Comments on: Eight American Actors with Great Foreign Accents http://unrealitymag.com/index.php/2009/01/29/eight-american-actors-with-great-foreign-accents/ Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:18:49 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.4 By: Andrew http://unrealitymag.com/index.php/2009/01/29/eight-american-actors-with-great-foreign-accents/#comment-664488 Andrew Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:45:24 +0000 http://unrealitymag.com/index.php/2009/01/29/eight-american-actors-with-great-foreign-accents/#comment-664488 I agree with the last poster who argues Downey is doing an impression of an Aussie accent, much like his black dude was only an impression of an African American (complete with all the stereotyping). It is NOT spot on by any means if you are looking for authenticity. And yes I am Australian too. I agree with the last poster who argues Downey is doing an impression of an Aussie accent, much like his black dude was only an impression of an African American (complete with all the stereotyping). It is NOT spot on by any means if you are looking for authenticity. And yes I am Australian too.

]]> By: Meh http://unrealitymag.com/index.php/2009/01/29/eight-american-actors-with-great-foreign-accents/#comment-664120 Meh Sat, 21 Jan 2012 20:36:51 +0000 http://unrealitymag.com/index.php/2009/01/29/eight-american-actors-with-great-foreign-accents/#comment-664120 Robert Downey Jr's Australian accent was nothing more than an impression of what most Americans think an Australian accent sounds like. Although it was a little better than others have done in the past, it was still terrible.. and yes, I'm Australian. Robert Downey Jr’s Australian accent was nothing more than an impression of what most Americans think an Australian accent sounds like.
Although it was a little better than others have done in the past, it was still terrible.. and yes, I’m Australian.

]]> By: Niki http://unrealitymag.com/index.php/2009/01/29/eight-american-actors-with-great-foreign-accents/#comment-663806 Niki Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:52:25 +0000 http://unrealitymag.com/index.php/2009/01/29/eight-american-actors-with-great-foreign-accents/#comment-663806 I've got to admit to not having seen 'A Prayer for the Dying', but Mickey Rourke is definitely the name I've always heard for worst Irish accent ever. And having just looked up clips on Youtube, I've got to agree. It's not just a matter of being bad - he's obviously majorly uncomfortable and ridculously high pitched. Pulling off a convincing accent is always going to be practically impossible to people who actually use the accent, though. Especially when they've also got to sell a character not their own. Bert, above, is completely right as well - there's no such thing as a single accent for a single country. And trying to get into the political mess that is the UK and Ireland requires a hell of a lot more homework, so a bit of specificity always helps the bluff! ;) I’ve got to admit to not having seen ‘A Prayer for the Dying’, but Mickey Rourke is definitely the name I’ve always heard for worst Irish accent ever. And having just looked up clips on Youtube, I’ve got to agree. It’s not just a matter of being bad – he’s obviously majorly uncomfortable and ridculously high pitched.

Pulling off a convincing accent is always going to be practically impossible to people who actually use the accent, though. Especially when they’ve also got to sell a character not their own. Bert, above, is completely right as well – there’s no such thing as a single accent for a single country. And trying to get into the political mess that is the UK and Ireland requires a hell of a lot more homework, so a bit of specificity always helps the bluff! ;)

]]> By: LOL http://unrealitymag.com/index.php/2009/01/29/eight-american-actors-with-great-foreign-accents/#comment-289185 LOL Sun, 05 Jun 2011 21:45:20 +0000 http://unrealitymag.com/index.php/2009/01/29/eight-american-actors-with-great-foreign-accents/#comment-289185 How do you not include Mat Damon's accent in Invictus? How do you not include Mat Damon’s accent in Invictus?

