MetaChat - Poll results: Worst American accents by British actors.

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30 May 2008

Poll results: Worst American accents by British actors. I've never seen any of the shows in question- are the accents really that bad?→[More:]

I don't really ever recall hearing a British actor do a poor American accent. I've heard some American actors from up north do REALLY bad southern accents, though. Case in point: Driving Miss Daisy. Jessica Tandy's accent was perfect. Dan Akroyd's was terrible.

post by: BoringPostcards at: 13:08 | 35 comments

Aykroyd is Canadian.

And from the little I've heard from him (not a House watcher), Hugh Laurie does a pretty darn convincing American-ish accent. Don't know why he ended up so high on the list of bad ones.

As for worst British accent by an American? Hands down: Keanu Reeves in Bram Stoker's Dracula (although Wikipedia tells me he's sort of Canadian, too).

posted by Atom Eyes 30 May | 13:20

Yeah, I was going to say Dominic West, till I saw him mentioned at the end... occasionally he nailed the Baltimore accent, but most of the time he was barely generic American.

Idris Elba on the other hand was awesome.

posted by gaspode 30 May | 13:22

I think the problem is that they all shoot for this really generic American accent, and they never sound like they're from anywhere that they're supposed to be from.

If Hugh Laurie sounded more like he actually hailed from the Northeast, it be a little more convincing, IMO.

posted by muddgirl 30 May | 13:26

Aykroyd is Canadian.

Ok, from WAAAY up north. :) (Actually, I did not know that.)

I think the problem is that they all shoot for this really generic American accent, and they never sound like they're from anywhere that they're supposed to be from.

I think Americans trying for a British accent often make the same mistake. Accents are so region-specific. I can spot another native Atlantan just because our accent isn't quite like the rest of Georgia.

posted by BoringPostcards 30 May | 13:31

People are always asking me where I'm from since I have an accent, which is horribly embarrassing. I'm from here. I don't think I have an accent. I've obviously picked up some weird speech patterns from who knows where.

Because of this, "generic American" works for me. I rarely notice if an actor slips up on the American accent- I just figure he or his character grew up in some small town that pronounces that word that particular way.

posted by small_ruminant 30 May | 13:40

I had to endure House while visiting my family. I had no idea until today that Laurie was anything but american. The only other of the shows that I have seen was a couple episodes of Pushing Daisies and for the most part, the dialog on that show comes at you so fast, I couldn't understand much of anything being said by anyone.

posted by Ardiril 30 May | 13:41

Yeah Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver both have terrible accents in The Riches.
But it is such an awesome show that they are excused.

posted by rmless2 30 May | 13:47

Hugh Laurie's accent is a fine non-regional American accent. It's very weird he's on the list.

posted by deborah 30 May | 14:11

I never had a problem with Ian McShane's or Hugh Laurie's accents. Marianne Jean-Baptiste, though--awful fake NY accent.

posted by mrmoonpie 30 May | 14:14

Dominic West was the first one that popped into my head, too. He's was distractingly bad on occasion. But I think Hugh Laurie does a fantastic job and Ian McShane was perfect in all ways. And even if he wasn't, who could tell? Everyone on Deadwood seemed to have their own accent, which makes sense since everyone there was from somewhere else.

posted by jrossi4r 30 May | 14:26

House is the only show on the list that I've seen, and I was very surprised to find out that Hugh Laurie was not American.

posted by desjardins 30 May | 14:34

All I have to say is this:

Dick Van Dyke.

I rest my case.

posted by essexjan 30 May | 14:41

I'll see your Dick Van Dyke and raise you a Kevin Costner in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, essexjan.

posted by King of Prontopia 30 May | 15:08

One thing I always found interesting was the "Mid-Atlantic" accents of people like Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn. The accent they created was no accident, nor due to incompetence, it was a deliberate blend.

posted by King of Prontopia 30 May | 15:11

You get a two-fer of in Judas Kiss: Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson (two of my favorite actors) killing themselves trying for the soft N'Orleans drawl. It's riveting, in a horrid sort of way.

posted by Elsa 30 May | 15:17

In the early House, it's more pronounced and he does do this aggressive monotone, he's developed his own rhythm of American curmudgeon but i didn't notice it until seanyboy asked a question about it here years ago.
i think Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver are fine, and the first season of the Riches was compelling, Minnie doing an amazing job acting.
If i'm busy watching the acting, i can be distracted.
Americans can barely speak english.
Anna Friel is fine because that whole show is so stagey and dooled up. And Ian McShane on Deadwood is unimpeachable.

Kevin Costner completely reimagined bad accent matching with that movie, only rivaled by Harvey Keitel's Judas.

posted by ethylene 30 May | 15:26

That's interesting, King of Prontopia; I never knew what that was called, and I've always been so curious about it.

posted by taz 30 May | 15:27

And Ian McShane on Deadwood is unimpeachable.

