Bad Irish accents in TV/Movies

FTA69 · 16-12-2014 07:24PM

Snake Plisken wrote: »

Brad redeemed himself bigtime with his note perfect traveller accent in Snatch!

He doesn't sound one bit like a Traveller in that film. It's a sh*te impersonation.

ciaranlong · 16-12-2014 07:25PM

There is a Facebook group based on this topic called "Dreadful Hollywood Irish Accents". The group description is: "a group which honours the 'ordinara dacent craminals' of this world making a balls of the Irish accent!"

AnonoBoy · 16-12-2014 07:39PM

FTA69 wrote: »

He doesn't sound one bit like a Traveller in that film. It's a sh*te impersonation.

It's a daycent attempt for a Yank like.

Bipolar Joe · 16-12-2014 09:23PM

The main two in Burn Notice do just awful Irish accents. It's just terrible.

JaseBelleVie · 17-12-2014 12:42AM

Has any Hollywood film or American TV show ever had an instance where an Irish accent wasn't awful in it?

December2012 · 17-12-2014 01:13AM

JaseHeath wrote: »

Has any Hollywood film or American TV show ever had an instance where an Irish accent wasn't awful in it?

Kate Hudson was really good in About Adam

wylie · 17-12-2014 01:24AM

I thought Jon Voight in the General was brilliant, Kevin Spacey in Ordinary Decent Criminal was ****e! Like woefully ****e.

La_Gordy · 17-12-2014 01:29AM

Arra it has tae be Kevin Spacey. James McEvoy but, I really thought he was an Irish actor after Inside I'm Dancing.

FunLover18 · 17-12-2014 01:34AM

I haven't seen Ordinary Decent Criminals in years but it's weird that Spacey was so bad given how good he is at impressions.

Bipolar Joe · 17-12-2014 02:20AM

FunLover18 wrote: »

I haven't seen Ordinary Decent Criminals in years but it's weird that Spacey was so bad given how good he is at impressions.

He's awful at impressions!

FunLover18 · 17-12-2014 02:51AM

Bipolar Joe wrote: »

He's awful at impressions!

Awful?

fleet_admiral · 17-12-2014 03:39AM

Brad Pitt in Snatch

AndonHandon · 17-12-2014 03:46AM

Chris O'Dowd in that rom com; reeked of wannabe American, smug yet cannot escape the Irish accent. Ugh.

Bipolar Joe · 17-12-2014 04:13AM

FunLover18 wrote: »

Awful?

I think it's safe to assume you have never heard Walken, Caine or Clinton speak.

Mezcita · 17-12-2014 04:16AM

Adian Gillan in Game of Thrones. His Irish accent gets progressively worse with each series.

Bipolar Joe · 17-12-2014 04:27AM

Mezcita wrote: »

Adian Gillan in Game of Thrones. His Irish accent gets progressively worse with each series.

I don't think his accent was meant to be Irish, at first, was it?

maximoose · 17-12-2014 04:50PM

It was all over the place, accent seemed to change from ep to ep. He is a woeful actor.

Intifada · 17-12-2014 04:53PM

That Irish kid in The Simpsons movie.

Have any directors been called out on this? I mean it's not as if there isn't a plethora of Irish actors that could be used, or that it takes much effort to find out stuff like Donegal isn't pronounced "Donnagal".

Only reason I can think is if a TV show is completely geared toward an American audience and they won't know any better. Even still..

Yamanoto · 17-12-2014 04:57PM

Just to flip this a little, Brendan Gleeson cannot manage an American accent to save his life.

On the film 'Green Zone', he was brought in in post production to overdub some of his takes.

FunLover18 · 17-12-2014 04:59PM

Intifada wrote:

Have any directors been called out on this? I mean it's not as if there isn't a plethora of Irish actors that could be used, or that it takes much effort to find out stuff like Donegal isn't pronounced "Donnagal".

More to f do with the casting and producers I would imagine. You would think that only are there Irish actors available but they'd probably be cheaper

DoYouEvenLift · 17-12-2014 05:01PM

This is a serious pet peeve of mine...actually, it's more than that, it's something I absolutely fuking hate with passion. Shows like Sons of Anarchy that have a lot of Irish parts - how hard is it to just get actual Irish actors to play the small, sh!tty roles? There are actually lots of decent Irish actors who could do with the breakthrough and I'd bet they'd do it for cheaper than the other actors, all while doing a totally authentic accent which wouldn't take you out of the experience.