]]> By: Doczaius http://unrealitymag.com/index.php/2009/01/29/eight-american-actors-with-great-foreign-accents/#comment-288990 Doczaius Sun, 05 Jun 2011 13:47:17 +0000 http://unrealitymag.com/index.php/2009/01/29/eight-american-actors-with-great-foreign-accents/#comment-288990 Surprisingly, Brad Pitt's was actually better than mickey rourke's. You can't really understand travellers anyway lol I've never really heard a convincing Irish accent except from DDL but he's English. They're usually pretty awful, people always do the OTT Darby o' gill shite, or shoish lol top o de marnin to ye. We do not say that Surprisingly, Brad Pitt’s was actually better than mickey rourke’s. You can’t really understand travellers anyway lol I’ve never really heard a convincing Irish accent except from DDL but he’s English. They’re usually pretty awful, people always do the OTT Darby o’ gill shite, or shoish lol top o de marnin to ye. We do not say that

]]> By: Unreality - Bad Accents in Movies | http://unrealitymag.com/index.php/2009/01/29/eight-american-actors-with-great-foreign-accents/#comment-248237 Unreality - Bad Accents in Movies | Fri, 25 Mar 2011 12:00:35 +0000 http://unrealitymag.com/index.php/2009/01/29/eight-american-actors-with-great-foreign-accents/#comment-248237 [...] written two articles on this subject before.    One covered American actors with great foreign accents.   And the other covered foreign actors with great American accents.   Today it’s [...] [...] written two articles on this subject before.    One covered American actors with great foreign accents.   And the other covered foreign actors with great American accents.   Today it’s [...]

]]> By: ryskal http://unrealitymag.com/index.php/2009/01/29/eight-american-actors-with-great-foreign-accents/#comment-164682 ryskal Fri, 05 Nov 2010 16:53:34 +0000 http://unrealitymag.com/index.php/2009/01/29/eight-american-actors-with-great-foreign-accents/#comment-164682 Where on Earth is Kevin Spacey in Ordinary Decent Criminal?! The guy was absolutely stunning as a gangster from Dublin. Where on Earth is Kevin Spacey in Ordinary Decent Criminal?! The guy was absolutely stunning as a gangster from Dublin.

]]> By: Angantyr http://unrealitymag.com/index.php/2009/01/29/eight-american-actors-with-great-foreign-accents/#comment-152555 Angantyr Sat, 02 Oct 2010 09:40:54 +0000 http://unrealitymag.com/index.php/2009/01/29/eight-american-actors-with-great-foreign-accents/#comment-152555 ''(American, Canadian, Australian, British, Cockney…)'' - horriblejerseyaccent What the hell is ''BRITISH''? You do know that Cockney is an English accent, so why do you break it off from the rest of your British category? Anyway, ''British'' is not an ethnicity and ''Britain'' is not a cultural area, England, Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland are countries with their own ethnic groups. You have English accents (including Lowland Scotland, who speak a dialect of Northumbrian really), Gaelic Scottish accents, Irish accents and Welsh accents. ”(American, Canadian, Australian, British, Cockney…)” – horriblejerseyaccent

What the hell is ”BRITISH”? You do know that Cockney is an English accent, so why do you break it off from the rest of your British category?

Anyway, ”British” is not an ethnicity and ”Britain” is not a cultural area, England, Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland are countries with their own ethnic groups. You have English accents (including Lowland Scotland, who speak a dialect of Northumbrian really), Gaelic Scottish accents, Irish accents and Welsh accents.

]]> By: accentofman http://unrealitymag.com/index.php/2009/01/29/eight-american-actors-with-great-foreign-accents/#comment-66740 accentofman Sun, 21 Feb 2010 23:41:03 +0000 http://unrealitymag.com/index.php/2009/01/29/eight-american-actors-with-great-foreign-accents/#comment-66740 @horriblejerseyaccent Don't forget about Sellers' Indian accent! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLniVdTYwkI He took that one to Mickey Rooney levels of excellence. Cheadle had the worst English accent I've heard in a long time. Point is, an actor can nail it on one movie and completely fail in another...even the same accent. This is because actors rely on a lot of people to help make them look good and if those people aren't hitting the marks then...well...we end up with "cor blimey shin-ah yo' boots govnah"- style Dick Van Dykery. @horriblejerseyaccent

Don’t forget about Sellers’ Indian accent!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLniVdTYwkI
He took that one to Mickey Rooney levels of excellence.

