Bad accents in tv/ films

[Bearpawk]

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 ?

I lived in Coventry for years and I have only ever heard an accurate Cov accent on the first "Nativity" film, mainly the kids,one small young fella in particular. It's a part of England that usually gets ignored by film and TV anyway, but you'd have thought if they were going to make a programme about the 2 Tone era ( I lived there during that time!) set in and around Cov, they'd have made more of an effort to get the accents right.

My mum is from Halifax she can also pinpoint where someone is from! I wonder if it's a thing there?!

I tell you what Derek Thompson does a bloody good English accent. I had no idea that wasn't his real accent.

I tell you what Derek Thompson does a bloody good English accent. I had no idea that wasn't his real accent.

Having first come across David Tennant as Dr Who, I was genuinely surprised to find he is a Scot.

I've always felt that being able to do accents is part and parcel of being an actor. I just can't appreciate certain 9awad winning in some cases) "actors" who just sound like their own accent in every single rold.

Like Michael Caine is always cockney, Sean Connery was always Scottish, then there's James Nesbitt, never heard him doing any other accent than his own.

I don't think that necessarily makes them bad actors though, everybody has a different skill set and individual strength and weaknesses.

I do think if they are gong to try they should work hard at it though, and the production people should do more research and give more work to dialogue coaches. Because it can be irritating.

But if a character is American why not have an American play the role, or Irish, or German or whatever

Like Michael Caine is always cockney,

Except in Zulu. I don't think the accent he uses there is necessarily bad, it's just unconvincing coming out of Michael Caine's mouth, because everyone knows it's not his natural accent.

I guess sometimes casting directors feel that someone is the best person for the role even if they don't have the right natural accent.

There must be commercial/financial pressures too, to cast whoever is 'hot right now' and will attract producers' money and viewing audiences.

Out of interest, what accent is Suranne Jones doing in Dr Foster? It's so long since I watched it, I can't remember what she sounds like. TBH she always sounds slightly stilted to me, like she's always focusing on her accent; I couldn't tell you how she naturally sounds/where she's from.

She was very posh in Doctor Foster, she's from Chadderton so I think the accent she had in Coronation Street and Scott & Bailey was her actual voice

Joseph Gilgun’s Irish accent in Preacher rendered the whole thing unwatchable.

And another vote for Barry Keogh in Saltburn. Why didn’t they just make the character Irish? He slipped back into Irish every other line anyway, like he just couldn’t be arsed.

I loved the Haunting of Bly Manor on Netflix but I thought the American actress who played the older version of the gardener and narrated in parts had a horrific take on the British accent. Broad Yorkshire and posh London accent mixed up in the same sentence. It was really winding me up.

Most people don't actually care about accents and only a small group will recognise if they're right or not. MN is a very discerning audience

It also seems somewhat subjective - just from this thread people are criticising accents in a role but it's the actors' real accent! There are also people praising Dominic West in the Wire but I think his accent was distractingly bad for example.

Actors also aren't good at accents across the board, they could have done well in a previous project, then poorly in a role but it would be too expensive to recast and reshoot. As we know it all comes down to money.

😁

Leonardo di Caprio tends to follow this pattern as well, with American accent.