A British actress who is amazing at accents in Jodie Comer. It was so weird watching her in Killing Eve then finding out she comes from Liverpool and has a strong scouse accent...
The thing with Hugh Laurie is if you're British it was very wierd hearing him do an American accent, he's so English and the roles he's played have always been so English. A lot of us grew up on Blackadder and Fry and Laurie. Then there's all the Americans who were so shocked to find out Stuart Littles dad is English, such a contrast, it is interesting
Didn't he attend Eton which makes him not just British but extremely posh British? It's also funny to remember a young Andrew Lincoln doing full frontal scenes as Egg in This Life o Channel 4.
But not singer!!!! Noooo-noo no no! He's a terrible singer...not tone-deaf,he has a perfect ear, which is how he can do such brilliant accents: accents are like tunes. But his singing voice alone will never get him on the cover of The Rolling Stone 🤭 He's a fantastic bloke!
@@RachaelMorgan-om4xw Who cares about Rolling Stone magazine? My brother wanted his album for Xmas a few years ago and I gave it a listen before I wrapped it up. I'm into Delta Blues and the early electric blues so not easily impressed by much modern music but it was pretty impressive to be fair.
@@shaunw9270 Ach man, I'm not trying to offend Hugh Laurie's music, he is brilliant, so I don't think he's a great singer? So what? I love him for everything else he's got. That was a line roughly translated from the lyrics of "Cover of the Rolling Stone", by Dr Hook, before Sylvia's Mother 🤗 See what I did there? I love the old blues, Bessie Smith is a favorite of mine, and when my daughter was little she would ask me to sing I Love You Porgy, Billie Holiday when I was tucking her in bed.
I think a big part of the reason for British acting excellence is that theatre continues to be a major element of the culture. A lot of Americans seem to treat theatre as being Broadway, school plays, and a nebulous area inbetween that they know exists, but aren't clear on the details. With a focus on film and TV, an actor only needs to hit the bare minimum of skill as long as they are photogenic. British theatre is more visible at all levels of society, from famous actors doing pantomime shows at Christmas, to local theatre, to the multiple threatres that have been operating continuous since before the American Revolution. British actors are trained and hired based on skills first and foremost. Not sure if Mojo has a good compilation, but a good example of this is to look at the actors who play aliens. Being able to project clear dialogue and emotion while wearing a latex mask is not easy and the memorable ones are usually theatrically trained.
Daniel Day-Lewis was a lead in a small British film called My Beautiful Launderette where he used a south London (UK) working class accent. As a working class "sarf" Londoner myself it was a shock to later hear him speak perfect Received English Pronunciation at an awards ceremony he was so convincing.
One, originally, hails from The Old Kent Road and I have a very Southern English Received Pronunciation when the situation warrants. KnowwhatImean,Guv'nor? I simply must away a I am in the most fearful rush as I have "8" coming for Supper,ce soir. Toodle Pip and back to Millwall on Saturday with the other Diamond Geezera. Tru Say,Mi Bredda. Respect,Mi Bredrin..
@@RachaelMorgan-om4xw I mean, he's "Irish too" in the literal sense that he has _both_ British and Irish citizenships but Day-Lewis was born and raised in England.
Throw in Idris Elba - who’s Philadelphia accent was so good it fooled the producer of The Wire into casting him even after stating he wouldn’t hire any non Americans.
He like Daniel Kaluuya is from London. You here so many accents here, He did get a grant from a charity 'The Prince's Trust' to study acting. The trust was started by the then Prince Charles of Wales, now King Charles III of the United Kingdom, UK for short. Daniel started out in the British version of Skins, he wrote episodes too, with award winners Dev Patel and Nicholas Hoult.
Stephen Fry told a story of when he visited Hugh Laurie at the studios where he was filming House, he insisted that Hugh drop the American accent. Hugh stayed in character at all times during each season of the show, but agreed and when they were having lunch at the studio restaurant, the people at other tables, including people who worked with him on the show, were stunned to hear him using a British accent because they had all assumed he was American.
Hugh Laurie fooled America with 8 seasons of the very popular "House" in the leading role as they all thought he was American:) Hugh was a great British Comedian before he conquered Hollywood:)
As a British man from the North West I genuinely love your videos. The respect, genuine insight from you're perspective and reactions are really enjoyable to watch. You're welcome in Ramsbottom (which is a small town) any time. Caveat. I was on a bus with Damien Lewis once. I was too shy to speak to him though
The one that blew my mind as a kid was Gillian Anderson. After years of watching her in The X-Files as Scully, I saw her give an interview on British TV and she had a southern English middle class accent 😂
Anderson grew up living in both countries and she slips between the accents. So what's unusual is when she is herself on talk shows she sounds American on US shows and British on the UK ones. Good examples here ruclips.net/video/BrQ-RlPDPFo/видео.html
@@garjones99 yeah I know. But in the 90’s the internet was in its infancy, and we only knew her as the American lady from The X-Files. So it genuinely blew everyone’s minds she had a British accent.
as a brit, i would say that she sounds too perfect! too flawlessly middle class. as though she hasnt actually lived life out and about in britain with that accent, only in a secluded way, through intense studying or as a child
Hey! Love your videos. I'm from the UK and find it interesting seeing you react to people and things you didn't know where british. Thanks again!! Great Job!!!,😊
I have only recently come across your channel and, in actual fact, those videos you watch that are related to films and acting in general - and about accents in particular - are the ones that interest me the most 😊 and so I, for one, hope you do continue with these 👍
@@marissablank7561 No it wasn't. The odd word in his natural accent slipped through and especially when he was angry and shouting, but otherwise it was pretty good.
