Which actors/actresses fooled you into thinking they were American?

Adamantium

Jamie Bamber (Lee Adama) in Battlestar Galactica.

This above one really surprised me, I had no idea. Was fully convinced he was a dyed in the wool American.

Christian Bale as well.

Hugh Jackman

Lena Headey (after Terminator TSCC)

Andrew Lincoln (The Walking Dead)

galwayrush

The cast of Fair City.

grenache

Gary Oldman was one that used to get me. Was surprised to hear he was actually a brother of that auld one in Eastenders. Proper 'cor blimey guvnor' is Gary.

Damien Lewis of Band of Brothers / Homeland fame.

Kevin McKidd from Greys Anatomy.

GerB40

Stringer Bell, Jimmy McNulty and Bunny Colvin from the wire. All British... Who'd have thunk it?? Tommy Carcetti is Irish too.

Idris Elba from The Wire does a fantastic job as Stringer Bell. Sounds very legit.

A few characters from the walking dead such as Rick Grimes, The Governor and Maggie are all portrayed by English actors. They hav that Southern Drawl down perfectly IMO.







Oh, and Jedward.

El Weirdo

Adamantium wrote: »

Andrew Lincoln (The Walking Dead)

This Life?

Teachers?

No?

jimgoose

John "Martin Crane" Mahoney of Frasier. I had just assumed, reasonably, that he was like a cross between Lawrence Olivier and George Patton, but it turns out he's from Lancashire. Ayup chook, Betty's 'ot-pot!

scrubber72

Tom cruise. Saw him in far and away and someone told me he was actually a yank. Feck off.

Merkin

Stringer Bell in The Wire, the big ball of menacing loveliness that he is.

Who is English for those who don't know.

Ihatecuddles

Can you say where they're from if you're posting? I don't want to be googling all morning

guttenberg

GerB40 wrote: »

Stringer Bell, Jimmy McNulty and Bunny Colvin from the wire. All British... Who'd have thunk it?? Tommy Carcetti is Irish too.

Fixed, according to Wiki he's played by Richard Wisdom who is from Washington DC. Dominic West(McNulty) was a shock as well when I first heard him talk normally. O/T I was even more shocked when I found out Peter Dickson, the X Factor voiceover fella is actually from Belfast!

Ken.

House
/thread.

sebcity

In the opposite way - Don Cheadle made me believe he was English in the Ocean's films

.red.

GerB40 wrote: »

.Tommy Carcetti is Irish too.

I was shocked at first to hear he was irish . He played the part so well that i couldnt help but think he was an american with a dodgy dub accent as john boy in love hate, even tho i knew he was irish. Great actor.

The Backwards Man

John Wayne was from Ballina.

Irish Stones

The Backwards Man wrote: »

John Wayne was from Ballina.

Are you sure? I knew he was born in Iowa.

GerB40

guttenberg wrote: »

Fixed, according to Wiki he's played by Richard Wisdom who is from Washington DC. Dominic West(McNulty) was a shock as well when I first heard him talk normally. O/T I was even more shocked when I found out Peter Dickson, the X Factor voiceover fella is actually from Belfast!

I'm pretty sure Bunny was on a chat show recently sounding as English as lashings of ginger ale.. I think he was promoting Brooklyn Nine Nine (which I hear isn't too bad).
Anyway it could be another cop from the wire, so many fúckin names its hard to keep up... If I'm wrong, so be it.

anncoates

I thought that rather attractive one from Wolf of Wall Street was actually American until somebody told me she was a an Australian.

Colonel Panic

guttenberg wrote: »

Fixed, according to Wiki he's played by Richard Wisdom who is from Washington DC. Dominic West(McNulty) was a shock as well when I first heard him talk normally. O/T I was even more shocked when I found out Peter Dickson, the X Factor voiceover fella is actually from Belfast!

The best bit was when he faked a British accent as a man from Baltimore.

