Inspired on another thread.............

Why do people on tv, in public, movies, etc... hide their accents???

Just a few off the top of my head that mask their accents....

The actor that plays House on the show "House".

Rihanna

Catherine Zeta-Jones

Nicole Kidman

What don't you get? Hugh Laurie is an actor playing a part - the part of an American doctor in New Jersey. It'd be stupid if he had a British accent.

I did two parts this season where I played people who lived in England. I used a standard British accent for both roles. It would have been stupid for me to play them sounding the way I do just walking around in America.

It's common sense, really.

I'm not an actor, so I'll defer to the org's favorite thesbian, Genesia, to confirm/deny my statement:

I think that actors may consider taking on a different accent than their own

as a way to challenge and broaden their range as an actor.

I would think that someone who can master the nuances of an accent that differs from their own, to the point where native-speakers can't even tell the difference, will have more opportunities to obtain roles where that other accent is preferred or even required as already mentioned.

Good old job security, in my opinion!

Nicole Kidman can't hide her accent no matter how hard she tries. I still hear it.

I don't think Rihanna tries to hide her accent as there is no reason to; she's a singer and we don't care where she hails from as long as she makes decent music.

Actors...what Genesia said.

I would like to know why all those right-wing talk show hosts on Fox News hide their hillbilly pig fucking/sister raping accents though. Be who you are.

Actors want to act. Period. The first consideration isn't, "Wow - it'd be cool to do that accent!" It's, "How do I get my ass onstage again?"

I'm 99.9% sure I've never been hired solely because I can do an accent. I could do every accent under the sun and still not get hired if I weren't also a decent actress. I mean...I could do an English accent when I was 5 (thanks to Mary Poppins). It's not even a challenge. I just have a good ear and the ability to reproduce what I hear pretty faithfully.

The only time I could see the ability to do an accent making a difference would be if an actor couldn't do what s/he needed to do for a role. Or if there were two actors who were even-up in acting ability - and one could do an accent and the other couldn't.

Isn't this like asking why Deborah Kerr sat in a wheelchair in An Affair to Remember when she could walk in real life? ("Because it says so in the script.")

In fairness to performers, accents are often changed or "lost" when people change regions or countries. But the most famous example of an "affected" accent IMO is Madonna.

adele immediately springs to my mind, she's a proper cockney sparrow but disguises it heavily when she sings

i like her album regardless, she got a great voice but i can't get past the fake american twang..as a brit it's quite hilarious.. whether it's deliberate or not, it's pretty strange

DoffieParker said:

adele immediately springs to my mind, she's a proper cockney sparrow but disguises it heavily when she sings

i like her album regardless, she got a great voice but i can't get past the fake american twang..as a brit it's quite hilarious.. whether it's deliberate or not, it's pretty strange

i think she looked up to some american artist and that influenced how she sings

but it is strange how a she sounds American from Maryland doing a Canadian accent when singing

formallypickles said:

DoffieParker said:

adele immediately springs to my mind, she's a proper cockney sparrow but disguises it heavily when she sings

i like her album regardless, she got a great voice but i can't get past the fake american twang..as a brit it's quite hilarious.. whether it's deliberate or not, it's pretty strange

i think she looked up to some american artist and that influenced how she sings

but it is strange how a she sounds American from Maryland doing a Canadian accent when singing

interesting to know how she sounds to an american ear.. a lot of brit singers can sound americanized when they sing, but their true accent always comes through

however adele.. if i didn't know, i would never guess!

luv4u said:

Inspired on another thread.............

Why do people on tv, in public, movies, etc... hide their accents???

Just a few off the top of my head that mask their accents....

The actor that plays House on the show "House".

Rihanna

Catherine Zeta-Jones

Nicole Kidman

Hugh Laurie does it because he's playing an American character. You can't play a doctor that was born and raised in America, with a British accent, it doesn't make sense.

Editing to say I didn't see that Genesia already said the same thing, my bad.

[Edited 5/26/11 17:49pm]

I pretty much co-sign what Genesia said lol

I'm sure everyone has their own personal reasons for assimilating. When foreign performers come to the US they are told by acting coaches, casting agents, producers, etc... that they have to sound American in order to work here.

Rick Springfield spoke with his natural Australian accent up until his late 20s. Living in America with a music career that was going nowhere, he began focusing on his acting to pay the bills.

Scottish actor/singer John Barrowman moved to the US as a child and learned to speak with an American accent because American kids made fun of his accent.

A lot of foreign singers sing with American accents because they simply think it sounds better.

DoffieParker said:

adele immediately springs to my mind, she's a proper cockney sparrow but disguises it heavily when she sings

i like her album regardless, she got a great voice but i can't get past the fake american twang..as a brit it's quite hilarious.. whether it's deliberate or not, it's pretty strange

With regards to Adele I think I still hear her accent on some songs. She doesn't sound completely americanized to me.

In regards to other singers with accents I think, because of the way words are pronounced, and depending on the note, the vowels are modified so the sound is more pleasing, you see this most especially in the cases of a well trained singer. Those with the strongest accents are able to sing with absolutely no trace of it.

lavender1983 said:

DoffieParker said:

adele immediately springs to my mind, she's a proper cockney sparrow but disguises it heavily when she sings

i like her album regardless, she got a great voice but i can't get past the fake american twang..as a brit it's quite hilarious.. whether it's deliberate or not, it's pretty strange

With regards to Adele I think I still hear her accent on some songs. She doesn't sound completely americanized to me.

