Why do actors use British accents?

A British accent provides a “splash of otherness”, when set alongside it. British audiences are used to seeing imported US shows – like House or The Wire – with British actors doing American accents.

Why are bad guys in movies always British?

Luu writes that RP accents also are considered “less trustworthy, kind, sincere, and friendly than speakers of non-RP accents, sincere, and friendly than speakers of non-RP accents.” …

Why do they speak English in Valkyrie?

The film’s English-language title was ultimately titled Valkyrie because Singer felt that the film was about more than the operation and liked its connection to Wagner’s music.

Why do they speak English in Enemy at the Gates?

1 Answer. It was a stylistic choice by the director. In this interview with Stephen Lemons, Jean-Jacques Annaud makes it abundantly clear that as far as he’s concerned, once you’re immersed into the story, the accents are largely meaningless and may even detract from your enjoyment of the film.

Did Gary Cooper have an English accent?

He might have been the rough and tough all-American cowboy in his films, but Gary Cooper’s parents were originally from England. According to The Los Angeles Times, by the time Cooper returned home to the states at 13, he actually spoke with an English accent for a while.

Why do so many movies have British accents?

Thus, when directors in the US decide they want all their actors speaking in some foreign accent so that the audience will immediately understand that the setting is historical/fantastic/foreign, they choose British because it’s the one that pretty much every actor on set will know how to do without any additional …

Did Tom Cruise speak German in Valkyrie?

His character is resisting it but you never forget it’s Tom Cruise saying “Heil Hitler.” It’s funny and shocking at the same time. Sources also say that the film isn’t very thrilling at all: And Tom doesn’t speak with a German accent — though they did add a voiceover of him speaking German to the beginning of the film.

Was Vasily Zaytsev real?

Vasily Grigoryevich Zaitsev (Russian: Васи́лий Григо́рьевич За́йцев, IPA: [vɐˈsʲilʲɪj ɡrʲɪˈɡorʲjɪvʲɪdʑ ˈzajtsɨf]; 23 March 1915 – 15 December 1991) was a Soviet sniper during World War II. Between 22 September 1942 and 19 October 1942, he killed 40 enemy soldiers.

What kind of accent did Jimmy Stewart have?

Strange, then, that other famed male actors at the time—Jimmy Stewart and Humphrey Bogart—had wildly unencumbered manners of speaking. Their accents were very much their own: the former’s a rural dialect of Pennsylvania; the latter’s a spin on a regional New York accent.

Should accents be mandatory in movies and TV?

I also get that when a film or show’s cast is made up of English-speaking people from various backgrounds — American, British, Canadian, Australian, etc. — an accent mandate may be imposed to make everyone sound like they’re coming from the same place.

Is there such thing as a “British accent”?

I know that technically, there is no such thing as a “British” accent. But what else would you call the English-ish dialect that’s long been used as a catchall in American-made movies and TV shows set anywhere ancient, foreign, and/or magical? The fantasy thing, at least, makes a certain amount of sense.

Why do Butlers have a British accent in America?

After the colonization of the Americas, butlers were also part of the migration wave, taking care of the families in the US like they did in England. So the British accent comes from the fact that most of them were British (and also partially because many believe the British accent to be more cultured/snooty compared to other accents).

Why does Leia have an English accent in Star Wars?

There was clearly an attempt to make the English accents represent authority (either from the Old Republic end with Mon Mothma, Obi-Wan or from the Imperial end). And remember not only is it an English accent it’s an RP English accent which explains why Leia puts that on when she is being authoritarian.