European actors trying to hide their accent

[Flick James]

I always amuses me when a Eurpoean actor tries to play and American and we get to see how good they are at hiding their accent, or even if they try at all, yet we're supposed to buy that they're American. I'm sure it's equally amusing to Europeans when American's try to pull off English/Irish/Russian/etc. accents.

In the case of actors like Sean Connery and Arnold Swartzeneggar, we're way beyond caring. Nobody cares that they can't hide their accent to save their lives. Their accents are their trademark, and what nationality they are is not even part of the equation anymore. What's funny is I've actually seen credits in Arnie movies for "dialogue coach," meaning that at some point he was actually putting forth effort to shed the thick Austrian accent, which makes it even more hilarious.

It may be interesting to note that dry American accents, that is, those free of a strong regional influence, seem much harder to pull off for European actors. Take Colin Farrell, for example. His New York-ish accent in Phonebooth was much easier to buy than his attempts at a straighter accent. Bob Hoskins has done well at playing an American before, but I can't think of a single role where he wasn't affecting an east coast based accent.

Cillian Murphy seems to pull it off well. I saw him in a couple of films before I knew he was an Ireland native, and never suspected anything. I never knew until the other day that the guy who plays Vampire Bill on True Blood is a Brit, but then again, he's doing a regional American accent, which is easier to pull off.

I find a good deal of entertainment value in this phenomenon. What other examples can you think of?

[claws]

Emily Blunt had a few mild accents slips in Wind Chill (2007). Even though she was nearly flawless in Sunshine Cleaning (2008) one could still tell that she is of British origin. However, she is quite good had hiding her accent when the part requires it.

[Vik]

Jean-Claude van Damme

[ChaosTheory]

Hugh Laurie and Idris Elba are both really good at sounding Not-British.  Jason O'Mara and Stuart Townsend are pretty good at hiding their accents when required too.

For actors who are bad at it, I gotta say Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor (both of whom I love) cannot hide their origins at all.  Haven't seen A-TEAM yet so maybe Neeson's getting better, but the Irish was definitely still there in TAKEN.  And McGregor, God bless him, I've heard him go through about 3 accents while delivering one sentence (but he's gorgeous so I don't care  )
I actually thought Stephen Moyer (Vampire Bill)'s accent is pretty horrible, but then I don't live in the South so I'm not the best judge of it; but every time he says "Sookie" I cringe a little    Lafayette's accent, on that show sounds the most authentic to me.

[AndyC]

Hugh Laurie, for sure. He manages a convincing accent without using regional idiosyncrasies as a crutch. When I first came across House, I had to look it up on the IMDB to be sure that was the same guy who was in Blackadder. Now it actually seems weird to me when Laurie speaks normally.

I also thought Lennie James was pretty convincing in Jericho.

One that makes me chuckle is Robert Llewellyn in Red Dwarf doing what he considered a "Vancouver" accent. It wasn't, but I thought it was a pretty good generic North American accent.

One that surprised me was a character on Balamory, a Scottish kids show my daughter watches. Spencer, the painter, is American. But listening to him speak, I always assumed he was a Brit putting on an accent. Something about it seemed forced. I finally looked him up not too long ago, and the actor actually is American. Currently working as a bus driver too, so I was doubly surprised.

[Flick James]

Hugh Laurie and Idris Elba are both really good at sounding Not-British.  Jason O'Mara and Stuart Townsend are pretty good at hiding their accents when required too.

For actors who are bad at it, I gotta say Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor (both of whom I love) cannot hide their origins at all.  Haven't seen A-TEAM yet so maybe Neeson's getting better, but the Irish was definitely still there in TAKEN.  And McGregor, God bless him, I've heard him go through about 3 accents while delivering one sentence (but he's gorgeous so I don't care  )
I actually thought Stephen Moyer (Vampire Bill)'s accent is pretty horrible, but then I don't live in the South so I'm not the best judge of it; but every time he says "Sookie" I cringe a little    Lafayette's accent, on that show sounds the most authentic to me.

