# Actors and fake accents: Best and worst **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 25, 2003, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-fake-accents-best-and-worst/221000 "2003-12-25T12:58:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![zuma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9c0ed/32.png) [@zuma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zuma)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-fake-accents-best-and-worst/221000/1 "2003-12-25T12:58:03Z")
I’m American, so I can only judge non-Americans doing American accents, but there are enough countries represented around here that I’d be curious to see how actors of various nationalities handle non-native accents. Off the top of my head, Nicole Kidman (Australian) does a very good American accent… in fact, it’s often unnerving to see her on talk shows speaking naturally. Colin Ferrel (sp?) (Irish), is also pretty good… I’ve rarely heard him slipping up. The worst American accent in recent memory was Michael Caine in “Secondhand Lions”. It may have been an extra burden getting the Texas drawl down. But Michael Caine is wonderful in every other respect, so that performance was forgivable. ---
**Author:** ![Ana\_Byrd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Ana\_Byrd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ana_Byrd)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-fake-accents-best-and-worst/221000/2 "2003-12-25T13:32:19Z")
Worst? One word: “Newsies”. I haven’t been to New York yet, but I’m pretty sure nobody talks like that. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Griffin)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-fake-accents-best-and-worst/221000/3 "2003-12-25T13:34:52Z")
Brad Pitt doing an Irish accent in The Devil’s Own. It wasnt extremely bad but I couldnt help wonder why they couldnt have got an Irish person to play the part. ---
**Author:** ![vandal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/858c86/32.png) [@vandal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vandal)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-fake-accents-best-and-worst/221000/4 "2003-12-25T13:36:09Z")
Cate Blanchett and Naomi Watts do excellent American accents. I didn’t even know Watts was Australian until I heard her on a talk show in her native tongue. ---
**Author:** ![Gmork](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f19dbf/32.png) [@Gmork](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gmork)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-fake-accents-best-and-worst/221000/5 "2003-12-25T13:49:07Z")
Well, I feel kinda mean due to all the praise for American accents done by actors from country, but it’s a rare actor who can pull off a believable Australian. More Britishers can do it than Americans, it seems, though they are still rather uncommon. ---
**Author:** ![green\_bladder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@green\_bladder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/green_bladder)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-fake-accents-best-and-worst/221000/6 "2003-12-25T13:52:19Z")
I didn’t know the character of Brenda (can’t remember her name) in _Six Feet Under_ was an Aussie till I watched her being interviewed on the DVD featurettes. So I reckon she’s done a pretty good job. If we can nominate regional accents, then my vote will be for Kevin Costner’s JFK accent in _Thirteen Days_ as the worst in recent memory. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-fake-accents-best-and-worst/221000/7 "2003-12-25T13:57:00Z")
The classic fake British accent by a television actor is likely that of John Hillerman, from Texas, playing the veddy British “Higgins” on _Magnum P.I._ And I find a lot of Britons _don’t_ do American accents well, or at least judging from the impressions I’ve seen on various British TV shows. They seem to think all Americans are from Tay-xas. I have no problem spotting the phonies. There are a number of British/Australian film actors who pull it off rather handily, including Nicole Kidman and Ewen McGregor, to a degree, but they succeed by dampening down their inflections to sound reasonably “neutral” (or at least so it seems to my Canadian ears). In a GQ inerview a few months back, Arnold Schwartzenegger was discussing his ongoing gubertnatorial campaign and apparantly broke into an American accent briefly. I’d kinda like to hear that. I’ll bet it’s hysterical. ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-fake-accents-best-and-worst/221000/8 "2003-12-25T13:59:50Z")