In regards to other singers with accents I think, because of the way words are pronounced, and depending on the note, the vowels are modified so the sound is more pleasing, you see this most especially in the cases of a well trained singer. Those with the strongest accents are able to sing with absolutely no trace of it.

Same with Amy... nothing about her sound was Americanized either. And I definitely hear the Brit in Adele's voice.

luv4u said:

Inspired on another thread.............

Why do people on tv, in public, movies, etc... hide their accents???

Just a few off the top of my head that mask their accents....

The actor that plays House on the show "House".

Rihanna

Catherine Zeta-Jones

Nicole Kidman

Respectfully, this is stupid.

Timmy84 said:

lavender1983 said:

With regards to Adele I think I still hear her accent on some songs. She doesn't sound completely americanized to me.

In regards to other singers with accents I think, because of the way words are pronounced, and depending on the note, the vowels are modified so the sound is more pleasing, you see this most especially in the cases of a well trained singer. Those with the strongest accents are able to sing with absolutely no trace of it.

Same with Amy... nothing about her sound was Americanized either. And I definitely hear the Brit in Adele's voice.

i just realised that an american must hear this! .. it would be like prince doing mockney, no brit would be fooled!!

& that is what i'm saying.. others (amy is good example) do sound undeniably british

but adele has a country western vibe going on & it's only because she is sooo cockney that it seems especially odd, she's disguised it very well.

DoffieParker said:

Timmy84 said:

Same with Amy... nothing about her sound was Americanized either. And I definitely hear the Brit in Adele's voice.

i just realised that an american must hear this! .. it would be like prince doing mockney, no brit would be fooled!!

& that is what i'm saying.. others (amy is good example) do sound undeniably british

but adele has a country western vibe going on & it's only because she is sooo cockney that it seems especially odd, she's disguised it very well.

I heard her accent, she didn't hide it that well. Plus it kinda fit the song's sound anyways.

Efan said:

Isn't this like asking why Deborah Kerr sat in a wheelchair in An Affair to Remember when she could walk in real life? ("Because it says so in the script.")

Why did Deborah Kerr hide the fact that her legs worked perfectly well in "An Affair to Remember"?

Genesia said:

Efan said:

Isn't this like asking why Deborah Kerr sat in a wheelchair in An Affair to Remember when she could walk in real life? ("Because it says so in the script.")

Why did Deborah Kerr hide the fact that her legs worked perfectly well in "An Affair to Remember"?

Genesia said:

Efan said:

Isn't this like asking why Deborah Kerr sat in a wheelchair in An Affair to Remember when she could walk in real life? ("Because it says so in the script.")

Why did Deborah Kerr hide the fact that her legs worked perfectly well in "An Affair to Remember"?

I half-think this is a joke.

namepeace said:

In fairness to performers, accents are often changed or "lost" when people change regions or countries. But the most famous example of an "affected" accent IMO is Madonna.

How so?? Meaning she picked up an accent??

namepeace said:

In fairness to performers, accents are often changed or "lost" when people change regions or countries. But the most famous example of an "affected" accent IMO is Madonna.

Don't forget Tina.

Why actors do it on-stage is logical.

Why singers do it while they sing is logical, too.

Why people do it outside their jobs may not be logical, but understandable. I simply like playing around with people, talking in different accents and see whether they'd believe I'm from Germany, Holland, the dirty north of London, Prince William's cousin, a Scottish alcoholic or an Irish settler. It's something I do out of boredom, really.

HotGritz said:

Nicole Kidman can't hide her accent no matter how hard she tries. I still hear it.

I don't think Rihanna tries to hide her accent as there is no reason to; she's a singer and we don't care where she hails from as long as she makes decent music.

Actors...what Genesia said.

I would like to know why all those right-wing talk show hosts on Fox News hide their hillbilly pig fucking/sister raping accents though. Be who you are.

:roflmao:

why? lawd:lol:

namepeace said:

In fairness to performers, accents are often changed or "lost" when people change regions or countries. But the most famous example of an "affected" accent IMO is Madonna.

Madonna started that before she moved - you can't tell her she aint British.

Because if they didn't it would be stupid

Take the following:

Hunt for Red October..... A submarine captained by a Russian with a Scottish accent? Sean Connery

Enemy at the Gates...... Bob Hoskins with his delightful (cough) Cockney accent, although he was a supposed to be a Russian General? Jude Law and Rachel Weitz both playing Russians, with "Southern England" accents?

Just to name two of the Movies spoiled mostly by poor accents.

The one thing I really, really hate though, is Hollywood movies with an American actor playing a British person and having that God awful "Jeeves" accent. We do not talk like that, well except maybe Alfred out of Batman, I will let Hollywood off with that one

Dave1992 said:

Why actors do it on-stage is logical.

Why singers do it while they sing is logical, too.

Why people do it outside their jobs may not be logical, but understandable. I simply like playing around with people, talking in different accents and see whether they'd believe I'm from Germany, Holland, the dirty north of London, Prince William's cousin, a Scottish alcoholic or an Irish settler. It's something I do out of boredom, really.

lmao...

I once rang my Brothers Ex Wife (while they where married) and pretended to be an Irish Double Glazing salesman, I kept her on the phone for a whole 20 Minutes, pleading with her to buy some windows cuz I had a Wife and 4 kids to feed and it was a bad month for me.

Needless to say, when she found out it was me, she wasn't very happy