# Harder to fake - a british accent or an american accent? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 10, 2010, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669 "2010-12-10T16:21:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/21 "2010-12-10T17:39:30Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Who’s that British guy on the TV show in the US? The show about mind readers or something? That guy does a good job of a US accent. > > I watch TV a lot. Can you tell? Simon Baker in _The Mentalist_? ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/22 "2010-12-10T17:45:48Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Simon Baker in _The Mentalist_? Yeah! That’s the guy. His accent is flawless. ETA: And I see now he’s Australian. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/23 "2010-12-10T18:06:40Z")
I was just going to leave you hanging on that one. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/24 "2010-12-10T18:14:49Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > In my admittedly limited experience, the really bad American accents are in British productions (radio, TV, audiobook) aimed at British audiences, by actors who presumably usually do British characters. As a good example of this, [Dexter Fletcher](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002077/) had a good US accent in Band of Brothers as Sgt Martin, but an absolutely horrible one in the British kid’s show Press Gang. I am sure in the 12 years separating the two shows he learned a lot of acting skills, but I am also equally sure that having a good US accent wasn’t seen as important for the kid’s show - as long as he was identifiable as a “brash Yank.” ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/25 "2010-12-10T18:31:45Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > And often, the foreign actors do REGIONAL American accents better than American actors do. That is, a Brit often does a more convincing Texas accent than an actor from New Jersey or California. > …there are dozens of regional “Southern” accents in reality, but the differences are subtle enough to most Americans that an actor can affect the same drawl whether he’s playing a cowboy from West Texas, a Virginia aristocrat or a Mississippi redneck, and only the locals would gripe “THAT’S not how we talk here!” Very much this. Lots of non-Southern Americans _think_ they know what Southern speech sounds like, but are completely oblivious to the distinctions therein, whereas foreigners who _know_ they’re out of their territory and work at it may do pretty well. The rest of **astorian** ’s remarks about audience seem spot on as well. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/26 "2010-12-10T18:42:53Z")
When we discuss this subject I can’t help but think of Dick Van Dykes legendary performance in Mary Poppins. I think Americans fall down when their accents wander. One minute "Cor Blimey "cockney and then a drift into Liverpudlian. And all the time the mans supposed to be from Birmingham.(The original one, not Alabama) ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/27 "2010-12-10T19:08:10Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > I’d guess that British actors are more likely to have been exposed reasonably early to authentic American accents through the media than vice versa; and also that they have more incentive to learn to do a good one. This is true, I think. Britain is far more exposed to American movies and TV than vice-versa. When I hear British actors attempt American accents, a lot of them sound like they’re trying to emulate Southern accents. I guess it’s easier to use to cover up your British accent than Northern ones. ---
**Author:** ![SeldomSeen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ba0ec/32.png) [@SeldomSeen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeldomSeen)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/28 "2010-12-10T19:11:50Z")
> [@](#): > > On the whole, I think most British/Irish/Aussie actors who work steadily in the USA do an excellent job carrying off their accents. And often, the foreign actors do REGIONAL American accents better than American actors do. That is, a Brit often does a more convincing Texas accent than an actor from New Jersey or California. Conversly, one of the best mimics in the business IMHO, was [John Hillerman](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hillerman) who played Higgins on the old “Magnum P.I.” series. His “King’s English” was so flawless that nearly everyone thought he was in fact a british actor. I saw him in some show where he was playing a Texas Rancher and remarked innocently to someone that “That Englishman can work a better Texas accent than most Texans”. I was embarrassed to learn that Hillerman actually _was_ a native Texan who had learned his “British” by watching and listening to the performances of Laurence Olivier. Quite an achievement ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/29 "2010-12-10T19:24:24Z")
> [@Lust4Life](#): > > When we discuss this subject I can’t help but think of Dick Van Dykes legendary performance in Mary Poppins. > I think Americans fall down when their accents wander. > > One minute "Cor Blimey "cockney and then a drift into Liverpudlian. > > And all the time the mans supposed to be from Birmingham.(The original one, not Alabama) I mentioned this in another thread today - van Dyke at least partially blamed the Irish accent coach for the results. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/30 "2010-12-10T19:43:56Z")
Australians seem better at doing American accents than British people for whatever reason. I can think of 5 or 6 Australians who I had no clue were Australian until hearing them in an interview. Some Brits can be very good, but a little bit of their accent slips out more often. ---
**Author:** ![StrangeBird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e480ec/32.png) [@StrangeBird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StrangeBird)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/31 "2010-12-10T19:49:02Z")
> [@Johnny\_Angel](#): > > Near as I can tell, an authentic Australian accent sounds fake in places. It just doesn’t all seem to fit together in the same dialect. 😕 The accent doesn’t sound fake to other Australians though, whereas a bad attempt at an Australian accent does. Were you thinking of anyone in particular with an authentic accent that sounds fake? ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/32 "2010-12-10T19:53:32Z")