Anthony LaPaglia, another one of those Australian-American import-export deals (ala Mel Gibson) has a strong 'Strine accent in real life, but covers it quite well from week to week on _Without a Trace_ and in a number of his films. (All the U.S. ones, at least.) Renee Zellweger has a pretty extensive ability to transform her voice for roles, especially as she naturally sounds like she comes from the heart of Texas. Of course, that might be because she does, natch. Other good disappearing accents: Ewan McGregor, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Guy Pearce, Russell Crowe and James Cromwell (yes, I watched L.A. Confidential recently, can you tell?) ---
**Author:** ![Raymond\_Luxury\_Yacht](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raymond_luxury_yacht/32/4099_2.png) [@Raymond\_Luxury\_Yacht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raymond_Luxury_Yacht)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-fake-accents-best-and-worst/221000/9 "2003-12-25T14:38:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by The Griffin \* > \*\*Brad Pitt doing an Irish accent in The Devil’s Own. \*\* Quite a difference from the pikey accent he used in _Snatch_. ---
**Author:** ![nameless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/779978/32.png) [@nameless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nameless)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-fake-accents-best-and-worst/221000/10 "2003-12-25T15:02:44Z")
Nobody mentioned Mel Gibson in _Braveheart_, but that was pretty awful if I do say so myself. “They can take our LIEEEVES! But they can never take… our FREEEEEEEEDOM!” ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-fake-accents-best-and-worst/221000/11 "2003-12-25T15:09:34Z")
Dick Van Dyke is famous for his appalling Cockney accent in Mary Poppins. Gwyneth Paltrow did an excellent English (Estuary?) accent in Sliding Doors. ---
**Author:** ![Dizzy\_Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dizzy\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dizzy_Fingers)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-fake-accents-best-and-worst/221000/12 "2003-12-25T16:12:28Z")
Jude Law was a damn convincing American in “The Talented Mr. Ripley.” ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-fake-accents-best-and-worst/221000/13 "2003-12-25T16:15:32Z")
How about Madonna’s totally affected British accent that she uses _in real life_? Haj ---
**Author:** ![quiltguy154](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/ad7895/32.png) [@quiltguy154](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quiltguy154)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-fake-accents-best-and-worst/221000/14 "2003-12-25T16:25:43Z")
Kevin Costner, again, for his Robin Hood portrayal. Not only was his accent pretty bad, he keeped losing it and talking as he usually does. Were there time warps in RH’s day? ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-fake-accents-best-and-worst/221000/15 "2003-12-25T17:06:36Z")
Rosanna Arquette in _The Whole Nine Yards_ did the worst Québec accent I’ve ever heard. It sounded more like a French accent than a Québec one. ---
**Author:** ![Dizzy\_Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dizzy\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dizzy_Fingers)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-fake-accents-best-and-worst/221000/16 "2003-12-25T17:23:28Z")
Oh, and Peter Sellers as President Merkin Muffley in _Doctor Strangelove_. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-fake-accents-best-and-worst/221000/17 "2003-12-25T17:32:42Z")
Kenneth Branaugh does a good American. Jody Foster has nailed every accent I’ve heard her use. Julia Roberts’ Irish really faded in and out in _Mary Reilly_. ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-fake-accents-best-and-worst/221000/18 "2003-12-25T17:39:51Z")
Anthony Hopkins goofs up his attempted American accent in _Magic_ a few times. Oddly enough, he does a better accent when he’s doing the voice of the ventriloquist dummy (a nasal-Brooklyn type voice) than when he’s playing the ventriloquist. ---
**Author:** ![Atreyu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@Atreyu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atreyu)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-fake-accents-best-and-worst/221000/19 "2003-12-25T18:45:37Z")
Guy Pierce and Russell Crowe pulled off such convincing American accents (at least to my ears) in _L.A. Confidential_ that I was amazed to discover later that they’re actually Australian. I’ll add another vote for Kevin Costner and his nearly unbeatable failure at maintaining an English accent in _Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves_. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-fake-accents-best-and-worst/221000/20 "2003-12-25T18:55:24Z")
How about the girl who played Rogue in _X-Men_? She started out with a Southern drawl, but lost it by the end of the movie. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-fake-accents-best-and-worst/221000.md?page=2)