Hugh Laurie's English accent

zebracakes · February 6th, 2006, 09:19 PM

I just found out today that Hugh Laurie, the star of "House", is actually British. Dang, his American accent is so convincing. What's really freaky though is listening to his real accent. It sounds NOTHING like his Dr. House character. Here's a clip:

http://www.hughlauriefaq.com/DID.wav

muchlove · February 6th, 2006, 09:46 PM

It's a great accent. I really only knew him from Blackadder (British show) and I didn't even recognize him when I saw him on House. It wasn't until I saw him on a talk show and I heard his real accent that I realized who he was.
He's such a great actor, I love him.

A*O · February 6th, 2006, 10:35 PM

Ohhhhhh I thought everyone knew he's a Brit? And a posh one at that. Public school and Oxford, etc. He played Bertie Wooster in a PG Wodehouse series a while back and is in most of the Blackadder series. I'm not a House nut, but have seen a couple of episodes and his American accent seems to be quite authentic, but you guys would know.

cynic · February 7th, 2006, 02:54 PM

Yes, much to his credit, he has the American accent down pat. I read somewhere that he was asked how much harder was it for him to not only learn lines, but to get the accent right while doing it. He said it was like playing tennis, but everyone else had rackets and he had a fish.

He slays me.

miss_perfect · February 7th, 2006, 02:56 PM

Yeah try to listen to Orlando Bloom attempting an American accent in Elizabethtown and then listen to Hugh Laurie in House. No comparison.

I always thought that Christian Bale was the master of masking accents, but now he must bow down to Hugh.

zebracakes · February 7th, 2006, 03:30 PM

I think the worst fake accent I've ever heard was when Martin Sheen did a Southern accent in a Civil War movie whose name escapes me at the moment. He was playing Gen. Lee. You could tell it was so hard for him to do the accent that his acting was suffering for it. He was so stiff and fake in that role that it was distracting.

moocow · February 7th, 2006, 04:24 PM

I love this quote from imdb:
http://imdb.com/title/tt0412142/trivia

During Hugh Laurie's audition, David Shore says that 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 Laurie is English.

olivia720 · February 7th, 2006, 11:23 PM

His british accent is divine to listen to. He says he hates his own voice, and hates listening to himself and won't watch House or anything else he's in. I love his american accent in House. At first it was odd hearing him talk like that, but its perfect now.

ourmaninBusan · February 7th, 2006, 11:27 PM

Quote:

He says he hates his own voice, and hates listening to himself and won't watch House or anything else he's in.

He won't last in the industry. Everyone else around him does NOTHING
but indulge in narcissistic media studies ("What're they saying about me?
Are the reviews in? Am I still hot? Am I hotter than Mischa?!")...

cynic · February 8th, 2006, 09:21 AM

Please don't be right. Please don't let me tune in next year and see House as a steroided metrosexual with chiclet teeth and a face as smooth and characterless as a baby's butt......

Please. No.

UndercoverGator · February 8th, 2006, 10:45 AM

He's brilliant and he's too much of a non conformist to turn into a Hollyweird leading fake man. I first became aware of Hugh in "Sense & Sensibility" where he played an upperclass version of Dr. House, Mr. Palmer former MP and lord of the manor. His character was equally sarcastic and nasty. Then I had to watch him on Blackadder and other smuggled out via my friend in Plymouth BBC productions. He rocks.

cynic · February 8th, 2006, 11:38 AM

I totally agree. His intelligence shows through to his character. Just proves that you cannot "act" intelligent. That's why I have such little respect for so many "Hollywood" actors. They are not intelligent but come to believe that they are because of the way they look or because of how many idiots are kissing their butts.

I find brains to be incredibly seductive.

I just hope Mr. Laurie doesn't get sick enough of Hollywood to go back to the U.K. and leave us "Houseless."

olivia720 · February 10th, 2006, 09:13 PM

I dont think he will . . . have you seen how much they pay him?? And he said he'll def stay as long as they want him. He said he loves doing the show.
Yes, cynic, so true. Brains are sexy as hell and he has em. (This is why tara reid playing an archeologist didnt come off too well!!)