Adrian Lester did a flawless American accent in Primary Colors, while Emma Thompson in the same film was less convincing.
Kenneth Branagh’s American accent was only so-so in that reincarnation murder mystery movie with Emma Thompson.
Barrowman moved to the US, specifically the Chicago suburbs, when he was about 8 and stayed there at least through high school. Unless he’s trying for something regional, his American accent is pretty much “white boy from western Chicago suburbs”. On UK shows like Doctor Who and Torchwood he often uses British pronunciations and some British phrasing which makes the accent sound off, but makes some sense in shows aimed primarily at a UK audience. It takes little effort for him to pull off a flawless Mid-western US accent when he wants to do it.
Dead Again, which is one of my favorite movies of all time. But yes, neither Branagh’s nor Thompson’s accent is exactly flawless in that one.
Yeah yeah! I saw him in This Is England literally the week before he first appeared in “Boardwalk Empire”. He didn’t talk much in that first episode but you’re right, his accent has been amazing!
He was in Newsies in 1992 when he was 18, with a good accent (and unlike most of the other kids, he kept the same accent the whole movie). Looking at his wiki page, he did work as a teenager, but nothing huge.
Could anyone tell me what Sean Beans accent was in Missing
Portia de Rossi was very convincing in both Ally McBeal and Arrested Development. It’s a little jarring to hear her speak with her native Australian accent.
I saw him on TV, his parents both speak with a Scottish accent, and when he visits them he does too.
I’m LOLing at everyone admiring Hugh Laurie’s American accent, I thought it was awful, but maybe I’m just used to hearing him speak with an English accent?
I’m used to hearing his English accent but I’ve never found a flaw in his American accent (I’ve seen every episode).
Now, his vocalization might be grating. I don’t like his gruff voice and get tired of listening to it. But his pronunciation is spot-on.
Concur, and I would add that his Southern accent in Big Fish was godawful.
In this scene from “The Riches,” I can’t tell if Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver are bad, or if I just think they are bad because I know I they are both British.
Are they both trying to sound American? Eddie pulls it off slightly better but comes off, I dunno, with a bit of a Northern Irish or Northern English twang to it or something? The way he says “lawyer” in particular, strikes as odd. Minnie’s not even close, in my opinion, coming off as having bits of Australian crossed with a bit of Southern American crossed with god knows what. It’s a mutt of a weird accent.
Yeah, those are both unrecognizable, in my opinion, as actual American accents.
Yeah, I remember him in the Doctor Who episode “Bad Wolf” talking about “getting in the lift”, which was jarring. Britishisms sound weird in American accents. I suppose it’d have sounded equally odd to hear Billie Piper say “y’all”.
Was it? He must’ve been using an accent from an area of America I’ve never been to/have relatives from, he always sounded like an English blerk forcing himself to speak in an American accent on House to my ears.
MMDV
I was gonna say this. He totally convinced me he was American.
How about Hugo Weaving in The Matrix? It’s exaggerated, but I think it is supposed to be for the character. He is English-Australian, and sounded authentically American.
Emma Watson is working to perfect hers, as she has an upcoming moving in which she portrays and American:
I always bring up Melanie Lynskey in these threads - probably most well known as Rose from Two And A Half Men. She’s from New Zealand.
No votes for Gary Oldman?