I was actually confused in the first episode when they pegged his character as being British-born, because the accent sounded thoroughly American, if a bit too polished and roomy. I love that man's voice, could listen to him call me a cocksucker all day.

posted by middleclasstool 30 May | 15:44

That Costner Robin Hood movie had me laughing out loud at the scene where there's a waterfall in Sherwood Forest. In flat, flat, sea-level-flat Sherwood Forest.

posted by essexjan 30 May | 15:52

I think the problem with this survey is that all these actors became recognisable in the UK first, with their natural accents on full display. The BBC audience has naturally become familiar with seeing them in their initial BBC roles, so it becomes more a question of "Which British actor speaking in an American accent on US tv is most jarring for you to hear?"

A far better methodology would be to give average US viewers the same broad sample of British actors playing Americans and ask "Which of these do you think are British?" or perhaps "Who has the strangest-sounding American accent?" Prior knowledge taints the results.

All this to say, obviously a slow news day.

posted by kyleg 30 May | 15:54

That Costner Robin Hood movie had me laughing out loud

It is a comedy. It doesn't matter what they meant.

posted by ethylene 30 May | 15:55

Australian, not Brit but Russell Crowe did the worst American (supposedly NE New Jersey) accent in American Gangster.

posted by octothorpe 30 May | 15:56

(Actually, I did not know that.)

Get this man a DVD copy of Canadian Bacon! Then get him some actual bacon!

DA's scene in that movie is just about as hilarious as US/Canadia humor gets.

posted by Eideteker 30 May | 15:58

One thing I always found interesting was the "Mid-Atlantic" accents of people like Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn. The accent they created was no accident, nor due to incompetence, it was a deliberate blend.

I can't speak for Cary G. and Katharine H., but some people really do sound like that, and there were more of them in the first half of the 20th century. A few of them are in my family.

posted by tangerine 30 May | 16:44

Hugh Laurie's accent is fine to my ears, I keep having to remind myself that he's from the UK during that show and I really listen to hear if he ever slips up. (and I dislike the show, I only watch it for the accent!) Make him say vitamins or aluminum sometime PLEASE dear script writers!

Now, can someone do a list of American actresses doing UK accents? Gwyneth Palthrow anyone?

posted by dabitch 30 May | 17:01

Now, can someone do a list of American actresses doing UK accents?

Lisa Eichhorn in 'Yanks' did a very good Lancashire accent. Renee Zellweger in the Bridge Jones movies was ok too.

posted by essexjan 30 May | 18:09

During Hugh Laurie's audition, producer David Shore told how Bryan Singer, one of the executive producers, said, "See, this is what I want; an American guy." Singer was completely unaware of the fact that Hugh Laurie is British.

(from imdb)

The audition tape is here if you want to check it out.

posted by jtron 30 May | 18:57

I've never actually watched House but I do like Laurie and feel somewhat of an affinity for the character as I am a scruffy man who walks with a cane, pops painkillers all day long, and doesn't go anywhere without a portable video game

posted by jtron 30 May | 18:59

Error: Failed to find information for file. Please try again later. If the problem persists, contact a GUBA administrator.

Oh drats! I wanted to see that, what should I search for to find it?

I dig the cane, the whole painkiller popping thang, the scruffy and the total smartass of his character, so I must buy you a wee dram or ten now you know.

posted by dabitch 30 May | 19:09

John Cleese, anywhere.

posted by jonmc 30 May | 19:28

Best one I've ever heard was Damian Lewis in Band of Brothers. I never would have pegged him as a brit.

posted by ooga_booga 30 May | 19:48

Hugh Laurie's accent in House always twigged me as being slightly off. I think he rolls his "r"s too much in some cases - I'm not exactly sure about exactly what since I haven't watched an episode of it in a while - but it's just not right to my ear. Far from the worst, though. Maybe Dudley Moore in anything he's done.

posted by ooga_booga 30 May | 19:51

Damian Lewis isn't American? Wow, he is good.

posted by bmarkey 30 May | 19:53

i loved his show Life. i want them to keep it.
He also tried to hard in Dreamcatcher it made me feel horrible for him, being trapped in that movie, even more than everyone else.

posted by ethylene 30 May | 20:11

Yeah, I was a little horrified to see that Lewis's first big movie role after Band of Brothers was a Stephen King feature - he really deserved better. When I first started watching BoB, I was really gobsmacked to learn he was british. I think the accent he used in BoB was very midwestern and not very generic-american at all, which is what made it work so well. I haven't watched Life, though.

posted by ooga_booga 30 May | 21:34

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