Grading American Accents

[ukelelehip]

Grading American Accents

Television is swarming with overseas actors playing American characters, from Linus Roache on "Law & Order" and Anthony LaPaglia on "Without a Trace" to Anna Friel on "Pushing Daisies" and Rachel Griffiths on "Brothers & Sisters." Maybe they're good actors. But some do the American thing much better than others (cough, Anna Torv, cough). Here's a selected report card:

Simon Baker, Australia
Patrick Jane on "The Mentalist"
B
He has created a charismatic American, although his Aussie swagger does seep in now and then.


Hugh Laurie, Britain
Gregory House on "House"
A+
He does East Coast acerbic better than real East Coast acerbics.

Anna Torv, Australia
Olivia Dunham on "Fringe"
D
She seems American enough until she opens her mouth and her IrishBritishAussieWhatever hybrid issues forth.

Jonny Lee Miller, Britain
Eli on "Eli Stone"
B-
He passes for a fast-talking American lawyer, but you can't listen too closely.

Natascha McElhone, Britain
Karen on "Californication"
B
Her bright presence and unusually angled face distract from occasional vocal lapses.

Charlie Hunnam, Britain
Jax on "Sons of Anarchy"
C-
He's so good, you want to forget the fact that his accent comes and goes like the wind.

Ed Westwick, Britain
Chuck Bass on "Gossip Girl"
B
He doesn't come across as a Brit or an American. His Chuck sounds more like a universal hissing snake.

Anna Paquin, New Zealand
Sookie Stackhouse on "True Blood"
A-
She invents a fake Southern accent that is endearing and campily funny in its fakeness.

Damian Lewis, Britain
Charlie Crews on "Life"
A-
Most of his performance takes place in his wry eyes, but he has the accent down pat, too.

Rufus Sewell, Britain
Jacob Hood on "Eleventh Hour"
C+
You can feel words getting caught in his mouth as he works to shape them.

Jason Clarke, Australia
Tommy Caffee on "Brotherhood"
B
He tries too hard to sound like a Kennedy, but his tense performance is diverting.

Jason Isaacs, Britain
Michael Caffee on "Brotherhood"
A-
His De Niro is on the money.

Jason O'Mara, Ireland
Sam Tyler on "Life on Mars"
B-
He's dynamic, but -- poor guy! -- his New York pales next to costars Michael Imperioli and Harvey Keitel.

www.boston.com/ae/tv/blog/2008/11/_television_is.html

[miss october]

Poor Rufus! I think he does pretty good with the accent.

[rugirl]

I do, too! I think the fact that he has to change his accent to American for him to be understood is ridiculous. We're able to process other accents, do network TV stations understand that??

[pitzel]

Nov 14, 2008 15:24:59 GMT rugirl said:

I do, too! I think the fact that he has to change his accent to American for him to be understood is ridiculous. We're able to process other accents, do network TV stations understand that??

I believe that it was Rufus who wanted to do the character as an American. He said he wanted the challenge. I don't think he is bad either, he halts when he speaks as part of his characters shyness and awkwardness around people as he is a man of Science. The person who did the article has no conception of the character of Jacob Hood.

[anniebanani]

To me, his accent on Eleventh Hour sounds like a cultured, educated American. But then he could speak gibberish and I would love it! lol

[anniebanani]

To me, his accent on Eleventh Hour sounds like a cultured, educated American. But then he could speak gibberish and I would love it! lol

[peach]

I don't mind his accent, however it changes the whole look of his face. Understanably as a challenge I'm sure it was his choice to play an American, what not Londoners live stateside??? Did the producers think that we Americans wouldn't understand an English accent?
I have noticed Simon Baker's accent sneak through on occasion and isn't Poppy Montgomery an Aussie too? Her accent has come out on more than one instance too.

I wonder what each of these fine actors think of having to mask their native tounge. I'd be intested to hear their take on it. Was it their choice or that of the producers of each show? Still if Ru were reading the yellow pages in his American accent I'd but tickets. He pulled out a very credible Czech accent in R&R.

[GreenEyesToo]

Rufus has said in a couple of interviews that he wanted to play Jacob as an American, that that was part of the challenge, and that if he'd been English, it wouldn't have have been him in the role - part of separating "Rufus" from "Jacob" in the eyes of future work-givers, I suppose.

