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

gramar · 20-03-2014 11:58AM

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

Not G.R · 20-03-2014 12:00PM

ken wrote: »

House
/thread.

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

goon_squad · 20-03-2014 12:58PM

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 · 20-03-2014 01:01PM

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 · 20-03-2014 01:09PM

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 · 20-03-2014 01:15PM

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 · 20-03-2014 01:17PM

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 · 20-03-2014 01:18PM

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

Pique · 20-03-2014 01:19PM

goon_squad wrote: »

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

Egg.

Great show though.

goose2005 · 20-03-2014 01:20PM

William Shatner is Canadian!!

Pique · 20-03-2014 01:22PM

goose2005 wrote: »

William Shatner is Canadian!!

So is Jim Carrey.

razorblunt · 20-03-2014 01:36PM

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 · 20-03-2014 01:44PM

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 · 20-03-2014 01:50PM

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 · 20-03-2014 01:51PM

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.

20-03-2014 01:52PM

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 · 20-03-2014 01:54PM

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 · 20-03-2014 02:02PM

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

20-03-2014 04:03PM

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 · 20-03-2014 04:20PM

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?

emo72 · 20-03-2014 04:21PM

Daniel day lewis fooled me into thinking he had cerebral palsy.

sbsquarepants · 21-03-2014 11:17AM

Deleted User wrote: »

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.

I forgot about him - he came as a surprise also!
And fúck me he is in fantastic shape, I'd kill for a body like that. I wouldn't lift loads of heavy things and do thousands of sit ups mind, just kill!

sbsquarepants · 21-03-2014 11:24AM

Ann Landers wrote: »

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.

Yeah, in that scene where she comes out to leo wearing only the thigh high boots, I immediately thought "I bet she's a great worker" - or something along those lines:D

RikkFlair · 21-03-2014 11:25AM

As mentioned in the OP, Jamie Bamber in Battlestar. A bit odd that he had to hide his British accent, and the fella that played Gaius Baltar didn't.

BigFatGiant · 21-03-2014 11:31AM

I couldn't believe it when I heard Idris Elba (Stringer Bell) in the new sky add with his real British accent. Hes class in the wire. I think it was obvious Aidan Gillan (Tommy Carcetti) wasn't American. He was still pretty good.

jimgoose · 21-03-2014 11:34AM

RikkFlair wrote: »

As mentioned in the OP, Jamie Bamber in Battlestar. A bit odd that he had to hide his British accent, and the fella that played Gaius Baltar didn't.

And just how exactly do you expect Battlestar Galactica's answer to Severus Snape to function without a British accent??

harry Bailey esq · 21-03-2014 11:37AM

Errol Flynn i always had the idea he was American but he was in fact born and reared in tasmania

Reindeer · 21-03-2014 12:51PM

mike65 wrote: »

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

He nailed it. He managed to put on what sounded like a regional dialect to this American and keep it during the entire series.

Not as impressed with Andrew Lincoln. It's great, mind you. But it sounds a bit forced to this southerner. The next time you see him and Carl, played by Chandler Riggs, opposite each other, listen to Chandler. He is a native from Georgia(and spending time with him is likely much of the reason Andrew is able to fool some folks).

Calibos · 21-03-2014 12:53PM

RikkFlair wrote: »

As mentioned in the OP, Jamie Bamber in Battlestar. A bit odd that he had to hide his British accent, and the fella that played Gaius Baltar didn't.

Baltars dad seen in flashbacks was from had a British country bumpkin accent and so the upwardly mobile Baltars plummy accent was fine.

However if you're a white guy with a British accent and your Hispanic father speaks with an American accent, then that would just be odd.

The lead in 'the Americans' about Russian sleeper agents in Reagan era America who is a Russian with an American accent is played by a Welshman.

That reminds me...Speaking of actors with American accents. Ronald Reagan was actually Irish too

Merkin · 21-03-2014 12:56PM

Jedward :rolleyes:

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

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