A Conversation for Why Villains in Movies Have English Accents

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Post 1

Earthman

I'd rather suspected the major reason for often having an English accent as the bad guy is that Hollywood is more likely to require the bad guy to actually be able to act rather than just stand there looking pretty or muscular, or both, which is often enough to be a good guy. Hence when you get Americans who can act (Kevin Spacey, John Malkovich, Gary Sinise), they do play bad guys.


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Post 2

il viaggiatore

The "brits are better actors, so that's why they play baddies" reason came up several times in peer review, and on the original entry. I've decided that this is blanket statement is a matter of taste so I decided to leave it out.


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Post 3

Who?

Or is it that American actors won't play bad guys because their career suffers, while British actors just don't have that problem? (I realise that this may be better in the past tense but...)


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Post 4

il viaggiatore

I think thats a better explanation, but that was more of an issue in the past.


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Post 5

Earthman

OK, perhaps I'll elaborate/rephrase/whatever. Stage actors definitely have to be able to act to do well, being pretty isn't that important (you're on the other side of a big room, rather than projected onto a screen with a 22 foot wide head). So a theatrical actor must not only be able to act, but to project their character across a large room with nothing but their talent to help them. Hence, you get all these actors with a stage background from Britain (National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, etc) playing bad guys, along with the likes of Chicago's Steppenwolf theatre alumni (Gary Sinise, John Malkovich), and other actors who spent several years on the stage before becoming film actors (Kevin Spacey, Glenn Close) who also play 'evil' very well.


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Post 6

FordsTowel

Actually, if that these statements were as "always" true, as the are written, how can we explain Gene Simmons of KISS being an evil genius?

Please check out my little note on Anglic-sensitivity.


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Post 7

Ryogasoul

Another reason is that people who learn English often learn British English. Since foreigners are often villified, the villian can often sound like they have a British accent.

Not only American movies have the villian of the piece come from a country other than the heroes.Look around.


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