[peach]

GE2, since you are from the UK, does it bother you that yor fellow countrymen and women find the need to mask their voices? Not sure who said they didn't like Uncorked b/c the accents threw them off and they weren't sure where the film took place. For me it didn't matter and I know several people from England that live and work here. Hasn't anyone ever heard of foreigners living in the states? It bothers me when American actors attempt accents of any kind because half the time it gets mangled anyway. I'm always amazed at how adept foreign actors can do American accents to naturally. I just saw Tilda Swinton in a movie and you couldn't detect her accent anywhere. I know that's why they call it acting but us Yanks don't quite cut it.

[tipou]

i am the one questioning the place the movie was supposed to take place in - more than the accents. accents are ok - hey, i'm french canadian - but i was confused as to where it was supposed to happen. english actors, canadian singer, desert setting - where is that happening?
see, us canadians have seen far too many germany/france/ poland/ canadian /japanese co-productions that are supposed to take place in, say, chicago. you never get the feeling of chicago, ever.
i have nothing against accents, and i would have had no qualms at all about dr. hood to have a british accent.
so there you go.

[Tinkerdog]

I agree that it does change his face because he very subtlely is freezing his back jaw to control the sound that comes out - like he has a cankersore on the back of his tongue or a toothache.

I do not particularly like the voice - well, I don't like it at all - it limits his range and bothers me. He is limited to speaking in the low tones to control his accent but for the few occasions he is having an emotional moment. I completely understand how it ties into the character, the mellow, intellectual but it becomes so monotonous and dull.

However, he wants it and I completely understand reasoning - regardless, I will continue to watch the series because I respect his abilities.

Maybe now that they did probably execute those three criminals in the last episode without a jury trial, Hood and Rachel will flee the country to England and he can don a British accent......

[tipou]

hello tinkerdog!

i am sorry, i think this is the first time we "talk", but still i have to disagree with you...

i mean, by all accounts read here, the guy brilliantly used a czech accent on stage for months... he being a trained and experienced actor able to win awards with a czech accent makes me doubtful about the fact that he might stumble on an american accent...

so i do not believe, not for one second,that the accent is what is holding him back. i dont even believe anymore he is held back by anyone else than himself . i mean, even when he's silent, and there are enough close-ups to prove my point (about 40% of the show, i think!!). the usual rufus morphing is not there. his face is hieratic and taut. this is an actor's choice, not uneasiness with an accent.

i would bet 50$ that jacob hood would keep the same face with a british accent.
this might not be a the wisest choice ever.

EH is probably a strictly commercial choice for rufus. financial independance from being camped into wallflower or villain roles. this being said, it is also a fantastic showcase. so was it really the time to try on this mask?

an hour a week of rufus doing jacob as he played him during the morning-after-the-overdose sequence... not even an effort for him... and he would have hollywood at his feet. i am certain that he is aware of that, i mean, the guy might be nice and humble and all that, but he knows who he is.

rufus is tragically uninterested by fame and success that make most hollywood players drool.

let's face it, i still would bet on this guy anytime, he is laurence olivier re-incarnate, he is worth a hundred hollywood cuties anytime, but he will not hit it big by posing on TV. that is just not his style.

[harmonie]

I think it says something when we have a number of US tv shows featuring non-Americans who are playing Americans.

Rufus does sound American in Eleventh Hour overall. I do notice as well that his facial expressions are a bit different when he is speaking as an American and when he is speaking with a British accent. When you hear Rufus on Eleventh Hour and then you compare his voice to the way he sounded on, for example, Craig Ferguson, its definitely an eye opener. But that is what they call acting and he is a very talented actor. I am definitely glad that I discovered Eleventh Hour and Rufus and, for that matter, this board.

Rufus definitely does not seem interested in the fame associated with his craft. In that sense, he actually reminds me of another very talented actor who I am also a big fan of (and probably own most of his movies) who I think Tipou would be familiar with and that is Roy Dupuis. It seems to me that some of the actors who do not have the talent are the ones who seems to crave the fame but, truly, that might be the reason they crave the fame.

[tipou]

harmonie, you may read my rant about roy on the thread "hello there, newbie here" - i am so glad to meet another roy fan. i just love the guy. such a good person, and one of the mot under-rated actor of his generation, all countries and genre confounded, and i measure my words.
but, as you say, he does not care for fame...
my god, he and ruf should work together. that would make for the less ego-oriented cast ever. and probably the most impressive, when it comes to acting.

[harmonie]

I would absolutely love to see the two of them in one movie. It is quite nice to see two actors who seem more interested in the craft than their own egos.