# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/41 "2010-12-10T23:01:54Z")
I think [Andrew-Lee Potts](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0498517/)does a passable, though not perfect, American accent. I didn’t realize that he wasn’t an American when I saw **Return to the House on Haunted Hill** for the first time. It wasn’t until I’d seen Primeval, Ideal, and Alice, and _then_ rewatched RttHoHH that I picked up on spots where he slipped up. As for faking US accents, it really depends on what the accent in question is supposed to be. Midwestern accents can be faked fairly well, southern accents can be either good or terrible, and pretty much _no one_ does a good Northeastern accent, especially the Maine accent (evidence? [Storm of the Century](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0135659/fullcredits#cast). Not one of the actors, not even Julianne Nicholson who is actually from southern new england, hits the Maine accent spot on. This mini-series sounds as bad to New Englanders as the accents in True Blood do to Southerners) not even Americans who have been exposed to it. The largely Canadian cast of Haven is the least painful to listen to, though. My guess is that the midwestern accent is fairly well faked by Europeans/Australians/New Zelanders because it’s more common on US shows than either **real** Southern or Northeastern (mid-atlantic and north) accents. > [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Kyra Sedgwick, from New York City, does an absolutely appalling Southern accent on _The Closer_. My Southern-born wife finds it unwatchable. I can’t watch The Closer because of this. Her attempt at a southern accent is just\* that\* terrible. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/42 "2010-12-11T02:32:31Z")
Leon Ockenden’s fake East Coast accent in _Heavy Rain_ was insane. A totally bizarre mangling of an American accent, yet it definitely added to Norman Jayden’s cult following. Most of his fans, myself included, find the accent endearing. But I still don’t understand why they couldn’t have found a real New Yorker or other East Coast accented American to do the voice instead of hiring a British actor and making him fake it. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/43 "2010-12-11T02:39:31Z")
> [@villa](#): > > You didn’t think [Jimmy McNulty](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0922035/)in the Wire had a good American accent? I can’t be the only one who thinks Dominic West’s attempt at an American accent wasn’t all that successful, can I? He’s a great actor and was wonderful as McNulty in every other regard, but I constantly heard his English accent come through, except for the places where he’d hit his Rs hard. Idris Elba’s accent was much, much better – if I hadn’t already known he was English, I never would have guessed. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/44 "2010-12-11T02:45:31Z")
Clive Owen and Gerard Butler do good American accents. Kate Winslett and Samantha Morton. Tom Wilkinson. Going the other direction, I think Dick Van Dyke in _Mary Poppins_ had hands down the best British accent. (Nah, just kidding, because I know his accent grated like hell on all the Brits. :p) The impersonator Rich Little told a little story on Johnnie Carson one time about having a suit made at a tailor’s in London, and he put on his best upper-class British accent, but at the end of the fitting session, the tailor asked: “And how long will you be in England, sir?” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/45 "2010-12-11T03:03:51Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Yeah! That’s the guy. His accent is flawless. > > ETA: And I see now he’s Australian. Owain Yeoman, who plays Rigsby in _The Mentalist_, is Welsh, though he has [a London accent](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARwPxM0N5T4). I was mighty surprised when I heard his real accent, his American is flawless, in my opinion, along with Simon Baker’s too. Also, though she’s not British, [Yvonne Strahovski’s](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QP0kqwwF5fY) accent in _Chuck_ is perfect too. ---
**Author:** ![kevlaw](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kevlaw/32/2281_2.png) [@kevlaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevlaw)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/46 "2010-12-11T03:04:38Z")
I’ll split the question and answer separately for professionals and for amateurs. For professionals, just walk down a list of oscar winners and nominees in mixed company and ask “american or british”. Most americans have no idea how many of the great american actors are actually british. On the other hand, I can only think of a small handful of performances where an american actor did a convincing British accent. (Brad Pitt was scarily good in Snatch. And I really mean scary. I was suddenly 10 years old again and afraid of being beaten up by the Pikeys). For amateurs, I can’t think of a single friend who can make their accent convincingly cross the Atlantic. I know lots of British people who can seemlessly switch between any British accent but can’t do an american accent for toffee (though many, sadly, try). It’s exactly the same in the other direction. Americans hurt my ears when they try. The absolute worst is when they attempt a London accent and end up sounding like they are from halfway between Islamabad and Melbourne. My conclusion: British and american accents are equally hard but british actors have the better skillz (because, as someone said up thread, they have more motivation). A last thought. I don’t get the deal with Hugh Laurie. I think it is a magnificent feat that he manages to cover up his Hugh Laurie accent but he, as House, doesn’t sound american to me. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/47 "2010-12-11T04:30:27Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > 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… Branagh impressed the crap out of me in Dead Again - he nailed it as a Southern Californian. Barrowman was born in Scotland, but grew up in Joliet, Illinois. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/48 "2010-12-11T04:40:11Z")
I’m surprised nobody’s mentioned Lucy Lawless yet. Strong Kiwi accent when she talks, but Xena was definitely Ancient Greek-American. ---
