# Is it just me, or is Batman Begins really British? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 19, 2005, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-batman-begins-really-british/308934 "2005-06-19T18:52:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sjc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@sjc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sjc)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-batman-begins-really-british/308934/1 "2005-06-19T18:52:22Z")
I noticwd this when I watched it last night. There are a lot of Britsh actors in **Batman Begins** (I’m using “British” in the more encompassing sense of “from the British Isles”, meaning England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland.) I checked this on the IMDB and there are 15 first billed actors. 9 of the actors are listed as being born somewhere in the British Isles. 6 of the actors are not. Colin McFarlane does not have a place of birth listed, but based on the movies he’s been in I’d say it’s possible he’s British. Rutger Hauer was born in the Netherlands. Ken Wantanabe was born in Japan. This leaves only Katies Holmes and Mark Boon Junior, both of whom were born in Ohio. So out of 15 actors only about 2 are bona fide Americans. Most of the rest are from the British Isles. I thought this was interesting for a movie sotensibly set in America, with American accents. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-batman-begins-really-british/308934/2 "2005-06-19T18:59:20Z")
I believe the director, Christopher Nolan, is also “British”. ---
**Author:** ![sjc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@sjc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sjc)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-batman-begins-really-british/308934/3 "2005-06-19T19:02:26Z")
According to the Internet Movie Database, he is. (Oh, and sorry for “sotensibly”, I meant ostensibly.) ---
**Author:** ![Wolfian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Wolfian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolfian)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-batman-begins-really-british/308934/4 "2005-06-19T19:05:38Z")
Well, duh. The movie was just a bunch of people wandering around Arkham Asylum opening doors. -Oh, I was just, err… -What is it Dr. Sebastin? I’m arranging matchsticks. -Er, the Batman is here. -Good lord! Does he want tea? -No, I think its more serious than that. He bought a Bat-Flag. With apologizes to Eddie Izzard. ---
**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:** [June 19, 2005, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-batman-begins-really-british/308934/5 "2005-06-19T19:11:51Z")
Good job they are not the Merry and Pippin type of ‘British’. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-batman-begins-really-british/308934/6 "2005-06-19T19:19:58Z")
You should note though that a very good percentage (particularly of male actors) is either British or Autralian/NZer. In general, I think the Aussies are better at rough and rugged, while as the Brits have the better actors. Americans are just kind of there in the grand scheme of movie men. E.g. Ewan McGregor Ben Affleck Hugh Jackman ---
**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:** [June 19, 2005, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-batman-begins-really-british/308934/7 "2005-06-19T19:39:04Z")
Large parts of it were filmed at Shepperton studios and various locations around England, too. It’s almost as “English” as _Star Wars_. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-batman-begins-really-british/308934/8 "2005-06-19T23:09:20Z")
The early stories kept making a huge point about how the production added all these renowned actors for value and gravitas. Which I took as a giant neon blinking sign that both the guy playing Batman and the script had neither. Guess others agreed. [http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2005-06-19-box-office-analysis\_x.htm](http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2005-06-19-box-office-analysis_x.htm) > [@](#): > > The Christopher Nolan film fell $10 million short of the most conservative estimates of box office analysts … ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-batman-begins-really-british/308934/9 "2005-06-19T23:28:20Z")
Too bad you feel that way, because it was really terrific.