Natalie's accent
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ChristianP96 — 12 years ago(June 18, 2013 02:18 AM)
It's because English people grow up with American television, just like most English-speaking countries. This means they are more accustomed to the accent, whereas Americans don't necessarily watch much English television, so it's understandable if they can't nail the accent.
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tremazing87 — 12 years ago(November 01, 2013 12:24 PM)
I don't think British people are necessarily better at doing an American accent than the other way around. I think that Americans are just worse at spotting an impostor. Considering the size of the country, the size of the immigrant population, and the number of regional accents floating around, an American probably has a much greater allowance for variation in their acceptance of "American English" and even English in general than a British person does for "British English".
I used to live in Korea and always wondered why if I or any other non-Korea person(American, Chinese, British, etc) spoke a sentence completely correctly, a lot of Korean people still couldn't understand them. And it's because they just aren't used to hearing Korean spoken with a foreign accent. They're a country of 50 million people and for the most part, the only people they really hear speaking Korean to them are other Koreans. They are not easily fooled by anyone speaking Korean who didn't grow up with the language, and even people who did grow up speaking Korean but didn't grow up in Korea are easily spotted.
The American ear is probably less sensitive to a pure or genuine american accent because of growing up with so many accents. The ear just becomes less sensitive to the little differences. British people are probably a bit better at spotting their own accent because, even though there are a ton of accents in the UK, we're looking at 63 million people speaking "generally" the same way vs. 350 million people in the US and Canada speaking another. With that many people, it's probably easier to just blend in. That and the fact that Americans can't really tell when people from anywhere are faking an american accent if they're halfway decent. They don't have to be from the UK or even an English speaking country to fool the American ear. -
Pistolpete332010 — 10 years ago(June 29, 2015 08:23 PM)
I don't think British people are necessarily better at doing an American accent than the other way around. I think that Americans are just worse at spotting an impostor. Considering the size of the country, the size of the immigrant population, and the number of regional accents floating around, an American probably has a much greater allowance for variation in their acceptance of "American English" and even English in general than a British person does for "British English".
Another way that you can put this is that an American accent is a bit more general and flexible of an accent. I've never wanted to be insular to assert that an American accent isn't inherently easier to pull off, but I could take friends I know, hell strangers, from across the country and pluck them around and nobody would have the slightest clue where they are from. Obviously there are distinctive regional accents (NY, Boston, Southern & Southern variations, mid-western, etc). But more than not most Americans seem to have a sort nondescript American accent.
I'd almost always have put it off as Brits and other countries have far more access to our culture, films, shows, etc than vice-versa. Obviously that theory makes sense and holds the most water, but you might have something there, though, Australians seem to struggle more with the American accent than Brits. I honestly think most Americans really don't give a beep and won't notice unless it's blatant. There are so many actors out there they haven't the slightest clue where they are from and if it's not blatantly bad they don't tend to notice. Honestly, Americans also aren't as precious when it comes to accent, unless they're speaking regional NY & Boston type accents, which even American actors butcher (Though the British will struggle mightily on doing more distinctive American accents the same way an American will fail at doing anything beyond a Londoner English accent). Brits tend to be precious about their British parts and characters. Maybe it's because they have much smaller film productions locally. Maybe it's an inferiority complex (Kidding).
Lastly, as I'm beginning to ramble now. Most American actors that get the chance to play a Brit are marquee actors. Everyone knows them and that's why they've been giving the chance. The reverse is rarely true, and thus the judgmental/skeptical lens doesn't come on. I thought Portman's accent is adequate but I'm not British so I can't really say for sure. I thought Julianne Moore was competent, though, slightly stilted in her accent in A Single Man. And I thought Hathaway's British accent was pretty damn spot on. Again, couldn't say 100% for sure though.
The American ear is probably less sensitive to a pure or genuine american accent because of growing up with so many accents. The ear just becomes less sensitive to the little differences.
Without sounding insular and arrogant, could it be that a general American accent is just a bit more nondescript, because NY, Boston, Southern accents (Even the varying differences between a Texas and Georgia accent), and even Midwestern are evident to notice to any sensible American. I just think less regional-specific American accent is more wide-ranging because of the 350 million versus 53 million. It's not the ears that are less sensitive, but the accent. It's not as pure and specific. Maybe it's a bit of both though.
That and the fact that Americans can't really tell when people from anywhere are faking an american accent if they're halfway decent. They don't have to be from the UK or even an English speaking country to fool the American ear.
This supports both either theories too. -
reckless_life — 9 years ago(October 24, 2016 07:16 AM)
It was OK but like all American's doing an English accent, it was overtly posh. Only people from a wealthy background and are privately educated speak like her.
Evey didn't seem to be from that type of background so it was out of place. -
spmaher91 — 12 years ago(November 21, 2013 02:05 PM)
I've only ever heard Micheal Caine do an American accent in 2 films (The Cider House Rules and On Deadly Ground) and in both of them his American accents were horrible. Offhand, I can think of a few English actors that can do brilliant American accents though like, Hugh Laurie, Daniel Day-Lewis and Christian Bale. But there are also plenty of American actors that can pull off various English accents. Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Jake Gyllenhaal and Peter Dinklage all do a pretty good job.
The Irish accent, however. very few American actors can seem to get that right. -
JimSpy — 11 years ago(November 15, 2014 10:36 AM)
That is not my experience at all. I've been fooled by
many
British actors, especially lately. Hugh Laurie is an example - didn't know he was British till I saw him interviewed. Another is Jamie Bamber of
Battlestar Galactica.
http://www.imdb.com/board/20051397/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t3
The most notable exception would have to be Michael Caine in Around the Bend
http://www.imdb.com/board/10384810/combined
. Dreadful! And I think he knew it.
==JJS== -
dcw-12 — 13 years ago(January 23, 2013 07:18 AM)
I'm English and I thought her accent was apropo. Unbeknownst to most Americans the English accent is quite diverse, and diverse enough to include Natalie's accent in. I've heard Devonshire lasses who sound more 'American' than British. The stilted 'Queen's' English is actually fairly uncommon and not the norm.
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mica404 — 12 years ago(April 22, 2013 01:29 PM)
Pretty much this. Natalie's accent was off if she was aiming for BBC English, but there are just so many accents that unless you are Dick Van Dykeing it (over the top bad cockney) or missing any accent by miles (Keanu Reeves perhaps), you will be close enough.
There are plenty of regional accents in the US, but the size of the country over here and the way the accents evolved means that these days a room with 10 people and 10 different accents is not slightly unusual. They also change over time to the point you have no exact accent.
One example I always find funny, was two college friends from the center of Glasgow coming to the south to study. It took me about 3 months to tune properly into their accents to the point here I got everything they said. When I told them this they laughed and explained that back home their friends had started to mock them about how soft their accents had become. -
cian_jm — 12 years ago(August 01, 2013 12:57 AM)
I thought it sounded alright if she was trying to sound like a fairly well-spoken proper woman, which I think she was. I'm not English, I'm Irish but I still hear a lot of authentic British accents on a daily basis.
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DevilYouKnow — 11 years ago(May 04, 2014 05:18 PM)
Agreed. It was simply awful.
http://werewolvesbeatingadeadhorse.blogspot.com/