GerB40

GerB40 wrote: »

I'm pretty sure Bunny was on a chat show recently sounding as English as lashings of ginger ale.. I think he was promoting Brooklyn Nine Nine (which I hear isn't too bad).
Anyway it could be another cop from the wire, so many fúckin names its hard to keep up... If I'm wrong, so be it.

Correction. Turns out he's an American after all. Every day's a school day and all that. Makes me wonder who the fúck I was thinkin about..

sbsquarepants

I'd have to agree to Stringer Bell + McNulty, from the wire and Maggie from walking dead. Also vampire Bill from true blood, was shocked to hear they were all English.
I wonder do americans hear the accents and think wtf is that supposed to be?

sbsquarepants

Colonel Panic wrote: »

The best bit was when he faked a British accent as a man from Baltimore.

That whole storyline is hilarious - the scene where they raid the brothel is excellent!

IvyTheTerrible

Simon Baker from The Mentalist. Completely forgot that I used to watch him in Hartbreak High! (He's Australian).

GerB40

sbsquarepants wrote: »

I'd have to agree to Stringer Bell + McNulty, from the wire and Maggie from walking dead. Also vampire Bill from true blood, was shocked to hear they were all English.
I wonder do americans hear the accents and think wtf is that supposed to be?

Apparently the only true Baltimore accent on the wire is snoop. That male/female pre pubescent 30 year old... The rest are supposedly just generic gangsta accents. BTW I heard this from someone who grew up close to the shíttiest part of Baltimore so I'd believe it..

Ann Landers

Dunno about American, but I was full sure Romola Garai was Irish when I saw her in "Inside I'm Dancing". It was the first thing I had seen her in, and I googled her afterwards to find out who this Irish actress was...

SeanW

Hugh Laurie, from "House M.D."

Ann Landers

grenache wrote: »

Gary Oldman was one that used to get me. Was surprised to hear he was actually a brother of that auld one in Eastenders.

Didn't surprise me. He has that gritty, bit of rough, sexy, charismatic, ridey vibe about him. Sorry, what were talking about?

SmokeyEyes

I always forget Cate Blanchett isn't american!

Ann Landers

anncoates wrote: »

I thought that rather attractive one from Wolf of Wall Street was actually American until somebody told me she was a an Australian.

I read an interesting interview with her. Before landing in the States, she spent ages working with a voice coach perfecting her american accent. Her reasoning being that you only get one moment to impress in an audition so you should make sure you can get as much right as is within your control. If she had the accent down, that'd be one thing at least there'd be no reservations about. Yes, being attractive probably helped, but I'd say attractive actresses are common enough in audition rooms. Anyway, I was quite impressed with her attitude and work ethic.

GerB40

SmokeyEyes wrote: »

I always forget Cate Blanchett isn't american!

She's phenomenal with accents. Before the release of Veronica Guerin, when she was speaking to the press about other projects she was working on her slight Dublin accent. For example, tings, dat, dem, dose, pronouncing car like bar rather than caw (like in the U.K.) or caaa (like in Australia)..

Khannie

Andrew Lincoln AKA Rick from The Walking Dead.

Forgot he was in "Teachers" all those years back (never really watched that show). Heard him in an interview and was blown away. (He's English)

gramar

E.T. from E.T the Extra-Terrestrial is not American. From outer space apparently.

Not G.R

ken wrote: »

House
/thread.

Really? You didnt know Hugh Laurie was English? :eek: Did you watch TV before House?

goon_squad

GerB40 wrote: »

Stringer Bell, Jimmy McNulty and Bunny Colvin from the wire. All British... Who'd have thunk it?? Tommy Carcetti is Irish too.

I thought stringer bell was American until about a year and a half ago , bunny colvin is only a small actor so I never gave his nationality a seconds thought

I knew mc nulty was british

obviously knew carcetti was irish

goon_squad

Khannie wrote: »

Andrew Lincoln AKA Rick from The Walking Dead.

Forgot he was in "Teachers" all those years back (never really watched that show). Heard him in an interview and was blown away. (He's English)

he will always be the whiney wanabe writer from " this life " to me

Mr Freeze

ken wrote: »

House
/thread.