Cheadle had the worst English accent I’ve heard in a long time.
Point is, an actor can nail it on one movie and completely fail in another…even the same accent. This is because actors rely on a lot of people to help make them look good and if those people aren’t hitting the marks then…well…we end up with “cor blimey shin-ah yo’ boots govnah”- style Dick Van Dykery.

]]> By: accentofman http://unrealitymag.com/index.php/2009/01/29/eight-american-actors-with-great-foreign-accents/#comment-66739 accentofman Sun, 21 Feb 2010 23:35:44 +0000 http://unrealitymag.com/index.php/2009/01/29/eight-american-actors-with-great-foreign-accents/#comment-66739 To be able to consider yourself an expert at an accent you first need to be able to speak it fluently, preferably a native speaker. So I take it you're a native speaker of "Rwandand" (Swahili), English and Russian? That's quite an accompishment. Here is my absolutely non-expert opinion (English is not my first language and although fluent, I wouldn't consider myself an good enough to detect the nuances of accents): 1. Viggo was alright but going by the accents of the Russian people I've spoken to he should have scaled it down a few degrees on the Dark Ls and "Kh" substitution for "H". Anyone with an English vocab this strong is bound to have lost some of his accent too. 2. Don sounds a little strange compared to everyone else in the film. Also, shouldn't he have a faint French accent if he's from a French-speaking territory? 3. Brad Pitt is not a "tremendous" actor. He's an actor who can do one funny OTT character (also seen in Fight Club and Basterds) and because he's got a pretty mug we forgive him. His accents are universally dreadful (i.e. Basterds) but he accidentally nailed it in Fight Club because this is pretty damn close to the way Irish Travelers talk as their accents are far from being your run-'o-de-mill Irish accents (la-di-di-dah-di-dah). 4. I have two close S-African friends. Both claim Leo sounds like a drunk child with a mouth full of gravel in that film. I have only seen the trailer but he doesn't sound anything like any Afrikaner I've heard. 5. Whitaker sounds convincing as hell but who knows. 6. Rene Zellweger wasn't too bad, but we would have heard it better if she hadn't hadn't been chewing on lemons the whole movie. 7. You're right about Rourke. That bastard pwnd the accent. To be able to consider yourself an expert at an accent you first need to be able to speak it fluently, preferably a native speaker. So I take it you’re a native speaker of “Rwandand” (Swahili), English and Russian? That’s quite an accompishment.

Here is my absolutely non-expert opinion (English is not my first language and although fluent, I wouldn’t consider myself an good enough to detect the nuances of accents):

1. Viggo was alright but going by the accents of the Russian people I’ve spoken to he should have scaled it down a few degrees on the Dark Ls and “Kh” substitution for “H”. Anyone with an English vocab this strong is bound to have lost some of his accent too.

2. Don sounds a little strange compared to everyone else in the film. Also, shouldn’t he have a faint French accent if he’s from a French-speaking territory?

3. Brad Pitt is not a “tremendous” actor. He’s an actor who can do one funny OTT character (also seen in Fight Club and Basterds) and because he’s got a pretty mug we forgive him. His accents are universally dreadful (i.e. Basterds) but he accidentally nailed it in Fight Club because this is pretty damn close to the way Irish Travelers talk as their accents are far from being your run-’o-de-mill Irish accents (la-di-di-dah-di-dah).

4. I have two close S-African friends. Both claim Leo sounds like a drunk child with a mouth full of gravel in that film. I have only seen the trailer but he doesn’t sound anything like any Afrikaner I’ve heard.

5. Whitaker sounds convincing as hell but who knows.

6. Rene Zellweger wasn’t too bad, but we would have heard it better if she hadn’t hadn’t been chewing on lemons the whole movie.

7. You’re right about Rourke. That bastard pwnd the accent.

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