I think Irish and Scottish accents are some of a few accents that just cannot be done perfectly by someone who didn't grow up here. Americans who have been in Ireland can even talk about how hearing fake Irish accents completely ruins movie and TV experiences.

Hoop66 · 17-12-2014 05:03PM

Donald Sutherland in "The Eagle Has Landed"

Walks into a pub in (supposedly ) Norfolk and says "God bless all here", as if its his usual greeting.

ciaranlong · 17-12-2014 05:10PM

maximoose wrote: »

It was all over the place, accent seemed to change from ep to ep. He is a woeful actor.

I agree that his accent is all over the place in Game of Thrones. He can be a great actor though. He put in wonderful performances for Queer as Folk and Love/Hate. Looking fwd to seeing him in the new Haughey series.

ciaranlong · 17-12-2014 05:15PM

Yamanoto wrote: »

Just to flip this a little, Brendan Gleeson cannot manage an American accent to save his life.

On the film 'Green Zone', he was brought in in post production to overdub some of his takes.

Interesting to flip it the other way alright i.e. Irish actors doing American accents. Has Colin Farrell generally nailed this down well, but it doesn't make up for some poor acting otherwise?

Also of note, Jack Reynor was cast as an Irish guy in Transformers 4. There was even a little joke about in the script - he having to tell Mark Wahlberg that he was from Dublin, Ireland not Dublin, Texas (or something like that).

I was wondering though did Reynor struggle to do a bona fide American accent, and so that's why they cast him as an Irish guy? I thought this was strange as Reynor is most of the way there in real life - he has that real D4-yoof mid-Atlantic sound to his voice.

maximoose · 17-12-2014 05:18PM

ciaranlong wrote: »

I agree that his accent is all over the place in Game of Thrones. He can be a great actor though. He put in wonderful performances for Queer as Folk and Love/Hate. Looking fwd to seeing him in the new Haughey series.

I thought he was terrible in Love/Hate tbh. Ropey accent again and just all round unconvincing in the role!

And then there's his 'performance' in Calvalry...

DoYouEvenLift · 17-12-2014 05:21PM

maximoose wrote: »

I thought he was terrible in Love/Hate tbh. Ropey accent again and just all round unconvincing in the role!

And then there's his 'performance' in Calvalry...

Haha yeah I really don't understand how he still gets parts. How he managed to make his way into the dark knight rises is beyond me.

ciaranlong wrote: »

Interesting to flip it the other way alright i.e. Irish actors doing American accents. Has Colin Farrell generally nailed this down well, but it doesn't make up for some poor acting otherwise?

Also of note, Jack Reynor was cast as an Irish guy in Transformers 4. There was even a little joke about in the script - he having to tell Mark Wahlberg that he was from Dublin, Ireland not Dublin, Texas (or something like that).

I was wondering though did Reynor struggle to do a bona fide American accent, and so that's why they cast him as an Irish guy? I thought this was strange as Reynor is most of the way there in real life - he has that real D4-yoof mid-Atlantic sound to his voice.

Hes another guy who has no idea if he's american or Irish. His accent was so all over the place that even the cinemasins YouTube channels "everything wrong with T4" video talked about it.

FunLover18 · 17-12-2014 05:25PM

ciaranlong wrote:

I was wondering though did Reynor struggle to do a bona fide American accent, and so that's why they cast him as an Irish guy? I thought this was strange as Reynor is most of the way there in real life - he has that real D4-yoof mid-Atlantic sound to his voice.

I've heard him interviewed, definitely would not describe him as having any sort of D4 accent. Is he one of those who puts on a different accent eg Saoirse Ronan's Carlow accent

major bill · 17-12-2014 05:25PM

Nidge in Peaky Blinders

On a side note the Brummie accents in that show are awful

FunLover18 · 17-12-2014 05:29PM

major bill wrote:

On a side note the Brummie accents in that show are awful

So are the Irish accents. Although at least Sam Neil had a go at a specific region but it's pretty poor

Bipolar Joe · 17-12-2014 05:58PM

Thought of another one, Peter Stormare in Tokarev. Of all the people they could have chosen to do an Irish accent, they chose a guy with a thick Swedish one.

Bad Irish accents in TV/Movies

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