# Accent identification from "Usual Suspects" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 30, 2003, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accent-identification-from-usual-suspects/185412 "2003-06-30T19:38:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ashtayk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e68b1a/32.png) [@ashtayk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ashtayk)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2003, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accent-identification-from-usual-suspects/185412/1 "2003-06-30T19:38:18Z")
I hope that the mention of Usual Suspects in the thread title would get a few look ins. While I was browsing today I came upon an a report on the worst accent awards in movies, where Sean Connery took first place for a uniform Scottish burr in all his movies whether he played a Russian or 007. The thing that caught my eye was that Pete Postlethwaite was placed ninth (I think) for his accent in Usual Suspects. The article mentioned in passing that his **Indian** as Kobayashi was deplorable. Set me thinking whether his character was Indian at all…Kobayashi is not an Indian name. Any comments or was the author wrong. I would have posted a link to the piece but I cannot find it now ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2003, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accent-identification-from-usual-suspects/185412/2 "2003-06-30T19:46:18Z")
Please bear in mind that Postlethwaite’s character’s name was _not_ Kobayashi. If you think about it, you never really heard Postlethwaite’s character speak as all parts that included him speaking were recounted by Spacey’s character. ---
**Author:** ![NYR407](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@NYR407](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NYR407)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2003, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accent-identification-from-usual-suspects/185412/3 "2003-06-30T19:53:11Z")
I think I remember someone calling him a “lymie” in the movie. That would make him from England, right? I might have to re-check that tonight. ---
**Author:** ![NYR407](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@NYR407](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NYR407)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2003, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accent-identification-from-usual-suspects/185412/4 "2003-06-30T19:58:44Z")
I think I remember someone calling him a “lymie” in the movie. That would make him from England, right? I might have to re-check that tonight. What Janita said is also valid since the character’s name is made up everything else about him may be as well. All we know is that the person that Verbal/Keiser drives away with is the person he labeled Kobayashi. ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2003, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accent-identification-from-usual-suspects/185412/5 "2003-06-30T20:39:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NYR407 \* > **I think I remember someone calling him a “lymie” in the movie. That would make him from England, right?** Limey. And that would make him from anywhere in Britain, not just England. This whole subject was discussed a couple of months ago in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=177595). How embarassing that somebody should vote an intentionally fake accent as one of the worst in movies – didn’t they actually _watch_ _The Usual Suspects_? ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2003, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accent-identification-from-usual-suspects/185412/6 "2003-06-30T21:08:20Z")
The character was Japanese in the original script. Chris McQuarrie cast the best actor he could find for the role and didn’t take ethnicity into account. Check out this [interview](http://www.popmatters.com/film/interviews/mcquarrie-christopher.html) I cited in an earlier [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=177595). …which **everton** has just beaten me to. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2003, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accent-identification-from-usual-suspects/185412/7 "2003-06-30T21:50:11Z")
I’m surprised we’re talking about accents in this film and nobody has mentioned whatever Benicio Del Toro was doing. I’m not saying it’s a bad accent, I’m just surprised it hasn’t come up. Sure was distinctive. I’d agree with the post about his accent: he sounds like an Indian (or Pakistani) of British descent or education to me. That doesn’t make sense with the name, but it’s made up and I think that part of the dilemma has been covered. As far as casting the best actor he could find, they did well. (Would McQuarre be the one doing the casting? I thought he was just the writer.) ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2003, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accent-identification-from-usual-suspects/185412/8 "2003-06-30T21:59:40Z")
I’d nominate Sean Connery’s accent in _Highlander_, where he plays a character with a super-Spanish name (and makeup) and a Scottish accent. Geez!! Can you provide a link to the worst accent awards site you mentioned, **ashtayk**?