Too Many British/Aus/NZ Actors Pretending to be American

[saxitoxin]

Over the last couple years, it seems, every time I see an actor I like I later learn they are from Australia or New Zealand or UK or some such place.

I watched the entire series of BANSHEE on Cinemax before I learned that one guy who plays the main character is from New Zealand. So I basically wasted 30 hours of my life.

Then the main characters in TWD and FTWD are both British. And so on and so forth.

Is it just me; am I imagining this?

It could be the world is becoming economically more specialized and Britain's specialty in the future will be producing actors. Soon, in UK schools they'll dump subjects like English, Mathematics, Biology and replace them with subjects like American Accents, Stunt Driving, and Sex Scenes.

Or maybe it has something to do with climate change?

It's getting to the point where I'm just going to assume any actor who doesn't have a decent tan must be British using a FAKE accent.

[waauw]

spoiler alert: The Lord of the Rings was filmed in New-Zealand.

[mrswdk]

Then you realize that half the lead actors in Game of Thrones are Americans, Irish or Europeans putting on English accents, and your head implodes.

[saxitoxin]

Then you realize that half the lead actors in Game of Thrones are Americans, Irish or Europeans putting on English accents, and your head implodes.

I don't watch Game of Thrones.

[riskllama]

what's really retarded is that in "enemy at the gates", all the actors portraying the Russians, use a British accent. wtf? also, I am aware Jude Law and possibly Bob Hoskins are Brits, no need to point that out...

[waauw]

I have learned from Allo Allo that all you need is an accent.

[mrswdk]

what's really retarded is that in "enemy at the gates", all the actors portraying the Russians, use a British accent. wtf? also, I am aware Jude Law and possibly Bob Hoskins are Brits, no need to point that out...

It's probably for the best. I heard some of the voice track for the English dubbed version of Crouching Tiger, and the people reading the script were putting on absolutely horrendous 'me love you long time' accents. Awful.

[muy_thaiguy]

what's really retarded is that in "enemy at the gates", all the actors portraying the Russians, use a British accent. wtf? also, I am aware Jude Law and possibly Bob Hoskins are Brits, no need to point that out...

It's probably for the best. I heard some of the voice track for the English dubbed version of Crouching Tiger, and the people reading the script were putting on absolutely horrendous 'me love you long time' accents. Awful.

English dubbing is generally hit or miss. When done well, you can sit back and relax like you would a show made in English to begin with. When it's not, it can feel like your ears are bleeding.

On another note, Kung Fu Hustle is a funmovie to watch.

[Dukasaur]

Or maybe it has something to do with climate change?

It's getting to the point where I'm just going to assume any actor who doesn't have a decent tan must be British using a FAKE accent.

Can't really blame the rest of the world for the fact that Americans can't act and need to import assistance.

[strike wolf]

I the British are stealing American jobs! We should build a wall !

[notyou2]

Canadians have been impersonating Americans in TV and movies for years. Your best comedy is written by Canadians. We have infiltrated all aspects of your entertainment industry, but especially comedy.

The Limeys/Kiwis/Ozzies have just figured it out and are trying to get in on the action. Blame Mel Gibson the douche.

Llama, would enemy at the gates be better if the germans and russians all spoke english with american accents? Maybe a southern drawl? Or perhaps you would like it better if all war films the people spoke the tongue of the nation they represented and everything was in sub titles? If Oliver Twist was spoken in the english of the period, most people wouldn't understand it.

[mrswdk]

I prefer watching things in the authentic language with subtitles. Dubbing or speaking the language of the audience instead of the language of your character just comes across weird.

[mrswdk]

Also, Canadians sound like Americans anyway. No imitation needed.

[waauw]

I prefer watching things in the authentic language with subtitles. Dubbing or speaking the language of the audience instead of the language of your character just comes across weird.

I just wish Hollywood would stop making crappy versions of great non-american movies.

[Symmetry]

I prefer watching things in the authentic language with subtitles. Dubbing or speaking the language of the audience instead of the language of your character just comes across weird.

Not a fan of Hamlet?

[Symmetry]

what's really retarded is that in "enemy at the gates", all the actors portraying the Russians, use a British accent. wtf? also, I am aware Jude Law and possibly Bob Hoskins are Brits, no need to point that out...

I prefer Highlander. Get a French-American actor to play a Scotsman, and a Scotsman to play a Spaniard. God only knows what the bad guy was going for- I could check, but I don't want to know.

[mrswdk]

I prefer watching things in the authentic language with subtitles. Dubbing or speaking the language of the audience instead of the language of your character just comes across weird.

Not a fan of Hamlet?

It's mostly about willing suspension of disbelief. The setting of Hamlet in Denmark has absolutely no bearing on the characters or the play. It could just as easily be about a royal court in an English castle, so watching it in English doesn't feel odd. The same can't be said for, for example, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. That's a film about ancient Chinese wushu fighters - watching it with the characters speaking English is weird, regardless of how you get them to speak English.

[Symmetry]

I prefer watching things in the authentic language with subtitles. Dubbing or speaking the language of the audience instead of the language of your character just comes across weird.

Not a fan of Hamlet?

It's mostly about willing suspension of disbelief. The setting of Hamlet in Denmark has absolutely no bearing on the characters or the play. It could just as easily be about a royal court in an English castle, so watching it in English doesn't feel odd. The same can't be said for, for example, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. That's a film about ancient Chinese wushu fighters - watching it with the characters speaking English is weird, regardless of how you get them to speak English.

Ah, but that's dubbing in film, not an issue of linguistic authenticity per se. Film criticism has long had a lack of sophistication vs theatre when it comes to this.

And, of course, I was referring to Hamlet in the original Klingon.

[mrswdk]

In that one example it is dubbing. In the other example discussed earlier - Enemy At The Gates - it is the language being spoken by the actors themselves.

[Symmetry]

In that one example it is dubbing. In the other example discussed earlier - Enemy At The Gates - it is the language being spoken by the actors themselves.

No, it was the accent used by the actors, if I remember correctly.

[mrswdk]

In that one example it is dubbing. In the other example discussed earlier - Enemy At The Gates - it is the language being spoken by the actors themselves.

No, it was the accent used by the actors, if I remember correctly.

Feel free to state the point you wanted to make with your Hamlet comment.

[Symmetry]

In that one example it is dubbing. In the other example discussed earlier - Enemy At The Gates - it is the language being spoken by the actors themselves.

No, it was the accent used by the actors, if I remember correctly.

Feel free to state the point you wanted to make with your Hamlet comment.

Huh? Thought we were on to the language spoken in Enemy at the Gates.

Edit- yeah, scrolled back up the thread, it was an issue of accent being discussed.