Well, I agree about Vampire Bill's accent, sounds like he's going for a Elvis impersonator thing. I just thought he was an American doing a bad accent, not a Brit, that's all.

[zombie no.one]

I'd imagine it might be harder for an American to pull off a consistent English accent than vice versa because we have so many more distinct regional accents, even though we're a much smaller nation. Cornwall, Newcastle, Manchester, Bristol, Liverpool, Birmingham, Plymouth, Norfolk, London (cockney), all have very different accents. I lived in Sunderland for 6 months which is only 15/20 miles or so from Newcastle and the two accents were slightly different.

I can't remember what film I was watching the other day or who the American actor was (if it comes to me I'll edit it in) but he was doing a pretty convincing job of a generic R.P. English accent and then suddenly this bit of Liverpudlian accent came in from nowhere and his cover was blown! Must be hard unless you've lived in a place for a while to know what does and doesn't sound right.

[ChaosTheory]

Hugh Laurie and Idris Elba are both really good at sounding Not-British.  Jason O'Mara and Stuart Townsend are pretty good at hiding their accents when required too.

For actors who are bad at it, I gotta say Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor (both of whom I love) cannot hide their origins at all.  Haven't seen A-TEAM yet so maybe Neeson's getting better, but the Irish was definitely still there in TAKEN.  And McGregor, God bless him, I've heard him go through about 3 accents while delivering one sentence (but he's gorgeous so I don't care  )
I actually thought Stephen Moyer (Vampire Bill)'s accent is pretty horrible, but then I don't live in the South so I'm not the best judge of it; but every time he says "Sookie" I cringe a little    Lafayette's accent, on that show sounds the most authentic to me.

Well, I agree about Vampire Bill's accent, sounds like he's going for a Elvis impersonator thing. I just thought he was an American doing a bad accent, not a Brit, that's all.

Fair enough, he definitely doesn't sound British     
I'd add Viggo Mortenson to the list of actors who can do different regional accents really well.

[Flick James]

I'd imagine it might be harder for an American to pull off a consistent English accent than vice versa because we have so many more distinct regional accents, even though we're a much smaller nation. Cornwall, Newcastle, Manchester, Bristol, Liverpool, Birmingham, Plymouth, Norfolk, London (cockney), all have very different accents. I lived in Sunderland for 6 months which is only 15/20 miles or so from Newcastle and the two accents were slightly different.

I can't remember what film I was watching the other day or who the American actor was (if it comes to me I'll edit it in) but he was doing a pretty convincing job of a generic R.P. English accent and then suddenly this bit of Liverpudlian accent came in from nowhere and his cover was blown! Must be hard unless you've lived in a place for a while to know what does and doesn't sound right.

I completely understand the changes in accent from region to region. This extends to Ireland as well. My wife is from Belfast, and although she has lost her accent from being in the States since childhood, I'm very familiar with the Belfast accent from her family. When listening to a conversation between someone from Belfast and someone from Clare, for example, even an American with little to no exposure to regional differences will soon pick up a distinct difference within minutes.

However, I disagree about the number of regional differences. I can tell you that there are many differences in the States. In the south alone, a Louisiana accent is quite different from a Tennesse accent, or a Georgia accent, etc. Although I can't tell the difference immediately, a New Yorker can typically tell if someone is from the boroughs or if that person is "bridge and tunnel" (from New Jersey/Connecticut/etc.) from accent and manner of speaking. The same holds true of the midwest. I was in the Navy for six years and became very aware of the various differences. I remember hearing a guy from Kentucky telling a guy from Mississippi how strange his accent was.

If I were an actor, I would feel very uncomfortable trying to do accents. I auditioned for an Agatha Christie play when I was in college that was being directed by an Englishman. I did a monologue in my attempt at an English accent and at the end he said my performance was good but crapped all over my accent.