> [@Agent\_Foxtrot](#): > > When I hear British actors attempt American accents, a lot of them sound like they’re trying to emulate Southern accents. When I was young I spent two years living in North Yorkshire. I picked up the Yorkshire accent fairly quickly (to the point where some British people couldn’t tell I was an American), but my best friend couldn’t imitate my mid-Atlantic accent to save her life: it always came out sounding southern. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Scubaqueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@Scubaqueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scubaqueen)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/33 "2010-12-10T20:07:00Z")
> [@rostfrei](#): > > Probably the worst American accent I ever heard was by Emma Lloyd in the movie “In Country” with Bruce Willis. The whole time, I was thinking that the character was adopted by the Kentucky family during a trip to England. heh. i’ll see your emma lloyd and raise you a david tennant in his flopped pilot ‘rex is not your lawyer.’ just awful. a snippet of it might (or might not) still be floating around youtube if anyone cares. for such a fine actor in everything i’d seen him in up until ‘rex,’ his attempt at an american accent was abominable. it would have been far kinder to let him do his thing as a native scot. now jamie bamber on the other hand… i too had no clue he was british until a ‘behind the scenes of battlestar galactica’ aired a couple of years ago. could have knocked me over with a feather. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/34 "2010-12-10T20:11:13Z")
[This proves](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXTj5nd2oKQ)that American’s are better at faking English accents. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/35 "2010-12-10T20:14:23Z")
Charlie Hunnam [Charlie Hunnam - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0402271/) was born in Newcastle and plays an American on Sons of Anarchy and sounds like he has spend his whole life in the states and never watched any PBS. Simon Baker is also very good at his American accent. Hugh Laurie just isn’t convincing for me, I’ve just seen way to much Black Adder. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/36 "2010-12-10T20:50:37Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > British actors on the BBC are absolutely _appalling_ at American accents. Yanks ain’t much better, but I think we have the edge on crapness. I think there’s two things going on there: Context and quality. I’ve heard some pretty cringe-inducing stabs at American accents in BBC radio dramas. I think the sort of actors who typically do radio drama may not have the chops to try to pull this sort of thing off - and they stand out even more because an American accent is so out-of-place in the context that it attracts more attention. (Even if they weren’t absolutely dreadful, you have more attention on the accent.) On the other hand, you have someone like Hugh Laurie or Anthony LaPaglia. Hugh Laurie’s American accent is pretty damned good, but I sometimes find it distracting because _what the hell is that sound coming out of Bertie Wooster’s mouth?_ Attention’s on it. Anthony LaPaglia likewise does a damned good job, but I never really paid much attention to his accent because I took it for granted. (No idea who he was before _Without a Trace_. _Assumed_ he was an East Coast US guy. Good job, Tony!) ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/37 "2010-12-10T21:06:51Z")
> [@Larry\_Mudd](#): > > Hugh Laurie’s American accent is pretty damned good… To the point where, when I’ve heard him on talk shows (I’m American), his British accent sounds ridiculously fake. Kyra Sedgwick, from New York City, does an absolutely appalling Southern accent on _The Closer_. My Southern-born wife finds it unwatchable. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/38 "2010-12-10T22:22:36Z")
No one has mentioned Gary Oldman yet? I remember one talk show he came out and started talking and the host was like, “WTF?! You’re English?!?!” ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/39 "2010-12-10T22:42:58Z")
> [@SeldomSeen](#): > > Conversly, one of the best mimics in the business IMHO, was [John Hillerman](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hillerman) who played Higgins on the old “Magnum P.I.” series. His “King’s English” was so flawless that nearly everyone thought he was in fact a british actor. I saw him in some show where he was playing a Texas Rancher and remarked innocently to someone that “That Englishman can work a better Texas accent than most Texans”. I was embarrassed to learn that Hillerman actually _was_ a native Texan who had learned his “British” by watching and listening to the performances of Laurence Olivier. Quite an achievement Wow, really? I had no idea he wasn’t British. On the other hand, his character _was_ a pastiche of American stereotypes about upper-class Englishmen (although if I remember correctly, Higgins was a younger son of the Earl of Perth, so I guess an Anglo-Scot. Doesn’t explain why his name wasn’t Drummond, though…) I would imagine that in general, if you hear a non-native attempting _your_ dialect, you’ll notice the inaccuracies; whereas a non-native attempting another accent might sound spot on. I think Gwyneth Paltrow’s British accent in _Sliding Doors_ and _Shakespeare In Love_ was perfect; but I don’t know how it sounds to a Britisher. I would also add Emma Thompson, Alan Cumming, and Kenneth Branagh to the list of British actors with impeccable American accents. And John Barrowman’s Midwestern accent is perfect… ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/40 "2010-12-10T22:44:12Z")
> [@Johnny\_Angel](#): > > Near as I can tell, an authentic Australian accent sounds fake in places. It just doesn’t all seem to fit together in the same dialect. Is the Outback guy fake or genuine? Sounds very fake to me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669.md?page=3)