Natalie's accent
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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/ -
itsjordand — 12 years ago(November 08, 2013 07:08 PM)
as another poster said its not the best British accent ever, however seeing as her overall performance was brilliant in my opinion its not a problem, i mean in one scene shes on the floor literally crying with emotion and still holding the accent, so i must say outstanding acting, this is the film that's really brought me to admire her, once you get into the movie you get over it.
i would like to add that seeing as she was dedicated enough to shave her hair off then i think she would of been dedicated enough to do the accent so it really must be hard to maintain a foreign accent even for a top level actor or actress. -
calcaneus67 — 12 years ago(March 06, 2014 11:54 PM)
I wouldn't dare go so far as saying British actors are absolutely great at American actors, some are better than others, but the Brits aren't as noticeable as Australian actors whose attempts at doing American actors usually stand out like a sore thumb. Usually foreign actors improve their American accents after they have lived in the USA for a few years although Roddy McDowall never seemed to have a convincing Yank accent despite living there for decades.
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dngynbdy — 11 years ago(November 29, 2014 07:50 PM)
I think she did fine. Some irony: she beat out Keira Knightley for the role and sometimes, I thought Keira was in the movie! On the other hand, Keira and countryman Daniel Craig played Americans in the movie "The Jacket." Daniel did okay passing for an American but Keira had trouble getting it right. She frequently sounded like she had a cold or a very scratchy throat. I've seen several episodes of House and Hugh does a great job getting away with an American accent.
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Chalice — 11 years ago(April 02, 2015 03:34 PM)
I'm English and her accent is fine, if a little slowly delivered.
Agreed - I'm English too, South-East in fact which is where her accent is supposed to come from. This was the first film I ever saw Natalie Portman in (no Star Wars for me) and I didn't even realise she wasn't English, just thought she was a bit posh.
And Gwyneth Paltrow's accent in Sliding Doors is great too.
Those who think you're insane for dancing can't hear the music. -
Pistolpete332010 — 10 years ago(June 29, 2015 08:36 PM)
Another great point.
I'm sure if most people first experience with Portman was this movie they wouldn't have thought otherwise regarding her accent.
It goes the exact same way with British actors who are somewhat known but not necessarily A-list stars. Easy to be fooled when you have no reference to judge by. -
Pistolpete332010 — 10 years ago(June 29, 2015 08:34 PM)
Think this is the biggest overlooked aspect of doing an accent, especially an American imitating a Brit (Girls over here do it all the time, it's become an obnoxious fad in the last few years). Anyway, the cadence of British accents is generally a bit quicker than most American accents (barring a Brooklyn and other varying NY accents).
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andrew_singleton — 10 years ago(May 17, 2015 03:54 AM)
I'm English and I thought she sounded authentic. I thought it was as good as Paltrow or Jolie both of whom I prefer to hear speaking with an English accent rather than their own regular one!
Hugo Weaving also did a good job with two different English accents in the film. -
Corrette — 9 years ago(June 26, 2016 02:04 PM)
I find it curious and ironic that the people who have found fault with Portman's British accent are not themselves British, while the Brits who have commented here say that they thought her accent was very good!
As for the poster who criticised the American accents of Australian actors, what about Nicole Kidman, Guy Pearce, Mel Gibson, Kate Blanchett, Heath Ledger, Russell Crowe, Rachel Griffiths and Yvonne Strahovski, to name just a few? -
bobbiwibble — 9 years ago(September 30, 2016 04:28 PM)
As a Brit (South East England) I thought she did a stellar job but I do think that concentrating on an accent is an extra that can hold an actor/ actress back, and that it halted her emoting skills, most definitely in the underground scene