Jul 04, 2009 im australian and the american accent can be different. What americans think of australia welcome to new york. Actors from across the pond are flooding american movies and taking on our accentand doing it well. Most british actors couldnt makeitbig without being able to do an american accent, most of the blockbusters are set across the pond. The following british and australian tv stars check their natural accents at the set in favor of sounding like a yank to varying degrees of success. British people attempting their best american accent. Also worth noting that a lot of scottish actors do incredible english accents too just look at david tennant. The last 10 years have been a completely different world in terms of english and australian actors being able to do american accents, says stern, founder and owner of dialect accent specialists.
This is apparently what american accents sound like to. I think a lot of english and australian actors do excellent regional american accents, but then i also think theyre more disciplined than american actors. A british actor can make a reasonable one without learning to do accents. It is more lucrative for a british or australian actor to learn to do an american accent because the movie and tv market in the united states is larger than either of those countries, and, by and large, the demand for british and australian accents in the us is lower than is the demand for. I have been doing german accents for years, but it is so important to always go back to the basics. I would absolutely agree that brit actors have better american accents than americans with british accents. See more ideas about actor, acting and peter serafinowicz. So in the interests of international diplomacy, and in the shadow of an astonishing performance by meryl streep as margaret thatcher, here are just five of the many american actors who have nailed one of the accents which are native to the british isles. A foreignaccent rating experiment on the actors american english with. So once foreign actors manage to quash their accents, they may decide to.
I write this answer as someone who has studied some linguistics and is a native speaker of australian english. Sometimes aussies accents in movies are jarring and shit i. One of the actors was american, the other was english both sounded like they had suffered a stroke. Celebrities doing australian accents interfuse youtube. Many have tried, many have failed, but some british thesps have a real ear for an american accent and appear to have turned this into box office gold, or to be more accurate, tv screen eyeglue. Actors who have pulled off the native accent of your country. The result was a flop of a film which tells the story of four orphans in outback australia. Boost your confidence and skill with accents on an ongoing basis, through exercises and advice given. Ive found that accents closer to the city tend to resemble british or american accents, while still keeping an australian touch. Instead, when learning how to do an australian accent, opt for a more subtle approach. Anyway to find eight american actors who do great foreign accents, we had to do some digging. Why is it british actors can do american accents but. I grew up using blunt and stern for guidancebut i have to say, this is incredibly thorough.
English actors adopting american accents and vice versa. Some people just say it when they make eye contact with another person on the street. It focuses on the australian english and american english speech of three young. I would just assume they had it mastered, the way i would assume my doctor has a medical degree. I suppose the only thing worse than a american actor attempting a bad english accent is an american actor butchering an australian accent they never get it. The history of the australian american population almost follows the story of both british americans and irish americans, as australia was a british political territory at the time when they first immigrated and most of the settlers were english or irish. This is not meant to denigrate the alist cast of genius, but english actor jude law seems an odd choice to play north carolinaborn thomas wolfe, and the same can be said for. A sole australian accent actually sounds really weird when put next to a group of americans. Is it true that british actors do good american accents. Australian accents are generally accepted due to the exposure from several famous actors even though they dont use it as much and a fair amount of millennials grew up watching steve irwin. But it depends which part of australia you come from. Plus, you dont rush us in your call and responsewhich always has been annoying in the past. As both a professional, experienced actor and careers coach, i have the combination of knowledge and expertise to.
The american actors who do really good british accents, and there are plenty, tend to be under the radar a little bit more. Younger learners do appear more successful at sda than older learners e. Why do australian and british actors easily adopt american accents but american actors cannot do british or. In 2007, daniel radcliffe took some time out of harrys fifth year at hogwarts to film the australian drama december boys, based on the 1963 novel by michael noonan. It is made up of a range of forms which developed differently in different parts of australia, and are said to vary along a continuum, from forms close to standard australian english to more nonstandard forms. Us rallies to stop british actors taking hollywood movies.
But once you get out of sydney, what i consider, the real australian accent is more commonly found. An australian actor, ryan kwanten was born and raised in sydney, australia. You dont really have to consciously think about how an american would pronounce every day words because you have heard them so often pronounced in an american accent on telly. And i will compare the general australian accent mainly with the general american one. If youre looking for inspiration and considering signing up for our american accent course, then check out these australian actors whose american accents are flawless. Its not certain actors faults that their american accent is so good that were surprised to find out theyre actually australian or welsh or scottish. If people know you and like you, then theyll tease you about it. If more than one actor is not doing his native accent, it throws the whole thing off. Jan, 2018 on this board youll find video and articles about actors performing the complex job of acting in accents other than their own. Voice science will equip you with a convincing australian accent ready for the next audition or role. Sep 20, 2014 it is more lucrative for a british or australian actor to learn to do an american accent because the movie and tv market in the united states is larger than either of those countries, and, by and large, the demand for british and australian accents in the us is lower than is the demand for american accents. The two share many sound changes the diphthongs are especially similar. An american using australian slang cold will probably produce winces of pain and displeasure.
