h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Couldn't a British actor do the job just as good? If not better?
This has been spurned on by my recent viewing of Robin Hood Prince Of Piffle, a fairly good film spoilt by Mr Costner's forgetful accent. And as for Austin Powers, well! Oh, actually, Powers were good films anyway.

Mike Myers is partly British, his parents came from Northern England (I believe), and he carries a British passport. Austin Powers isn't exactly a typical Brit, hence the OTT accent, but I suggest you have a look at So I Married an Axe Murderer, particularly the scenes where he play his (the character's) Scottish father.

And conversely, there are very few Brit actors who can pull off a convincing American accent since there are just as many nuances and regional variations in America as there are in Britain.

Anyway, if you aren't pretending it isn't really acting, is it?

I would wager that the shortage of Englishmen in Los Angeles has something to do with it...

As for Austin Powers, a bad accent is all part of the package. His horrible accent is a perfect fit for those disgusting teeth.

And yes, British filmmakers make movies with British actors doing horrible American accents as well...it's universal. You just notice it more in American films because there are more American films. And I have never seen a Brit who can pull off a passable American accent.

Some are regarding Jude Law's accent in Talented Mr Ripley as quite passable. When I saw it on Saturday, it wasn't that bad. There was a hint of Englishness, but it could be passed off as his character's background and breeding. What do you think?

Haven't seen the film, and I'm not planning to, because it doesn't look like my kind of thing.

Well, I have no idea what your kind of thing might be. All I can say is that the trailer is 'deceptive', and that I found it a lot more involving than the highly-overrated American Beauty.

The Talented Mr Ripley was a very stressful film to watch - very suspense filled.

Have you noticed that generally, though not always, British Actors play baddies in American films? Or is that just me?

No your right. If not British, then probably German. You've only got to look at Die Hard for proof. I guess it helps Hollywood distance itself from all the nasty people in the world...

Hmmm. In the simpsons, Snake - a frequently-escaping convict - is British. As is Sideshow Bob, who's also a bad guy.

Then again, it's easy to make generalisations about these things by simply not mentioning all the contradictary evidence...

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It's also noticable that if ever a terrorist is called for in an American film they're either Irish or Middle-eastern!

And while we're on the subject of 'orrible accents, Irish people in American films generally have begorrah and bejeepers accents that most Irish people would'nt understand. Look at Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman in 'Jerry Maguire'.

Theres one small flaw in the logic of this.
If an actor can pull off a convincing accent then we arn't going to notice and as far as the audiance are concerned they will asume that the actor is of the same nationallity as the part.
This always applies to me as I never stop to watch the credits at the end and I don't have a particular intrest in actors / acting.

I always watch the credits - but I take this as a sign of my ever escalating madness!

Oh, I totally agree about Brits with rubbish US accents. If an actor is good enough, like thingy (woman) in er... damn... sliding doors? I forget - then fine. But for a film set in England, about English people and with a supporting cast made up nearly entirely of Brits, is it too much to ask to give the leading role to a British actor? For continutiy?

You're also right about the 'pretending' thing, but if you're gonna give someone a leading role you ought to get someone who can be convincing. I mean, have you seen Keanau Reeves in Bram Stoker's Dracula? I think the film is superb, but Reeves CANNOT do a decent English accent. It actually made me laugh at some points. Everyone else was great - especially Anthony Hopkins.

Oh, I totally agree about Brits with rubbish US accents. If an actor is good enough, like thingy (woman) in er... damn... sliding doors? I forget - then fine. But for a film set in England, about English people and with a supporting cast made up nearly entirely of Brits, is it too much to ask to give the leading role to a British actor? For continutiy?

You're also right about the 'pretending' thing, but if you're gonna give someone a leading role you ought to get someone who can be convincing. I mean, have you seen Keanau Reeves in Bram Stoker's Dracula? I think the film is superb, but Reeves CANNOT do a decent English accent. It actually made me laugh at some points. Everyone else was great - especially Anthony Hopkins.

Oh yeah, I forgot to add: if they really wanted Reeves as the lead, couldn't they have altered his character to be an American?

What, an American Count Dracula?

The main reason is that a major-name is nearly always American...and major names = box office success.
And if you think the American's versions of an English accent are bad then the following combinations are much worse:
- An American doing Irish or Scots.
- An English accent doing Pakistani / Indian / West Indian etc.
I'm sure there are even worse combinations out there...

No, Reeves played the clerk who is sent out to Dracula's place.

The guy who played Dracula was great - I can't remember who he was.

American attempts at an Australian accent are always quite amusing.

I think that Tim Roth does a pretty good American accent.

And, Eddie Izzard said that British people play bad guys in American movies because of the revolutionary war.