# Actors who are very poor at accents **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 10, 2016, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-very-poor-at-accents/768166 "2016-10-10T18:34:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-very-poor-at-accents/768166/61 "2016-10-20T08:42:06Z")
> [@erysichthon](#): > > I saw John Mahoney (from _Frasier_) performing in a Harold Pinter play a few years ago, in Chicago. He was just _barely_ doing a British accent—just enough so you’d think, “hmm, sounds like he’s trying to do an accent.” What made it especially glaring is that everyone else in the cast sounded spot-on. He spent the first 18 years of his life in England, so you’d think he would know how. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-very-poor-at-accents/768166/62 "2016-10-20T09:45:09Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Actually, movies like _Hunt for Red October_ and _Robin Hood Prince of Thieves_ use this to deliberate effect. In the former movie it’s a clue that Ramius is not Russian and thus defecting; in the latter it’s a reminder that King Richard is Norman and not Anglo-Saxon. They made a virtue out of necessity; Connery cannot do accents. ---
**Author:** ![Scoobysnax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@Scoobysnax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scoobysnax)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-very-poor-at-accents/768166/63 "2016-10-20T20:00:14Z")
No mentions of Rosanna Arquette’s horrible french Canadian accent in The Whole Nine Yards? She was not a key character, they could easily have found a local actress. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-very-poor-at-accents/768166/64 "2016-10-20T20:27:59Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > He spent the first 18 years of his life in England, so you’d think he would know how. He had to work hard to lose his British accent because he was being teased about it when he joined the Army. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-very-poor-at-accents/768166/65 "2016-10-20T20:43:04Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Actually, movies like _Hunt for Red October_ and _Robin Hood Prince of Thieves_ use this to deliberate effect. In the former movie it’s a clue that Ramius is not Russian and thus defecting; in the latter it’s a reminder that King Richard is Norman and not Anglo-Saxon. Given that his part in “Robin Hood” is a cameo, I don’t think that much cleverness went into it. If you wanted to get him right he wouldn’t have even been understandable, since he probably didn’t speak English. Everyone’s beating up on the usual suspects, but I just wanted to point out that when Morgot Robbie started talking in The Wolf of Wall Street, I laughed and said to my better half “it’s nice of the Australian actress to attempt Brooklyn, but she ain’t got what it takes.” Until that moment I had never heard of Margot Robbie and could not have known she was from Australia, but boy was it obvious. ---
**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2016, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-very-poor-at-accents/768166/66 "2016-10-21T16:58:58Z")
“Say hello to my little friend!” I can’t believe that no one has brought up Pacino’s Cuban accent. ---
**Author:** ![Scubaqueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@Scubaqueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scubaqueen)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-very-poor-at-accents/768166/67 "2016-10-22T00:34:28Z")
As much as I adore all things David Tennant and his exemplary acting ability, the Scotsman’s attempted American turn in Fox’s Gracepoint was… painful. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2016, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-very-poor-at-accents/768166/68 "2016-11-07T12:33:42Z")
We can add Benedict Cumberbatch to the list after Dr Strange. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2016, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-very-poor-at-accents/768166/69 "2016-11-07T12:46:17Z")
Bart’s Simpson when he tries to do a British (cockney) accent. It’s one of the most annoying things about the Simpsons, because clearly the writers think it’s awesome and keep coming back to it. I realize that it’s supposed to be a joke, but if you want to mock something you must do it well, or you just look like a parochial moron. Johnny Depp’s British accent is also terrible. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2016, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-very-poor-at-accents/768166/70 "2016-11-07T12:54:27Z")
Oh, and worth mentioning Peter Dinklage. I’ve seen a lot of criticism of his British accent that I really don’t understand. I’m British, and when I first started watching the show I assumed that he was British. I know people who speak exactly like that. I’ve since noticed that he can be a little inconsistent, but the basic accent is perfect to my ear. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2016, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-very-poor-at-accents/768166/71 "2016-11-07T13:28:44Z")
