Why are bad guys in american films british?

[OnTrain]

Got me thinking a few weeks ago and now I notice it alot! But right at this moment I can only think of 2 It’s true though!

Cars 2, Rise of the Guardians,

Alan Rickman was asked about why he was cast in Die Hard: "I was extremely cheap." Although to be fair Hans was German. British actors are cheaper, well trained, don't mind playing villains (will have done lots of Shakesepere so well versed in villainy and don't expect a redemption arc) and were the 'baddies' in the revolutionary war from their perspective.

I was watching Legends of Tomorrow and Supergirl, both had an English character (not villan) who drank lots and inferred the British drink more than Americans

Alan Rickman in Die Hard and Robin Hood Prince of Thieves. He comprehensively out-acted everyone in that film....

Alan Rickman only had to turn up on set and stand there looking like a piece of scenery and he'd be out-acting nearly everyone around him.

Very true Marta

Now it’s late but...Die Hard? Yes Alan Rickman is a Brit but all the baddies are a team of Germans? And Frozen..Hans is voiced by Santino Fontana who is American with Italian, Portuguese and Spanish roots...

But Brits make good baddies because of the accent, I think we sound more formal. I think Rufus Sewell does a great British baddy on more than one occasion.

A lot of villains are written as constantly monologuing. Casting directors tend to look for theatre actors for roles that require that, and a lot more British actors start out in the theatre than American actors.

American actors with a theatre background like Kevin Spacey, Willem Dafoe, John Malkovich and Christopher Walken also get (or got in the case of Spacey) a ton of those type of roles.

in general, Americans are less nuanced and subtle than Brits. Americans tend to view the bad guys as evil and the good guys as saints. Brits tend to play both good and bad with more shades of grey and are, generally, better at portraying more complex characterisation.

Kmc111- is that true? Do you have experience of that? I have never come across that with casting directors looking for theatre experienced actors for film myself...
the accent is more to do with social preconceptions and characteristics that are associated with certain accents. To my knowledge, script writors don’t write a script to include a certain type of actor. They go on short hand cues to get the story across

I recall reading that the producers of Star Trek and TNG preferred theatre trained actors.

Ah, Diehard. My favorite Christmas movie.

Die Hard. What a film. Don't you just love Alan Rickman?

Baddies and geeks
Jeremy Irons
Simon Pegg
Lee Evans
Mo from eastenders brother (name escapes me)

"You could say the same about Russia. James Bond films. Why is there always some Russian involved."

Because all the early Bond films were made in the days of the Iron Curtain. The USSR was the enemy, and it's always OK to make the enemy the villain.
(Ditto Nazis in eg Indiana Jones films)

Same reason they threw the tea overboard in Boston that time.

It’s a history thing- hence Russians and Germans too.

ocome I was referring to Weaseltown

How is it a history thing in this case user?

Isn’t it more to with lazy marking. This is the bad guy, he has a different accent. British or Russian will do. Add to that now it’s been done so often character that the bad guy can be made know quickly as the bad one.

Don’t think it can be compared to films about Irish gangs or the Italian mafia. These films do tend to have a reason why the characters are Irish or Italian. (Probably not too difficult to figure out what the reason it.) Though generally these films have American actors anyway. Silly comparison.

Wintermuter we encountered the same shocked expression when we ordered a whole bottle of wine in New York (between two of us!)

That was my thought too red

Because our accent can make us sound cold and ruthless I've always thought. Plus we're 'forriners'.

The chief Cardassian on Star Trek TNG. Though that was balanced out by Patrick Stewart as Captain Picard.

Jamie, it's Ralph Finnes

Gary Oldman is the brother of Mo from Eastenders @Jamiefraserskilt