**Author:** ![Leiko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Leiko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leiko)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/49 "2010-12-11T04:51:54Z")
> [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](#): > > Should we also exclude Jamie Bamber (Apollo from BSG)? Or Marian Keyes (Chuck from Pushing Daisies)? And as for the accents of the Bionic Woman and Sarah Connor, well… Chuck is played by Anna Friel, not Marian Keyes. (I only nitpick because I’m an Anna.) ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/50 "2010-12-11T05:40:01Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > 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?!?!” Good call, though he’s improved a lot over the years. He sounded off in Leon - mostly because he was yelling for the entire film, and yelling is really where an accent is put to the test. Speaking of yelling, ever notice that whatever accent he’s using, when Tom Hanks yells, he sounds like regular old Tom Hanks? **The Good** Christian Bale conducted all of his interviews on the American talk show circuit promoting Batman Begins in his American accent. Supposedly, the studio feared alienated viewers and having idiots think Batman will sound British. Daniel Craig did a decent job in Road to Perdition. I was more impressed with his work there after I saw Layer Cake and Casino Royale. Michael J. Fox worked hard to get rid of his Canadian-isms on the set of Family Ties. I’ve seen an interview where he related that he wanted to read the line as, “Soory, Mum” and he had to really force himself to pronounce sorry like the dress to sound American, “Sari, Mom.” Billy Crudup was convincing as a Brit in the spy film The Good Shepard. Also Meyrl Streep, **The Bad** Gerard Butler isn’t fooling anyone. I’d sooner believe he was Neptunian than American. **The Ugly** Kevin Costner in Robin Hood. There’s a few scenes where he tries, but mostly he doesn’t. Brando (sorry) in Mutiny on the Bounty. Good performance, though – if you can separate it from the accent. * * * I can’t act at all, but I am a pretty good mimic. If when I’m immersed in a place for a stretch of time, I can fool the locals in my experience. Being brief, and not having to yell, helps of course. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/51 "2010-12-11T06:36:27Z")
> [@Larry\_Mudd](#): > > 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… And the Brits who read audiobooks. Even some of the best, like Simon Prebble or Tony Britton flaaaaatten their vowels and rrrrround their R’s so much that they remind me of a bad John Wayne impersonator. When a character in a Dick Francis audiobook says “Oh, Cecilia, it looks like Johnny Bob Houston, the Texan oil tycoon, has arrived. Oh, do let’s converse with him!”, I get ready to fast-forward. Before Johnny Bob says “_Waaall, hahwdy therrre, paaaaardnerrr!_” ---
**Author:** ![Ace\_Weederman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@Ace\_Weederman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace_Weederman)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/52 "2010-12-11T23:32:04Z")
[QUOTE=villa] You didn’t think Jimmy McNulty in the Wire had a good American accent? [/QUOTE] > [@gallows\_fodder](#): > > I can’t be the only one who thinks Dominic West’s attempt at an American accent wasn’t all that successful, can I? > > He’s a great actor and was wonderful as McNulty in every other regard, but I constantly heard his English accent come through, except for the places where he’d hit his Rs hard. Idris Elba’s accent was much, much better – if I hadn’t already known he was English, I never would have guessed. You’re not the only one, **gallows fodder** – on one of the DVD commentaries, even Dominic himself has a laugh about his Baltimore accent. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/53 "2010-12-11T23:37:09Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > Anna Paquin does a passable Southern American accent. She must do it in some other show than True Blood. Her poor accent is one of the reasons I can’t get into the show. ---
**Author:** ![Ace\_Weederman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@Ace\_Weederman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace_Weederman)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/54 "2010-12-11T23:40:53Z")
Interestingly, Rachel Griffiths, the Australian actress who I think had a pitch perfect American accent in Six Feet Under said, [“Scottish is the hardest accent…”](http://www.ianwatsonuk.com/rachelgriffiths.html) (Though, in fairness, it sounds like she didn’t have nearly as much prep time for her Scottish accent.) ---
**Author:** ![MichaelQReilly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@MichaelQReilly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelQReilly)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/55 "2010-12-11T23:43:58Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Yeah! That’s the guy. His accent is flawless. > > ETA: And I see now he’s Australian. Really? I think he is good about 80% of the time, but lapses back into an Aussie accent the other 20% of the time. And that is on a good day. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/56 "2010-12-12T00:01:11Z")
This thread has made me remember that Robert Downey Jr.'s character in _Tropic Thunder_ was originally supposed to be Irish until he told the filmmakers that his Australian accent was his strongest. (I think I read that here on the Board.) ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/57 "2010-12-12T09:10:05Z")
> [@kevlaw](#): > > On the other hand, I can only think of a small handful of performances where an american actor did a convincing British accent. (Brad Pitt was scarily good in Snatch. And I really mean scary. I was suddenly 10 years old again and afraid of being beaten up by the Pikeys). Minor, irritating, but factual nitpick: though Brad Pitt’s character was in England, his accent is not British - it’s Irish Traveller. And it is very good. ---
**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 12, 2010, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/58 "2010-12-12T16:57:46Z")
_Christian Bale_ is British? ---
**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 12, 2010, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/59 "2010-12-12T17:17:32Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > _Christian Bale_ is British? Wow, he’s Welsh. I must not have seen him do any non-Batman interviews. ---
**Author:** ![Leiko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Leiko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leiko)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/60 "2010-12-12T17:50:28Z")
I think that with Christian Bale’s ability to do accents, it helps immensely that he moved around as a child (born in Wales to English parents, lived in places like Portugal and California), and started doing roles with other accents fairly early- [Newsies](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104990/), for instance. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669.md?page=4)