# 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:** 5
**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 14, 2010, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/81 "2010-12-14T04:49:34Z")
How about Ian McShane in _Deadwood_? ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/82 "2010-12-14T06:13:50Z")
> [@Cazzle](#): > > Ok, if it’s Jemaine Clement from[this Outback Steakhouse ad](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mb-LjF-pLNM) then no, he doesn’t sound Australian. That’s probably because he’s from New Zealand. Kiwis sound exactly like Aussies in the same way that Canucks sound exactly like Yanks. No, he’s talking about the guy that normally does the [voiceovers](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ5JhoImPN4&feature=related) for the Outback commercials. ---
**Author:** ![Mississippienne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@Mississippienne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mississippienne)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/83 "2010-12-14T07:20:47Z")
John Barrowman’s American accent had me fooled when I first heard him. I can only hear him slip up occasionally, usually when he uses a British pronunciation of a word like “estrogen”. But I’m an American Southerner, so he may sound faker to a real Midwesterner. I haven’t seen _True Blood_, but Anna Paquin’s attempt at a Southern accent as Rogue in the X-Men movies is pathetic. Especially when she and Hugh Jackman are in a scene together, you can hear them slipping back into their Aussie/Kiwi accents. I think people assume she does a passable Southern accent because most non-Southerners appear to have _no idea what a Southern accent sounds like_. I live in NYC and unless I walk around quoting Foghorn Leghorn and _Deliverance_, NYers either think I’m British or Russian. And that’s from fellow Americans – no telling what Britons think we’re supposed to sound like. If you’re interested in hearing some real Southern accents, I recommend checking out the 2000 movie _Red Dirt_, starring Walton Goggins (born Birmingham, AL, raised in Georgia) and Dan Montgomery (native of Houston, TX). ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/84 "2010-12-14T07:23:32Z")
> [@villa](#): > > Trust me, you don’t. We all tell Americans that to stop them telling us what a perfect British accent they do, and demonstrating it to us when we are trying to get bladdered watching the footy. > > It’s a recommended tactic in the book the Foreign Office gives us when we travel here. Brits are all liars? Wow. (I don’t ask, it’s been volunteered, and I’ve fooled more than one) ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/85 "2010-12-14T07:25:32Z")
> [@Mississippienne](#): > > If you’re interested in hearing some real Southern accents, I recommend checking out the 2000 movie _Red Dirt_, starring Walton Goggins (born Birmingham, AL, raised in Georgia) and Dan Montgomery (native of Houston, TX). Holly Hunter. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/86 "2010-12-14T07:35:41Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > No, he’s talking about the guy that normally does the [voiceovers](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ5JhoImPN4&feature=related) for the Outback commercials. Thanks for the link. He doesn’t sound obviously fake to me. There are a couple of words that I wonder about (“made” in “freshly made sides”) but I think that’s because I’m listening so hard for anything out of place. If this appeared as one in a block of ads on TV here, I doubt I’d think there was anything odd about his accent. My vote is he’s either Australian or he’s doing the best Aussie accent I’ve ever heard. It’s just a little more enthusiastic than I’m used to. Compare to actual Australian adverts on [this page](http://www.chemistwarehouse.com.au/promotions/3aw/) - there’s play buttons next to the products. ---
**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 14, 2010, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/87 "2010-12-14T08:17:57Z")
> [@Mississippienne](#): > > If you’re interested in hearing some real Southern accents, I recommend checking out the 2000 movie _Red Dirt_, starring Walton Goggins (born Birmingham, AL, raised in Georgia) and Dan Montgomery (native of Houston, TX). Or just watch _The Shield,_ which gives you a hearty dose of Goggins in every single episode for seven whole seasons. ---
**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 14, 2010, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/88 "2010-12-14T09:21:20Z")
> [@Cazzle](#): > > Thanks for the link. He doesn’t sound obviously fake to me. There are a couple of words that I wonder about (“made” in “freshly made sides”) but I think that’s because I’m listening so hard for anything out of place. Same. He sounds genuine to me, too. And if he’s an Aussie living in America for a while, that may account for any variation. ---
**Author:** ![Lobot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/89 "2010-12-14T09:52:15Z")
Agreed about the Outback Steakhouse voice-over. Genuine, though the “made” did sound weird. ---
**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 14, 2010, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/90 "2010-12-14T14:48:00Z")
> [@villa](#): > > it’s a recommended tactic in the book the foreign office gives us when we travel here. I knew it!! ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/91 "2010-12-14T15:20:35Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > Brits are all liars? Wow. It’s genetic. It’s how we ended up with such a big Empire. We became honest for a while, and look what happened. There’s a government policy to encourage us to lie more often and see if we can spread the Union Flag back over the world. ---