Tends to be more noticeable when he is excited or angry. LIke at the Blackwater battle or during his trial. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2016, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-very-poor-at-accents/768166/72 "2016-11-07T13:40:42Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > Oh, and worth mentioning Peter Dinklage. I’ve seen a lot of criticism of his British accent that I really don’t understand. I’m British, and when I first started watching the show I assumed that he was British. I know people who speak exactly like that. I’ve since noticed that he can be a little inconsistent, but the basic accent is perfect to my ear. It’s overly posh and deliberate, but then, the \*character \*is overly posh and deliberate, so it works. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2016, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-very-poor-at-accents/768166/73 "2016-11-07T14:38:10Z")
Keanu Reeves as Harker in the 1992 Dracula movie. Worst English accent since Dick Van Dyke, and some of the worst acting of the year. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2016, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-very-poor-at-accents/768166/74 "2016-11-07T14:51:51Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Keanu Reeves as Harker in the 1992 Dracula movie. Worst English accent since Dick Van Dyke, and some of the worst acting of the year. Jeebus. I have not seen the movie, but just found this clip. It’s quite the star-studded cast. On a low-res video, I did a double take on thinking I was seeing Natalie Portman for a moment, which made no sense for a 1992 movie. The young Winona quite resembles her, both in looks and mannerisms. So funny having Keanu do _that_ opposite Gary Oldman and Anthony Hopkins speaking English with Transylvanian & Dutch accents. It’s a little bizarre that such a high budget movie would do this. I guess since the majority of Americans can’t discern overseas accents well, so it has no impact on their revenues, but you’d think the director might take some pride in his work. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2016, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-very-poor-at-accents/768166/75 "2016-11-07T15:12:43Z")
> [@txjim](#): > > Everyone in NCIS: New Orleans. Well, almost everyone as CCH Pounder is not bad but the rest give me a headache. Gibbs (Mark Harmon) trying to speak Russian on _ **NCIS** _ is hilariously bad. So is just about every other actor who tries to speak a foreign language or do a foreign accent on that show. (Ziva, I’m told, couldn’t speak Hebrew properly on the occasions where she attempted it.) ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2016, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-very-poor-at-accents/768166/76 "2016-11-07T16:27:47Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > It’s overly posh and deliberate, but then, the \*character \*is overly posh and deliberate, so it works. And since the character isn’t from England it still works. His brother is from the Danish section of Casterly Rock and he is from the New Jersey section. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2016, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-very-poor-at-accents/768166/77 "2016-11-07T17:43:54Z")
An old one, but in the TV series _Maverick_, Roger Moore played Beau Maverick, the Texas-born cousin of Bret and Bart Maverick. He didn’t even attempt an American accent. They explained away his accent as Beau’s pappy sending him to school in England, where he picked up an English accent after living there for five years. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2016, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-very-poor-at-accents/768166/78 "2016-11-07T18:59:12Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > Jeebus. I have not seen the movie, but just found this clip. > > > It’s quite the star-studded cast. On a low-res video, I did a double take on thinking I was seeing Natalie Portman for a moment, which made no sense for a 1992 movie. The young Winona quite resembles her, both in looks and mannerisms. > > So funny having Keanu do _that_ opposite Gary Oldman and Anthony Hopkins speaking English with Transylvanian & Dutch accents. > > It’s a little bizarre that such a high budget movie would do this. I guess since the majority of Americans can’t discern overseas accents well, so it has no impact on their revenues, but you’d think the director might take some pride in his work. The casting director should have been fired. It was an otherwise entertaining movie, but every time Reeves was onscreen, it jarred me out of the story. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2016, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-very-poor-at-accents/768166/79 "2016-11-07T20:48:34Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > No, this is not a case where they don’t even bother; like Sean Connery or Jean Claude Van Damme Connery I get, but when does JCVD pretend to be anything other than Belgian? ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2016, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-very-poor-at-accents/768166/80 "2016-11-07T20:58:43Z")
> [@Pushkin](#): > > Connery I get, but when does JCVD pretend to be anything other than Belgian? In one movie with Roseanna Arquette, she told the cops he was her “cousin from Quebec.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-very-poor-at-accents/768166.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-are-very-poor-at-accents/768166.md?page=5)