SeanW wrote: »

Hugh Laurie, from "House M.D."

I think his accent in that is totally unconvincing.

I can't suffer fake american accents like his.

Dolbert

I thought Dominic West's accent in the Wire was terrible! Idris Elba's was flawless though.

Actually what I can't stand is when someone who really can't do an accent is inexplicably cast, Ray Winstone playing anything other than London Gangster comes to mind.

Tar.Aldarion

Dolbert wrote: »

I thought Dominic West's accent in the Wire was terrible! Idris Elba's was flawless though.

Actually what I can't stand is when someone who really can't do an accent is inexplicably cast, Ray Winstone playing anything other than London Gangster comes to mind.

Thought he did it really well, playing an irish american with the accent being really good, and was shocked when I saw he was British. Well played that man.


Idris Elba was fantastic too

saintsaltynuts

Brian F. O'Byrne in Brooklyn's Finest.Then i realised he was the bus driver in Intermission..feck!

Pique

goon_squad wrote: »

he will always be the whiney wanabe writer from " this life " to me

Egg.

Great show though.

goose2005

William Shatner is Canadian!!

Pique

goose2005 wrote: »

William Shatner is Canadian!!

So is Jim Carrey.

razorblunt

Another mention for Idris Elba and Dylan Baker, they were the two biggest I've been shocked by, although Fraser's Dad which was mentioned a few posts ago has caught me just now!

Donkey Oaty

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

Thought he did it really well, playing an irish american with the accent being really good, and was shocked when I saw he was British. Well played that man.

His fake British accent was superb as well in that series. Not easy to do at all.

eisenberg1

For years I thought Mel Gibson was an Australian, fooling us in to thinking he was American, turns out his actually American all along.

Curlysue76

Khannie wrote: »

Andrew Lincoln AKA Rick from The Walking Dead.

Forgot he was in "Teachers" all those years back (never really watched that show). Heard him in an interview and was blown away. (He's English)

Watching The Walking Dead the other day. Told kids he was actually English. They didn't believe me, so had to look up clip from Teachers to show them. They were totally shocked. Don't like his accent in TWD but it is very believable, must be the way he says ar. Eg, Karl, cars and yard,etc.

RobbieTheRobber

Arnold Schwarzenegger having watched him play so many all-american type hero I was shocked :eek: to find out he wasn't born in America!

Curlysue76

goon_squad wrote: »

he will always be the whiney wanabe writer from " this life " to me

So many memories, just moved out, living it up in the big city, Galway, partying too much, watching This Life. Good times.

mike65

Damien Lewis in Band of brothers as I hadn't seen him before that and related to him David Harewood in Homeland.

jimgoose

Rachel Griffiths in Six Feet Under (also in Brothers and Sisters). Had no idea she was Australian until I googled her one day. Great actress.

jimgoose wrote: »

John "Martin Crane" Mahoney of Frasier. I had just assumed, reasonably, that he was like a cross between Lawrence Olivier and George Patton, but it turns out he's from Lancashire. Ayup chook, Betty's 'ot-pot!

:eek: This I did not know.
And then on the other hand, Jane Leeves got some bad reviews for her Manchester accent, even though she is from Manchester! Although they definitely screwed up an episode where her brother appeared and he had the stereotypical Cockney accent.

sbsquarepants wrote: »

I'd have to agree to Stringer Bell + McNulty, from the wire and Maggie from walking dead. Also vampire Bill from true blood, was shocked to hear they were all English.
I wonder do americans hear the accents and think wtf is that supposed to be?

If I hadn't known Ryan Kwanten (Jason) had been in Home and Away before True Blood, I wouldn't have copped on that he was Australian.

GerB40

Donkey Oaty wrote: »

His fake British accent was superb as well in that series. Not easy to do at all.

I agree, it must have been difficult (or at least weird) for a native Brit to play a fella from Baltimore who tried his best to do a British accent but at the same time make it sound like he can't grasp the accent his actor speaks naturally.. If ya know what I mean?