And just like in the united states, there are different accents in different parts of the country. Australian aboriginal english refers to a dialect of australian english used by a large proportion of indigenous australians. Australian needs to lose accent for american tv show. What do american accents sound like to australians or british. Two that come to mind are hugo weaving in the matrix his trademarkmr.
What are the differences between american and australian accents. Movie accent expert breaks down 28 more actors accents wired. Actors with the worst movie accents youll ever hear. We have all heard a typical australian accent in movies such as crocodile dundee. Britain has some of the best actors in the world thanks to centuries of honing the craft, our history is very much steeped in performance, and our. I was contacted by someone who is struggling to nail the cockney accent, and he keeps slipping into what sounds more like an australian accent.
If a british or australian actor cannot do an american accent their hollywood opportunities are going to be limited. I find it the easiest to understand after english with south african the hardest. Why american actors suck at british accents business insider. Is it easier for a british actor to do an american accent. Why foreign actors are taking over american tv tv guide. The debate in australia about the coming of sound to film centered on the nature. Whereas in the us, they favour looks and popularity over acting ability.
Sometimes, she said, it was almost distracting how good elbas baltimore street talk. Though for some regions there is some truth in that accent. He did bother to try and its so bad, pure english then falls to american for a word then back again. Improve your career prospects with a checkup session, discovering what options are available and achievable. Im emma from mmmenglish and in this lesson i found an american all the way down here in australia and i thought that id use him to show you some of the pronunciation differences between australian english and american english. Tatiana maslany who is canadian, but that should still count. But despite the enormously fun action and the presence of idris elba, the film was basically dead to me the moment they introduced the two australian characters with those noted australian names hercules and chuck hansen. Youve got western, texan, midwestern, western pennsylvanian, appalachian, southern. May 19, 2008 what do american accents sound like to australians or british people. However with hard work, some good acting tips and the right training you can get the american accent you need to work in the industry.
Yesterday, uwhitewolfofutah asked which actors you think do utterly convincing accents, and most of the responses were regarding british and some australian actors doing spoton american accents eg. But what of the british actors who had to abandon their natural clipped and precise verbiage or nasal and muffled, depending on where theyre from in order to carve a new career for themselves in the u. Ive noticed that many australian actors and actresses are very good at doing american accents. Thats why the hemsworth brothers are anchoring every major blockbuster film from now to 2032. Researched and made to help fellow actors, looking specifically at accent and speech. His southern accent in big fish is cartoonish and very aw shucks, gee willickers. Why do british actors speak in an american accent in. Normally this is an american trying to pretend theyre sophisticated like say, elijah wood in the lord of the rings annoying, ben affleck in shakespeare in love awful, or keanu reeves in bram strokers dracula dear god no on the flipside however, foreign actors often have to sound like they were american born and bred. These 23 celebrities are so masterful at speaking with an american accent on screen that youll be shocked to find out where theyre really from. Christian bale accepted an award at the 2019 golden globes, and some people were surprised to learn that the 44yearold actor is british. You know theyre doing theater in london or something like that. The 20 best fake accents in movies taste of cinema movie.
Im glad he just went sean connery and doesnt bother now. Celebrities who dont have american accents in real life. Amy adams played an american masquerading as british in american hustle 20. In the chicago tribune this month a pundit praised the skill of british actors at faking american accents. Im putting them together because i think they are similar in my mind, neither. Sometimes they are normal, but just stand out against the american accents. He appeared on several tv shows down under, including a five year stint on the popular series home and away. An american using their own accent will be generally treated politely, if youre softly spoken like many from the us actually are and have a good attitude. I think it has a lot to do with acting being treated as an art form.
Sep 16, 2016 more than half of this list is english doing american or australian to american combination. Alfred hitchcocks the 39 steps is a wonderful piece of classic moviemaking, but there is something amiss with the accent not to mention dialect of its leading man, robert donat. Aussies try to do american accents rawfully wholesome. The 20 best fake accents in movies page 2 taste of cinema. British people attempting their best american accents, with some funny results. Dec 19, 2014 which is why you might be pleasantly surprised to discover that some of the actors you assume are american actually have them.
A good actor embodies their character and can convince the audience into believing the characters journey. Foreign actors doing american accents discussion in off topic bg started by gorn, may 27, 2015. Archive english actors adopting american accents and vice versa cafe society. Hugh laurie is a pretty classic example of a brit doing a perfect american accent. Accurate and consistent dialect features are an integral part of your character portrayal. Mcgregors american accents arent really terrible and when hes doing one he tends to stay in it and not slip in and out, as a lot of actors do, but he just leans into them too much. Rustoleum american accent s crackle sprays is a two step spray application designed to produce a crackled paint finish. Hugh jackman, anthony lapaglia, colin farrell are all examples of foreign actors who are able to pull of american accents excellently. Some british actors, like idris elba, kate winslet, and christian bale, are so good at accent work theyve fooled fans into thinking theyre american. Marlon brando played mark antony with a british accent in julius caesar 1953 and fletcher christian in mutiny on the bounty 1962.