**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 14, 2010, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/92 "2010-12-14T15:47:55Z")
After all, a Brit did [invent lying](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1058017/)… ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/93 "2010-12-14T17:01:24Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > Holly Hunter. Robert Duvall. I didn’t realize he had an accent in _Days of Thunder_ until halfway through the movie, because he has _my_ accent. Which I’ve never really heard in a movie before. Hugh Laurie does slip up every so very often, though. If I didn’t know he was British I might think it was some sort of other American accent, but every so often you can hear the Queen coming through on the "r"s. Very rarely. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/94 "2010-12-14T18:01:39Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Robert Duvall. I didn’t realize he had an accent in _Days of Thunder_ until halfway through the movie, because he has _my_ accent. Which I’ve never really heard in a movie before. > > Hugh Laurie does slip up every so very often, though. If I didn’t know he was British I might think it was some sort of other American accent, but every so often you can hear the Queen coming through on the "r"s. Very rarely. I watched some Fry and Laurie on Netflix the other day…very strange to see House so young, clean shaven, and British, hanging out with Oscar Wilde… ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/95 "2010-12-14T18:16:52Z")
My first wife was from Australia. She tended to sneer at depictions of Australians in any movies made outside of Australia. It really got under her skin that all Australians were depicted as having what she called “that pretty little Sydney accent.” After many years in the US, her own accent had faded considerably, but when it amused her to do so she could get “all vowelly.” ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/96 "2010-12-14T20:04:40Z")
> [@Leiko](#): > > 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. I’m going to third, fourth, or fifth Christian Bale. I had absolutely no idea he was not American until I heard an NPR interview with, I think, Terri Gross who, when Christian Bale mentioned being a native of GB, was equally as surprised, and actually said to him “wait, you’re putting on an American accent now?” ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/97 "2010-12-14T20:10:28Z")
> [@Alias](#): > > Horrible, horrible accent! Every time I see those commercials, I’m imagining the director shouting, “No! No! It’s got to be MORE Australian!” > [@Cazzle](#): > > Thanks for the link. He doesn’t sound obviously fake to me. There are a couple of words that I wonder about (“made” in “freshly made sides”) but I think that’s because I’m listening so hard for anything out of place. If this appeared as one in a block of ads on TV here, I doubt I’d think there was anything odd about his accent. My vote is he’s either Australian or he’s doing the best Aussie accent I’ve ever heard. It’s just a little more enthusiastic than I’m used to. > [@GuanoLad](#): > > Same. He sounds genuine to me, too. And if he’s an Aussie living in America for a while, that may account for any variation. > [@Lobot](#): > > Agreed about the Outback Steakhouse voice-over. Genuine, though the “made” did sound weird. Wow. As an American I always thought the accent on those commercials was so over the top and fake. And re: John Barrowman, from seeing him on TV interview shows and listening to his audiobook, isn’t that his \*real \*accent? I don’t think you can say he sounds fake when that’s actually how he speaks. ---
**Author:** ![Lobot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/98 "2010-12-14T20:32:55Z")
In fairness, the Outback Steakhouse guy’s accent is more broad than a lot of Australians, but it’s not over-the-top, and it’s the sort of voice-over you’d hear on ads for more “Aussie” products here. ---
**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:** [December 14, 2010, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/99 "2010-12-14T21:04:32Z")
Two that most impressed me with their American accents: The guy that played Mayor Carcetti on _The Wire_, (Irish), and the actress that plays Rose on _Two And A Half Men_ (New Zealand). I also had no idea that Julian McMahon (Dr. Doom in _Fantastic Four_, Cole on _Charmed_) was Australian until I saw him on a talk show. ---
**Author:** ![Scubaqueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@Scubaqueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scubaqueen)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/100 "2010-12-14T21:05:31Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > Wow. As an American I always thought the accent on those commercials was so over the top and fake. > > And re: John Barrowman, from seeing him on TV interview shows and listening to his audiobook, isn’t that his \*real \*accent? I don’t think you can say he sounds fake when that’s actually how he speaks. ’ barrowman was born in scotland but raised mostly in the states. as i mentioned upthread, you rarely hear him do a scot accent, even tho that’s his country of birth, but there’s a snippet or two on youtube where he does. he’s said in a past interview that when he’s home with the folks in scotland, he dusts off the scot accent, otherwise he speaks like an american. idk if he maintains dual citizenship or not. when i first saw him on doctor who, i simply assumed ‘american’ by what my ears were telling me. i’d never heard of him before, of course, but it didn’t take me long to become a complete fangirl. 😃 he is still my favorite companion to the doctor, and us fan girls’ve been tentatively promised by both SM and RTD that they will do their best to get captain jack back on who for a visit if at all possible. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669.md?page=6)