murder a Glaswegian accent recently and got really cross - we do actually have actors here in Scotland, there’s really no need to have anyone doing bad impersonations of us.

Agree - Scottish accents are rarely well delivered by non-scots.

LutonBeds · 15/06/2024 17:51

Pemba · 15/06/2024 06:03

I have to say that I think posters on here are a bit too picky sometimes, determined to think the actors are getting it wrong. Evidence, not realising that Derek Thompson (Charlie from Casualty), actually IS frim Northern Ireland (I knew this and had seen him in other stuff years ago doing what is presumably his natural accent).

I actually thought that Renee Zellweger was great in Bridget Jones. Yes she's quite plummy, but why is that unbelievable? Bridget obviously came from a very middle class family, probably went to a posh school etc. Real people do have that accent you know. Similar with Gwyneth Paltrow in Sliding Doors and the 1990s Emma, I thought she did really well!

And what is 'ridiculous' about Helen Baxendale's accent as Emily in Friends? It is just standard southern English without a regional flavour. She sounded the same in Cold Feet I think? In real life I understand that Helen is from Birmingham and you can hear this a bit in her character in Cuckoo.

I agree about Daphne and her amazing multi-accented family in Frasier though! But perhaps this is a bit of an in joke among the actors and directors who made the show?

Helen Baxendale is from Pontefract.

I see Daphne’s family and will raise you ‘Clive’ Daphne’s ex in ‘The Two Mrs Cranes’. He made DVD sound like he was born in the sound of the Bow Bells!

elQuintoConyo · 15/06/2024 18:59

Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr Strange - made me want to rip my ears off!

Kevin Bridges does a convincing English accent in his stage show.

Februaryfeels · 15/06/2024 19:45

Crabble · 14/06/2024 22:24

Derek Thompson (the guy who played Charlie in Casualty) was in the last series of Blue Lights trying to be from Northern Ireland and it was so bad it was comedic

🤣 that is his accent

Februaryfeels · 15/06/2024 19:54

Sorry @Crabble Late to the party is see, you've already responded 😀

Any Scots accent attempted by any non Scot. It's cringeworthy.

A notable exception was a film called Road Dance and the lead, Hermione Corfield, had the most perfect accent. I couldn't believe she was English

TheMarzipanDildo · 15/06/2024 20:36

LutonBeds · 15/06/2024 17:51

Helen Baxendale is from Pontefract.

I see Daphne’s family and will raise you ‘Clive’ Daphne’s ex in ‘The Two Mrs Cranes’. He made DVD sound like he was born in the sound of the Bow Bells!

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Clive was something else. I fucking love Frasier and don’t mind Daphne’s accent but even I couldn’t get through that episode.

CheeseSandwichRiskAssessment · 15/06/2024 20:51

For 90s and before though it was pretty normal to have bad accents, the only way an American would know mel Gibson had a crap accent in brave heart was by actually knowing a Scottish person in real life.

Now you can go on YouTube and so on and hear millions of videos by real Scots, times change. There's still some shockers now of course.

Mooche · 15/06/2024 21:10

Agree with Mel Gibson, that was pretty bad.

Best ones I've heard are Gillian Andersen as Maggie T in The Crown, and Chuck from Gossip Girl

Poggishairtufts · 15/06/2024 21:12

I agree that Jessie Buckley's accent in Wild Rose wasn't great but by no means was it the worst aspect of the film - the story, script etc. were terrible!

JB redeems herself for her narration of the newly published 'Long Island', I'm really enjoying that.

SirChenjins · 15/06/2024 21:15

JB’s awful accent was part of a truly awful film! She had this weird was of talking out of the corner of her mouth which added to the irritation.

CheeseSandwichRiskAssessment · 16/06/2024 00:54

Johnny Flynn nailed the WASPy American accent in the talented Mr Ripley.

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