British actors with the most realistic american accents. This is the most common australian slang word you will hear while visiting. The simple fact is that aussies are so exposed to american tv, films and music that the american accents have become very easy to mimic. Donat is the handsome chap who remarks, daaahhhling, fancy seeing. Impressively, the actors and actresses on this list hid their natural accents for roles. S americans have different accents depending on where they live. The uk is a small place, but theyve got very different accents. Tokens obscured by background noise or music were not included in the data set. But in a film such as genius, the decision to use so many british and australian actors is, well, flummoxing. Why is it that british and australian actors are able to speak in an. Actors often try to adopt accents that dont suit them at all. Discover unique things to do, places to eat, and sights to see in the best destinations around the world with bring me. The australian accent is, evidently, one of the easiest to conceal. Usa today ran a piece yesterday listing the top five american accents done by british actors.
Put him beside any real american actor and youll spot the lameness in a heartbeat. Whereas the other way round works seamlessly so there are dozens and dozens of british and australian actors doing perfectly convincing american accents in us movies and tv. Actors have to win over the audience and make them believe what they are saying. While there are many british actors in the united states doing great american accents, most british actors in britain either dont have an american accent in their repertoire or when they do an american accent have an exaggerated one, which is. Researchers analysed the vowel sounds of a variety of speakers in order to determine which features corresponded with each category of accent. This is apparently what american accents sound like to non americans. Now christian bale s accent is about as stupid as he is. Christian bale gives perfect american accents in most notably american.
Jan 29, 2017 the australian journal of linguistics put out a paper in 1997 that sought to provide greater clarity between how to classify the broad, general and cultivated accents. Researched and made to help fellow actors, looking specifically at accent. There is no short cut or easy way to learn an american accent. Australian actress loses her accent for american tv show. Accent reduction my coaching style is designed to help you execute an authentic delivery for your performance. Daniel daylewis won an oscar for his portrayal of abraham. I am not an american, im australian, but i have travelled a fair bit and heard a few different accents and from what people have told me, australians have a really laid back accent. Id have to nominate australian jesse spencerwho had been on house as a transplanted aussieand. Thats why australian actors are all over american and british movies and tv shows now.
Well let you determine the level of mastery each has attained. Watch these two aussies try to attempt different american accents. Sure, weve seen americans play british, and some have done it very well, thank you. My british accent sounds way too cockney, and my australian accent sounds, um, british. My british accent sounds way too cockney, and my australian. What performances by actorsactresses that nailed the accent of your native country. Voice coach troy mackinder says australian actors must be prepared to speak with a standard american accent if they want to find work in international productions shooting in the country.
One actress used an american accent so much she completely lost her australian dialect page 10. Well, i decided to flip that doodie and try to find eight american actors who do great foreign accents. As an australian, how come australian accents sound so. Jan 14, 2016 heres a compilation of british actors portraying american characters. If i were an american tv producer i might hire an australian without worrying whether they had the american accent down. Five american actors who can do a decent british accent. Anthony hopkins still sounds welsh to me even when he is trying to do an american accent. Learning an american accent is not easy however it can be done with the right dialogue training. Australian accents and how to figure out which one you have. At screenwise, our american accent workshop is structured so that actors get the repetition needed to learn an accent. Americans are less commonly good at them, but maybe thats because there are so many more of them so its easier to generalise, but the american accent is a stronger accent than the australian, and the australian accent is one of the hardest to learn, certainly to teach from my point of view. Heres a compilation of british actors portraying american characters.
Accuracy and acceptability of seconddialect performance on. Virtually every australian actor seems to lose theirs the minute they hit the international circuit. So, australian actor, what was it like learning an american accent for this new american tv show. Australian actors are rarely cast as australians see pacific rim, where an american and a brit do two different and incorrect australian accents. While i am unfamiliar with the number one actor on the list, jamie bamber, im glad to see that hugh laurie and idris elba are represented. While on stage thanking satan for inspiring his performance, people were astounded to hear bales real accent. Back in november, my man subzero wrote an article featuring eight foreign actors with great american accents. This is also an issue that ive run into a great deal with students and performers, so here are some tips on things that may help you to keep from.
The thing about an american accent is that there isnt just one. Over 20 accentdialect options on offer, with help and research also offered to practice obscureperiod accents. But that job is much harder if there is something off about their performance. Theres this sense that a young american actor is what everyone is looking for. After all, an american actor can make a pretty good living without ever learning to do accents. I have to turn on closed captioning when those uk shows come on with characters speaking in those godawful northern accents. Remove all dirt, grease, oil, salt and chemical contaminants by.
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