# 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:** 14\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/101 "2010-12-14T21:32:33Z")
> [@Larry\_Mudd](#): > > 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!) He was Daphne’s boorish brother Simon on _Frasier!_[Here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsNwMm3ugFc&feature=related) he is doing Manchester. By the way, LaPaglia is from Australia (Adelaide). ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/102 "2010-12-14T22:08:52Z")
> [@Labdad](#): > > He was Daphne’s boorish brother Simon on _Frasier!_[Here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsNwMm3ugFc&feature=related) he is doing Manchester. > > By the way, LaPaglia is from Australia (Adelaide). The first thing I ever saw LaPaglia in was the comedy “Betsy’s Wedding,” in which he played a young Italian-American mobster in love with a New York policewoman. The next thing I ever saw him in was “The Client,” in which he played another Ameircan gangster, In both movies, he used the same blue-collar, New York Italian accent, and he was very convincing. I grew up in a heavily Italian section of New York, and never suspected he was Australian. But of course, LaPaglia has mastered only ONE type of “American” accent. we know he can sound ljust ike a blue-collar guy from Noo Yawk City. Can he do any OTHER type of American accent? Or has he found his niche? ---
**Author:** ![Charley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/97f17d/32.png) [@Charley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charley)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/103 "2010-12-14T22:23:01Z")
> [@Labdad](#): > > [Here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsNwMm3ugFc&feature=related) he is doing Manchester. > > By the way, LaPaglia is from Australia (Adelaide). And that, by a very long way is the _worst_ attempt at a regional English accent I have ever heard. Seriously, I’ve wondered since I first heard it on Frasier - is it actually a joke? Does anyone know? ---
**Author:** ![Hrududu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Hrududu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hrududu)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/104 "2010-12-14T23:19:27Z")
I never really rated Hugh Laurie’s accent in House. But then I realised that it was probably because I was so used to hearing his English one that anything else sounded fake. As well as having an American accent he’s taken out the “bouncyness” I was so used to, which threw me. A lot of Australian actors seem to do good American accents. Simon Baker slips a bit but other than that its pretty good. I have no idea what a good Southern accent sounds like so its hard for me to tell what Anna Paquin’s accent is like. But how do people find her brother Jason’s accent? He’s Australian. For me Aidan Gillen’s accent in The Wire was pretty bad, but Idris Elba’s was excellent. I had no idea he was English. ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/105 "2010-12-14T23:28:17Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > Toni Collette does a passable American accent. Better than passable, IMO. Her accent in _The Sixth Sense_ was so flawless I thought she was a Philly native. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/106 "2010-12-14T23:28:58Z")
> [@Charley](#): > > And that, by a very long way is the _worst_ attempt at a regional English accent I have ever heard. Seriously, I’ve wondered since I first heard it on Frasier - is it actually a joke? Does anyone know? I certainly don’t know. How was Jane Reeves’s accent? Of course, she’s British, but not from Manchester. Totally off topic, the accent I DO know is Georgia, and no show ever did a worse job of that than “Designing Women!” ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/107 "2010-12-14T23:33:53Z")
> [@Charley](#): > > And that, by a very long way is the _worst_ attempt at a regional English accent I have ever heard. Seriously, I’ve wondered since I first heard it on Frasier - is it actually a joke? Does anyone know? Yeah, that was pitiful. > [@Labdad](#): > > I certainly don’t know. How was Jane Reeves’s accent? Of course, she’s British, but not from Manchester. Where is she supposed to be from? I couldn’t tell. I hope she wasn’t supposed to be doing a Manc accent as well! ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/108 "2010-12-14T23:56:45Z")
Whoever it was earlier that said that they do not recognise different US accents, I am totally with you. For me the US has ‘the south’ and ‘everywhere else’. It is only when a point is made of different accents (‘Fargo’ and that lady playing a Bostonian on ‘30 Rock’ come to mind) that I notice a difference. Clearly my failing and it is why I am a bit more forgiving of Americans going ‘alright guvner’. I am just as bad. I never did get on with Paltrow or Zellwenger’s British accents, but maybe part of that is the fact that the whole sloaney estuary English makes me want to hit things. I can’t stand it. ---
**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 15, 2010, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/109 "2010-12-15T01:28:06Z")
I think Meryl Streep has been mentioned only once in this thread. As the undisputed Queen of Accents, she deserves a second mention. ---
**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 15, 2010, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/110 "2010-12-15T01:29:16Z")
> [@Hrududu](#): > > But how do people find her brother Jason’s accent? He’s Australian. Ryan Kwanten’s southern accent is quite good in my opinion. It has the subtlety that a lot of the others are missing. ---
**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 15, 2010, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/111 "2010-12-15T02:12:58Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I think Meryl Streep has been mentioned only once in this thread. As the undisputed Queen of Accents, she deserves a second mention. Ahh, Meryl Streep in Evil Angels - now THAT’S an unconvincing Australian accent. Unwatchably bad. I found a clip from it ([check out Meryl around 1:57](http://www.sbs.com.au/films/movie/3372/Evil-Angels)) from an Australian film review show where, ironically, the reviewer comments on how good her accent is right after she absolutely bloody butchers it. ---
**Author:** ![Kim\_o\_the\_Concrete\_Jungle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ee7513/32.png) [@Kim\_o\_the\_Concrete\_Jungle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kim_o_the_Concrete_Jungle)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2010, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/112 "2010-12-15T02:24:46Z")
This girl is pretty good. The two Australian accents she does are pretty much right: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/3UgpfSp2t6k/maxresdefault.jpg "21 Accents") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UgpfSp2t6k) ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2010, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/113 "2010-12-15T02:36:36Z")
> [@koeeoaddi](#): > > Better than passable, IMO. Her accent in _The Sixth Sense_ was so flawless I thought she was a Philly native. Hah another Aussie! > [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I think Meryl Streep has been mentioned only once in this thread. As the undisputed Queen of Accents, she deserves a second mention. Bullshit, her Australian accent is horrible! She sounds like an american trying to do a New Zealand accent after living in South Africa for 10 years!!! ---
**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 15, 2010, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669/114 "2010-12-15T03:07:55Z")
Well, I’ll have to defer to the Aussies. But she’s got a rep for nailing any accent under the sun. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harder-to-fake-a-british-accent-or-an-american-accent/563669.md?page=5)