Dodgy British accents in films/tv

[sauvignonbonk]

Watched 2 things on Netflix recently (haunting of bly manor and Juliet, naked) which featured American/Australian actors putting on really dodgy British accents and it was so distracting! Surely just cast somebody who can do the accent correctly or is actually British themselves?

It must happen the other way round as well but I’d never be able to tell if somebody was doing a poor American accent.

I had to IMDb Armie Hammer after watching his performance in Rebecca to see if he was English. He's not, but his accent and intonation were spot on. Not over plummy. He must have had an excellent coach or a good ear for accents.

@SlartBartFast honestly, where did I say you couldn’t participate?! I simply said you were wrong; I didn’t silence you!

@Shmithecat2

Julia Roberts' Irish accent as Kitty Kiernan in the film Michael Collins was an absolute embarrassment.

It was horrific altogether. Kind of ruins the film. So jarring!

I assumed Karl Urban’s accent was deliberate Especially when they introduced the mum with matching terrible accent. I once read someone describing his accent as ‘down the apples and pears ya dingo’.

I think Spinal Tap is a good example of English accents done well by Americans.

Piglet

Think you are being a bit disingenuous here

I simply said you were wrong; I didn’t silence you!

You were pretty cutting & I think deciding people are 'wrong' in your opinion (though you don't bother to say that!) is crazy on a thread like this which is all about people's opinions!

I think Slart having a view about her own accent is pretty reasonable & doesn't merit being told flatly, you're wrong!

[quote Faultymain5]**@MorganKitten* I’m from London, bint is used a lot.*

I'm from London, the only person I've ever heard use the term bint is me! After watching a few seasons of Buffy. I'm NW London, never heard it before then.[/quote]
@Faultymain5 my family is originally from the East End I heard it a lot growing up and still hear it but outside the family. It doesn’t seem to be an age thing ever as I’ve heard one of the kids I work with say it (as in he’s 12)

@AlwaysLatte

Ha yes, and the baddie is always English in American films!

Or a Brit playing a German...

@IamTomHanks

This is what I was thinking. His accent is supposed to be terrible. It's part of the show.

It really is. The whole thing is supposed to be about stereotypes and caricatures. Frenchie's accent is also a horrible French accent and he's ridiculously stereotypically French in the comics. They've played it down a bit in the series. Starlight is also supposed to be much more stereotypically Southern.

Honestly Karl Urban (and Homelander) are the only ones getting the characters right.

If you watch Preacher, Jessie is an over the top Texan and Cassidy is an over the top Irishman. Both played brilliantly stereotypically in the series.

Garth Ennis LOVES his stereotypes.

But there's a difference between "an over exaggerated or stereotypical English/cockney accent" (i.e. most Guy Richie films) and "a New Zealand accent with random British slang thrown in; an accident so bad most people didn't think he was supposed to be British." I say British because "cunt" in an affectionate way is something I always think of as being more scottish than East London? If you're making the comparison you are, then Frenchie would have a canadian accent or something.

@MoonriseKingdom

I assumed Karl Urban’s accent was deliberate Especially when they introduced the mum with matching terrible accent. I once read someone describing his accent as ‘down the apples and pears ya dingo’.

I think Spinal Tap is a good example of English accents done well by Americans.

Spinal Tap accents are meant to sound bad. Nigel - Christopher Guest is also a Lord - Christopher Guest, 5th Baron Haden-Guest (making Jamie Lee Curtis, The Right Honourable The Lady Haden-Guest)

I always found Hugh Laurie hard to listen to as House, because to me he just sounded like himself putting on a slightly cringey American accent... but then it turned out that lots of Americans didn’t know he wasn’t American.

@BitOfFun

I think the OP means any British accent that you think was done badly, rather than she's assuming all British accents are the same.

Not quite what the OP asked, but I thought that (Glaswegian) Martin Compton's estuary accent in Line Of Duty was utterly convincing. I had quite a surprise when he was interviewed on daytime TV in his usual voice!

I don't get why he just couldn't have been Scottish in it 🤷🏼‍♀️

Slightly tangential but how good are American actors at doing other American accents?

I agree that Martin Compston is generally very good, but I think I’ve heard some American slipping through here and there in the last couple of seasons.

I thought it was pretty weird until I realised that he has an American wife and lives in the US now.

@Bibidy

There were loads of weird things in Bly Manor that really should have been picked up, especially given it was actually meant to be set in England.

Like when they served shepherd's pie with salad?!?!!!?!!?!?!?!?!!

And given that there were loads of genuinely English actors in it, some of them should have given a heads up on some of the language and accents used. Like when someone referred to 'the math' not working and various other things.

