English actors doing foreign accents- any good?

**Honey** · March 29th, 2008, 09:01 AM

Hello

Was wondering what people thought about English actors' accents. I have caught "House" a couple of times, what do you think of Hugh Lauries accent? Is it good or crap? Also, the girl in Bionic Woman (Michelle Ryan) is her accent any good? It's hard to tell ,as an English girl, if many English/British people can pull off sounding American.

Can't think of many other actors at the moment but comment on them if you can think of any. Can be any accent, Aus, French etc

**smf** · March 29th, 2008, 09:16 AM

^ there was an english actor who was in who framed roger rabbit ,he played a cop i think but he nailed the new york accent ,people were surprised when they found out later that he was he was from england ,cant think of his name though sorry

**McJag** · March 29th, 2008, 09:19 AM

House has it down perfectly!! I never even think about it.

**NoDayButToday** · March 29th, 2008, 09:20 AM

Yeah, Hugh Laurie's is PERFECT. A lot of people around my age didn't know he was a Brit at all for the longest time, I'm sure some still don't know.

**qwerty** · March 29th, 2008, 09:23 AM

For the most part, British actors have a good command of the American accent. I agree that Hugh Laurie's American accent is fantastic. However, I find Clive Owen's and Ewan McGregor's American accents a bit off. Something doesn't ring true. They sound like Brits trying to sound American if that makes sense.

**zebracakes** · March 29th, 2008, 09:33 AM

Hugh Laurie is great. I never knew he was British until I read about it. Eddie Izzard does a pretty good American accent although I think it's all wrong for the character he plays on "The Riches". Plus, he pronounces Hugh differently than most Americans would. Minnie Driver--isn't she Irish?--is fantastic though.

**GaPeach** · March 29th, 2008, 09:34 AM

Russell Crowe hit's all his accents especially in American Gangster.

Madonna has a lovely Brit accent.. bwa hahahaha just kidding!!

Jude Law nailed Inmans accent in Cold Mountain.

I love the Brit accent.. where would Haldir have been without his Brit accent when he challenged Gimli?

Wish I had never seen Hugh Laurie in The Flight of the Phoenix... can't see him as anything else now - he really sucked

**Chilly Willy** · March 29th, 2008, 09:36 AM

One of the worst accents ever is Jude Law in The Good Shepherd. He overdid the American twang completely.

**GaPeach** · March 29th, 2008, 02:00 PM

^^Oh no let me just share - in the movie Alexander directed by Oliver Stone everyone had a Irish accent wtf? I'm a Jolie fan but her accent was like German or something.. that movie was a total f'up.

On the other hand I LOVED how the critics gave Mark Wahlberg bad marks for his accent in The Perfect Storm..... to bad they didn't know he was born and raised in Boston.

**chartreuse** · March 29th, 2008, 02:03 PM

Originally Posted by smf

^ there was an english actor who was in who framed roger rabbit ,he played a cop i think but he nailed the new york accent ,people were surprised when they found out later that he was he was from england ,cant think of his name though sorry

yep, i totally agree. his name is bob hoskins.

**MrsMarsters** · March 29th, 2008, 02:42 PM

I think a better question would be what american actors..have done a decent english accent? Haha, only ones I can really think of are Johnny depp, and James Marsters..who nailed it.

Originally Posted by ang

yep, i totally agree. his name is bob hoskins.

I remember seeing him in some awful Brit movie and I was shocked he wasn't actually American...he actually sounds better minus the real british accent.

**WhateverLolaWants** · March 29th, 2008, 02:48 PM

Bob hoskins has done several different american accents and they are all excellent.

**Aella** · March 29th, 2008, 02:50 PM

Originally Posted by MrsMarsters

I think a better question would be what american actors..have done a decent english accent? Haha, only ones I can really think of are Johnny depp, and James Marsters..who nailed it.

Even James Marsters only got there after a while. His accent in the first episode he appeared (School Hard, I believe) was so over the top. I heard him in a convention tell the story of how he only had a few days to prepare, and even he cringed at the memory (he also admitted that Tony Head helped him a lot with sounding more natural as a Brit).

**MrsMarsters** · March 29th, 2008, 02:52 PM

^^ Yeah, I was surprised it was better than most. I always think of Scarlett, and Natalia Portman's accents..and cringe..

**Ravenna** · March 29th, 2008, 03:00 PM

Originally Posted by Aella

Even James Marsters only got there after a while. His accent in the first episode he appeared (School Hard, I believe) was so over the top. I heard him in a convention tell the story of how he only had a few days to prepare, and even he cringed at the memory (he also admitted that Tony Head helped him a lot with sounding more natural as a Brit).

I don't remember it ever being cringeworthy... sounds like a good excuse to go back and watch season 2. I was very surprised when I found out his accent was fake and it seemed weird when I saw him on an episode of Northern Exposure speaking with an American accent (and wearing a priest uniform). I'd gotten so used to Spike.