# 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:** 2
**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, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421/21 "2003-04-18T00:18:29Z")
**Dooku** Silly me (again) That was supposed to end with “In the hospital drama ER” but I started a new sentence too quickly. He played a doctor with altszimers (sp?) in ER. ---
**Author:** ![Innanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecd19e/32.png) [@Innanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Innanna)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421/22 "2003-04-18T00:28:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lobsang \* > \*\ ***Dooku** > He played a doctor with altszimers (sp?) in ER. \*\* Parkinsons. Alan Alda was the Doc with Altzheimers (which still isn’t spelled correctly). ---
**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, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421/23 "2003-04-18T00:29:22Z")
Ah. I was trying to think of other roles he had where he limped, but I never watch _ER_, so that would explain it… ---
**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, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421/24 "2003-04-18T00:43:22Z")
My favorite horrendous British accent is still Daphne’s ex-boyfriend Clive (from an episode of _Frasier_). His accent careened madly around the country – Manchester to Oxford via Whitechapel – in the course of a single sentence. It was truly painful to hear. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421/25 "2003-04-18T00:46:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SolGrundy \* > \*\*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. \*\* Nitpick: M **o** desto. Next, ya’ll will try and tell me that David Boreanz isn’t really Irish. He sounds so _convincing_! [sub]No, not really.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421/26 "2003-04-18T01:37:18Z")
**Captain Amazing** : > [@](#): > > 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. That’s true as far as it goes, but misses something important: Alexis Denisof lived in England for over twelve years and still keeps a home in London. So it’s reasonable that he’d have a convincing British accent. Y’all have been using “British accent” in this thread as if there’s only one, but of course there are hundreds. James Marsters has used two on _Buffy_; in scenes of Spike’s pre-vampire life in Victorian England, he used an aristocratic accent appropriate to his lifestyle. Post-vamping, he uses a more working-class Cockneyesque accent. Are these equally convincing to UK ears? ---
**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, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421/27 "2003-04-18T01:40:09Z")
His cockney one is, as has been established by a few of us. Maybe cockneys would disagree. I, being surrounded (but not being one) scousers, could probably spot fake scouse accents (like in the film ‘51st state’ in which some of the true scousers didn’t even sound convincing) ---
**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, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421/28 "2003-04-18T01:42:33Z")
When Americans say ‘British Accent’ they usually mean the well spoken one - I.e. Anthony Head’s. We Brits understand that, and even though there are many very different accents within britain there is still a generic ‘British accent’ Just like it is easy to tell if someone is American without knowing which state they are from (with the exception of southern states) ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421/29 "2003-04-18T01:53:15Z")
On FX, they have little “interview bits” with the actors interspersed with commercials on the show. Hearing James Marsters speak with a California twang is a little jolting; like those scenes where Spike is trying (badly) to pass as an American non-vampire. I also look forward to his next project! ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421/30 "2003-04-18T01:59:52Z")
**Krokodil** brings up a good point: when the script calls for it, Marsters is amazingly convincing as a Brit doing a bad American accent. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/45deac/32.png) [@The\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Ben)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421/31 "2003-04-18T02:09:07Z")
The “British accent” that James Marsters uses is the way that Anthony Stewart Head actually talks. He taught Marsters how to speak in that type of Accent. Although, based on what some have said, he didnt’ do a great job. ---
**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, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421/32 "2003-04-18T05:58:50Z")
Ok, I just asked 4 British teenagers, none of them who really watch the show, to give me their opinions of the accents. (I played clips). Their opinions James Marsters-“Definately American.” “Trying to do a Cockney accent but not very well” Anthony Head- “British” “He’s doing one of those accents like the news people do” ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421/33 "2003-04-18T08:06:15Z")
I think it would depend on when in the series the clips came form. Earlier on, it’s easier to tell, but if you switch from a Season 3 episode to a season 6 episdod right in a row, like I did the other day, it’s rather glaringly different. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421/34 "2003-04-18T08:19:10Z")
I saw Kate Winslet on Craig Kilborn’s show a few weeks ago, promoting her new movie where she played an American reporter. During the interview, she was pretty impressive as she slipped into the American accent she’d learned for the film and slipped right back into her regular accent. ---
**Author:** ![torben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5daacb/32.png) [@torben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/torben)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421/35 "2003-04-18T09:50:09Z")
I think James Marsters has been fairly consistent with how he delivers his character’s British accent. He also delivers the accent pretty effortlessly on screen so it comes off as natural. It’s always kind of weird when you’ve only seen an actor in a particular role where they have an accent and then you see an interview with then and hear their real accent. The first time I saw James in an interview I was kind of thrown for a loop. Same thing when I heard Lucy Lawless and Russel Crowe for the first time speaking with their natural accents. The one that really threw me for a loop was Colin Farrell. His accent has been a little more detectable in some of his recent roles, but I never would have guessed he was Irish when I saw **Minority Report**. He did a good job in that movie. Speaking of Colin’s Irish accent, the only thing that annoys me more than hearing an American actor speak with a bad fake British accent is an American actor speaking with a bad fake Irish accent. Watching Tommy Lee Jones attempting an Irish accent in **Blown Away** was utterly painful. I felt the same way about alot of the American actors in **The Secret of Roan Inish**. To the British Dopers out there: I’m curious. Have you ever heard any American actor or actress deliver a convincing British accent? ---
**Author:** ![Francesca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@Francesca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francesca)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421/36 "2003-04-18T10:11:55Z")
> [@](#): > > To the British Dopers out there: I’m curious. Have you ever heard any American actor or actress deliver a convincing British accent? Gwyneth Paltrow was very convincing in _Sliding Doors_. I was impressed. ---
**Author:** ![Francesca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@Francesca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francesca)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421/37 "2003-04-18T10:15:45Z")
Oh, I have a question. Has anyone seen Michael Caine in _The Cider House Rules_? Was his American accent as bad as I think it was? ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Doris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@Sir\_Doris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Doris)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421/38 "2003-04-18T10:39:28Z")
Gillian Anderson sounded natural to me when I heard her on a chat show. I noticed she sounded British, then she explained how grew up here and the accent returned when she visited. ---
**Author:** ![garius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e19b73/32.png) [@garius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garius)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421/39 "2003-04-18T10:43:39Z")
yes it was gloriously awful - i saw Michael Caine’s accent as revenge for all those bloody awful British ones they’ve been inflicting on us for years. Back on topic, i’ve been lucky enough to have a drink with Marsters and its scary how he can flick between the two. What made me laugh was that - and maybe this was just because he was surrounded by brit accents in the bar - his natural accent actually slipped on occasion and grew british vowel sounds without him realising it. I think one of the things that makes Marsters efforts at the accent effective is not necessarily that it sounds “perfect” (it doesn’t - but it is very good) but that the vocabulary that he uses is very good and very “British”. Thats what makes the difference. Denisov’s accent is perfect - but as has been pointed out he did live here for 12 years or so. The same goes for his vocabulary - i was in stitches when he called angel a wanker. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421/40 "2003-04-18T10:45:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lissener \* > 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. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fiver \* > Alexis Denisof lived in England for over twelve years and still keeps a home in London. So it’s reasonable that he’d have a convincing British accent. Curiously enough Juliet Landau also lived in London as a child ( I knew this originally from Space:1999 dvd’s - yes, it’s a sickness 😉 ) and according to at least one IMDB profile lived there until she was 18. - Tamerlane [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-is-james-marsters-spikes-accent-convincing-to-brits/169421.md?page=3)