# Buffy: Is James Marsters/Spike's accent convincing to Brits? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 17, 2003, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421 "2003-04-17T22:34:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421/1 "2003-04-17T22:34:03Z")
It sounds OK to me, but what the hell do I know. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421/2 "2003-04-17T22:58:55Z")
I would have to say YES, I thought he _was_ a brit. I still suspect he is. Now that posh council type guy, - no way. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421/3 "2003-04-17T23:03:55Z")
Don’t tell me patrick head isn’t a birt! (anyone seen ‘Manchild’? Loved the first series, not seen the second) ---
**Author:** ![Profane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47774/32.png) [@Profane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Profane)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421/4 "2003-04-17T23:09:12Z")
Disclaimer: I am a Brit, but now live in the USA. Personally, no. I found it extremely distracting at first. It still sounds unnatural to me, but either it’s gotten better or I’ve just become accustomed to it. I have to say I find James Marsters 100,000 times more attractive with his natural accent. I’m going to look forward to seeing what parts he gets post-Buffy. Alex/Wesley’s accent, OTOH, sounds great to me. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421/5 "2003-04-17T23:13:28Z")
This thread is not registering new posts. Still says 0 on the main screen. Who is Alex/Wesley? (is he the ‘posh guy’ I mentioned?) ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421/6 "2003-04-17T23:29:53Z")
It’s not just this thread, it’s at least this forum and I bet the whole board. [Tom Ridge] Board crash alert HIGH ORANGE! [/TR] ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421/7 "2003-04-17T23:48:44Z")
Anthony Head who plays Giles (the “posh guy” I suspect you mean) is indeed British, but his real accent is nothing like that of his character. James Marsters’ accent strikes me as affected but not grating, and is reasonably consistent unlike many, many other American actors pretending to be British. Of course, the only thing more horrible than an American actor doing a bad British accent is a British actor doing a bad American one. Eurgh… ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421/8 "2003-04-17T23:50:29Z")
So, let me get this straight - James Marsters is _not_ a brit? Reminds me of the film Ocean’s Eleven. The black guy (don’t know his name, but played the doctor with…the disease, I can’t remember the name of… that makes him wobble). His attempt at an english accent was, ugh, not good. Especially when you know he is not a brit. The shouldn’t bother. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421/9 "2003-04-17T23:51:33Z")
[Hijack] Is Bob Hoskins’ accent (when he’s doing American) convincing to Americans? [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![TheRealJohnPeat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@TheRealJohnPeat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheRealJohnPeat)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421/10 "2003-04-17T23:57:24Z")
I must admit I’m normally a hater of ‘fake accents’ of all types - but what I’ve seen of Buffy I hadn’t really spotted him as a ‘fake’. I can top the entire ‘bad accents’ thing by just saying “Ewan McGregor in Black Hawk Down” It will never get any worse than that - Sarnt… TTFN JP ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421/11 "2003-04-17T23:59:49Z")
Bob Hoskins’ American sounds authentic to this yankee. ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421/12 "2003-04-18T00:10:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lobsang \* > \*\*[Hijack] > > Is Bob Hoskins’ accent (when he’s doing American) convincing to Americans? > > [/hijack] \*\* The only movie I’ve seen him in doing an American accent was _Who Framed Roger Rabbit?_, and it sounded convincing enough. It still came across as a little bit affected, but that may only be because I’ve watched it a gazillion times. Now, my vote for the best case of a British actor doing an American accent was Natasha Richardson in _Nell_. It’s hard enough for Americans to get southern accents right, but she sounded _exactly_ like a woman from the metropolitan areas of GA and the Carolinas. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421/13 "2003-04-18T00:10:21Z")
I don’t know whether Marsters is a Brit or not, but I’d be mightily surprised if that was his real accent. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421/14 "2003-04-18T00:12:17Z")
Bob Hoskins does a very convincing American accent, but my nomination for Best American Accent goes to Adrian Lester in _Primary Colors_. Fooled me completely (unlike co-star Emma Thompson). ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421/15 "2003-04-18T00:12:33Z")
Bob Hoskins’s accent is not seamless to my ear; you can hear the effort he’s putting forth. On the other hand, I was floored when I learned James Marsters wasn’t British. Now, I’m American, but I worked for several years for a British company, and was surrounded daily by Britspeak. I also have a facility for accents, which used to be something of a specialty when I was trying to be an actor. I’ve been told by some various Brits that I do a flawless British accent; I’ve certainly come to think I can spot a fake one at 1,000 paces. And Marsters had me completely fooled. The awful actress who plays his crazy girlfriend whose name escapes, does about the WORST English accent I’ve ever heard. She could learn a LOT from Mr. Marsters. It’s like all she does is try to wrap her ungainly lips around the British vowel sounds–variously Cockney, Posh, whaever–and makes no effort whatsoever to acknowledges the differences in cadence, consonants, etc. A very poorly observed accent. Marsters, on the other hand, has fleshed out his accent the full four dimensions. ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421/16 "2003-04-18T00:13:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jr8 \* > \*\*I don’t know whether Marsters is a Brit or not, but I’d be mightily surprised if that was his real accent. \*\* As I’m sure we’ll be pointed out by several others, he’s definitely _not_ British; he’s from California. Medesto, IIRC. My Ugly American opinion is the same as yours, jr8 – I wouldn’t say it sounds “realistic” but he’s been extremely consistent with it all these years. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421/17 "2003-04-18T00:13:58Z")
> [@](#): > > Anthony Head who plays Giles (the “posh guy” I suspect you mean) is indeed British, but his real accent is nothing like that of his character. **NOO!** I didn’t mean Anthony Head. (I called him Patrick Head by mistake) I Know he’s a Brit. I meant the younger guy, with a REALLY posh accent, who was in Buffy and Angel . ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421/18 "2003-04-18T00:15:35Z")
Patrick Head is the boss of an F1 Team. Silly me. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421/19 "2003-04-18T00:16:07Z")
I thought Emma Thompson’s American accent when she was in an episode of _Ellen_ was really well done. The way in which it “slipped out” was also well done. **Lobsang** , you’re thinking of Don Cheadle, although I don’t know what you mean about “the Doctor with the disease that made him wobble” - he was the bomb expert in _Ocean’s Eleven_. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421/20 "2003-04-18T00:17:03Z")
Marsters is Californian. Alex Denisov, who played Wesley on Buffy and now on Angel (probably the posh guy you mentioned, but he’s a lot more posh on Buffy than on Angel) was born in Maryland and grew up in Seattle. Juliet Landau, who plays Druscilla, is from Los Angeles (and is Martin Landau’s daughter). The only Brit major character on the show who’s actually a Brit is Anthony Head. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421.md?page=2)