Tbh though I guess it was made with primarily the American audience in mind as I found loads of it quite jarring. Like how it was meant to be 1980s but the scenes 'in London' - so obviously not in London - had cars looking like they were from 1950 driving around.

It's the robin in Mary Poppins that always jars for me. I suppose it is a bit confusing that two different birds have the same name.

@EarringsandLipstick it’s not just about “opinions” though, I’m afraid! Slart weighed in with her disdain about my commenting on an accent which is, in fact, perfectly fine (Anna Taylor-Joy’s in Queen’s Gambit). I explained why the character probably sounded the way she did and I imagine she didn’t want to hear that.

Similar for the points about her and her husband’s native accents: over-familiarity often comes at the expense of objectivity and that’s why she’s, objectively speaking, wrong. I can hear it more objectively, because I’m used to breaking accents down into the smallest parts of their component sounds. Im sure it sounds arrogant, but it makes my ear much truer and a better objective judge than hers. I listen carefully and in detail. It doesn’t mean I’m trying to silence her: I didn’t say “shut up, no more from you.” I just said - that’s not correct - because it isn’t.

You were pretty cutting & I think deciding people are 'wrong' in your opinion (though you don't bother to say that!) is crazy on a thread like this which is all about people's opinions!

I think Slart having a view about her own accent is pretty reasonable & doesn't merit being told flatly, you're wrong!

It's bizarre isn't it? Nowt so weird as folk :-)

Yanbu! Is weird. I think a lot myst benplayed by an American actor doing a British accent.

The ones that get me the most is where the character speaks posh accented English must of the time but then drifts towards cockney when they’re annoyed. How many people do you know who are posh when calm and cockney when angry?! Seen it several times on tv 🤔

Skys, to be fair, I know a few with affected/attempt at RP accent that then slips (not necessarily to cockney but to the person's childhood/default accent) when they get angry/upset/forget.

The posher accent that slips when agitated is a real thing. It's fairly well know here in the US South; people who have either intentionally or not moderated their accents will start sounding like Billy Bob Bubba when upset or excited. It's a particularly well know phenomenon when watching sporting events.

or when Eliza gets excited watching the horses or angry at Henry Higgins?

@Skysblue

Yanbu! Is weird. I think a lot myst benplayed by an American actor doing a British accent.

The ones that get me the most is where the character speaks posh accented English must of the time but then drifts towards cockney when they’re annoyed. How many people do you know who are posh when calm and cockney when angry?! Seen it several times on tv 🤔

Me.

My mum sent me to drama school so I didn’t sound as cockney as the rest of the family and wanted me to do well. I sound more Sloane Ranger meats North London meets RP with the hint of LA as I spent a lot of my adult life working there. When I’m angry or tipsy that cockney comes out.

I pick accents up very easy if I’m around people, especially after a drink and people think I’m taking the piss. But when I’m annoyed or had a few fireballs that cockney is there and it makes my partner die.

[quote Piglet89]@EarringsandLipstick it’s not just about “opinions” though, I’m afraid! Slart weighed in with her disdain about my commenting on an accent which is, in fact, perfectly fine (Anna Taylor-Joy’s in Queen’s Gambit). I explained why the character probably sounded the way she did and I imagine she didn’t want to hear that.

Similar for the points about her and her husband’s native accents: over-familiarity often comes at the expense of objectivity and that’s why she’s, objectively speaking, wrong. I can hear it more objectively, because I’m used to breaking accents down into the smallest parts of their component sounds. Im sure it sounds arrogant, but it makes my ear much truer and a better objective judge than hers. I listen carefully and in detail. It doesn’t mean I’m trying to silence her: I didn’t say “shut up, no more from you.” I just said - that’s not correct - because it isn’t.[/quote]
I'm sure it sounds arrogant? Yes, it does 🙄

@elQuintoConyo

As much as I love The Boys and Karl Urban in anything, his Billy Butcher accent is atrocious sorry Karl!

It's fucking diabolical!

@Ginger1982 yes, I’m sure it does - but it’s true. That’s my knowledge, experience and talent in this area and it’s entirely valid.

However, I momentarily forgot I’m in Britain where one must never let one’s strengths be known and where we now live in a society that “doesn’t want to listen to experts”.

[quote Piglet89]@Ginger1982 yes, I’m sure it does - but it’s true. That’s my knowledge, experience and talent in this area and it’s entirely valid.

However, I momentarily forgot I’m in Britain where one must never let one’s strengths be known and where we now live in a society that “doesn’t want to listen to experts”.[/quote]
There are ways to make your point without making someone else feel small though.