[zombie no.one]

However, I disagree about the number of regional differences. I can tell you that there are many differences in the States. In the south alone, a Louisiana accent is quite different from a Tennesse accent, or a Georgia accent, etc. Although I can't tell the difference immediately, a New Yorker can typically tell if someone is from the boroughs or if that person is "bridge and tunnel" (from New Jersey/Connecticut/etc.) from accent and manner of speaking. The same holds true of the midwest. I was in the Navy for six years and became very aware of the various differences. I remember hearing a guy from Kentucky telling a guy from Mississippi how strange his accent was.

oh right, yeah I probably jumped the gun a bit there. not sure why, but I assumed UK had way more regional variations in accent than states but that's probably not true at all. there are a lot though...

[Neville]

English is not my first language, and I'm not very good when it comes to distinguish the different accents. However I find the way Anna Paquin speak in "True Blood" rather annoying. I think the actor who plays her brother (he's an Australian, I believe) does much better. I catched a short promo of the new season where he speaks whith his real accent and I was shocked by how different he sounds.

Oh, and I'm watching "Lie to me", the series starring Tim Roth. He certainly doesn't sound English to me, but I can tell there's something weird about his voice, as if he was trying too much to sound restrained.

[trekgeezer]

I think Christian Bale does pretty good, even in a western (3:10 to Yuma).  I thought it interesting that when he was doing promotional stuff for Batman Begins he used the American accent.

I lived in the south most of my life and it kills me even when Americans from other regions try talking southern.  I have never even attempted to watch Cold Mountain because Nicole Kidman's accent was so terrible in the ads.

[AndyC]

I think Christian Bale does pretty good, even in a western (3:10 to Yuma).  I thought it interesting that when he was doing promotional stuff for Batman Begins he used the American accent.

Probably thought it would be more comfortable for the audience, seeing essentially the same guy in the interviews as they see in the movie.

It always seems a bit weird at first when Hugh Laurie does an interview in his own accent. I get used to his House accent, and it starts to feel like he's putting on a fake accent when he's speaking normally, but just for a second. It's like I have to shift gears mentally. It's interesting that Laurie won't, or maybe can't jump back and forth between accents. He mentioned that on a talk show once, when he was asked to do the House voice on the spot. He's either doing one accent or the other.

Could be that Bale is similar in that respect. He's either going to sound consistently American or consistently British. He is kind of a method actor, so I could imagine him settling into sort of an American frame of mind to play a role.

One guy who is not particularly convincing is Sam Worthington. Watching him in Terminator: Salvation and Avatar, his accent slips from time to time.

[Flick James]

I think Christian Bale does pretty good, even in a western (3:10 to Yuma).  I thought it interesting that when he was doing promotional stuff for Batman Begins he used the American accent.

I lived in the south most of my life and it kills me even when Americans from other regions try talking southern.  I have never even attempted to watch Cold Mountain because Nicole Kidman's accent was so terrible in the ads.

This is true. People who are not from the south love to try and portray the south, and often make fun of the south, having never stepped foot past the Mason-Dixon. Personally I never care about such things. I'm from the west coast never cared much about the east coast/west coast thing either. It's a free country, portray or make fun of whoever you want to. However, I became good friends with some folks from the south during my six years in the Navy and I've since learned that the south gets misrepresented often. I find it pretty funny how much I'm finding out that half the True Blood cast comes from anywhere but the south. The more I think of Vampire Bill the more I picture a bad Elvis impersonator.  

All the more impressive when a talented actor can pull it off well.

Oh, and here's a vote for "bad" accents. Julia Roberts nearly killed what was otherwise a decent film in Michael Collins. I cringed every time she opened her mouth. Just another example of how Hollywood will stick a big name in wherever they feel like it, no matter how bad the fit. Cameron Diaz in Gangs of New York is another example of this. Yikes.

[claws]

Another vote for bad accents: Melanie Griffith in Shining Through (1992). She was playing a German spy and the audience was made believe that she spoke fluent German with a Berlin accent when needed. None of that is true. German is my second language and I'm not quite sure what language/accent Melanie Griffith spoke in the movie. Whatever it was it sounded super retarded and left me on the floor laughing tears.