JJ i'm one of the few that like your content on actors not just because you're an actor but because they are interesting! so don't only make content for the views make content that interests you and i'll be happy to listen to your soft american accent! it's very comforting lol!
I think maybe these videos get less views is because we can't hear the actors voices. I think they're still interesting though. The movie was Empire of the Sun, but I've never seen it. I agree with Hugh Laurie being number 1, we only recently watched House for the first time. His accent was a surprise because for me I've only known his British accent in things like Blackadder. Wishing you well 😀
there were plenty of British, Australian and New Zealand actors portraying US servicemen in Band of Brothers another stand out for me was Dexter Fletcher as John W. Martin his accent was flawless don't forget almost all of it was filmed in the UK except for a hand full of scenes mainly in the last 2 episodes that were filmed in Switzerland
Gillian Anderson (Scully X Files) has a perfect British and American accent. Born in Chicago but Schooled and lived in London and has dual nationalities she also has an OBE (Order of the British Empire).
Gillian Anderson's a really interesting case I think because she seems to genuinely have _two_ "natural" accents - on UK chat shows (and presumably in her daily life living in the UK) she speaks with an English accent and on US talk shows (and presumably when interacting with people in the US) she has an American accent but _neither_ seem "put on".
@@anonymes2884John Barrowman is in a similar position, but reversed. He also changes which accent he uses depending on which side of the Atlantic he's on.
Just watched this, as I have many of your posts, and it struck me that your own accent is very nice. It is probably why I watch your vids as you seem to have a very calm and soothing voice, never harsh or abrasive. I am a great grandmother and just love watching you getting your head around all our British idiosyncrasies.
I respect you for saying that you are doing this video because you find it interesting even though the other similar ones didn't do so well. It shows that you are real and not just creating for views. You are staying true to yourself and enjoying your own journey. ❤
Hugh Laurie started out in Comedy, in a double act with Stephen Fry. TV series: A Bit of Fry and Laurie and the P.G. Woodhouse's Jeeves and Wooster. Separate Rolls in Blackadder.
British drama schools teach students how to have a neutral accent. Most British people have grown up listening to American accents in films and on TV. Some regional British accents use the same or similar vowel sounds as in American accents, The American Deep South accent, in particular, is close to some British regional accents
I did a drama degree (I graduated almost 10 years ago now), and you're right. We, as English people have greater exposure to American media and therefore Americans are surprised to learn people like Daniel Day Lewis, Damian Lewis, Idris Elba and Stephen Graham are English. Same goes for Aussie and Irish actors (Hugh Jackman, Ben Mendelsohn, Russell Crowe, Colin Farrell etc). By contrast, American actors aren't as good at English/British accents (Don Cheadle in Oceans Eleven, Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins etc). The only notable exceptions for Americans playing English Characters I've seen is Renee Zelwegger in the British Jones films, Robert Downey Jr as Sherlock Holmes and Emma Stone in The Favourite.
Damian is currently touring is album in the UK, I was surprised when on my way to work I saw a poster of him on a local small studio hall! I remember liking him in 'Life' and then he just went from strength to strength. Great list, agree with you JJ about the top 3 placement. Great stuff, cheers!
Andrew Lincoln is also an incredibly talented comedic actor too. He was fantastic in 'Teachers', with a very early appeance of James Corden as an eager student, too.
Toni Collette's breakout role was probably that of the titular character in the bitter-sweet Australian comedy 'Muriel's Wedding.' Australian actor Guy Pearce has also done pretty well for himself in Hollywood, too. And let's not forget British-born New Zealander, Sam Neil.
A few great Welsh actors that nail American accents really well are Catherine Zeta Jones, Michael Sheen, Iowan Gruffydd, Luke Evans, Jonathan Price, Anthony Hopkins and Matthew Rhys 👍🏻 🏴 🇺🇸
Dick Van Dyke is wildly remembered for the worst British/Cockney accent of all time. But you know what!!!!!!!! that’s what makes the musical so adorable and special 👍👍👍👍
I can only imagine what the Australians on this list think about being described as British!! Maybe you should have titled it American Reacts to Top 10 Commonwealth Country Actors Doing American Accents?😂
Don't quite get your comment, as Gary Oldman was playing George Smiley a senior MI5 man, so was playing an Englishman, and seeing that Oldman was born and bred in London that wouldn't be to hard.
@@ChelseaPensioner-DJW Smiley has a pretty posh accent (he went to public school then Oxford) whereas Gary Oldman has a working class London accent (i.e. the two don't sound much alike). On top of that, I think I get what OP means in that Smiley has a different _voice_ - it's not just Oldman doing a posh accent, his cadence, timbre etc. are all distinct too (not sure if it's deliberate but it reminded me a bit of Alec Guinness's portrayal). Whereas if you've seen "Slow Horses" (and if not, I recommend it), his spy character in that, Jackson Lamb, basically just has Oldman's natural accent. (and Smiley's in MI6 BTW :)
My vote goes to Bella Ramsey in "The Last of Us". She was born in Nottinghamshire. Can't testify to how good her accent was, but her acting was brilliant.
Andrew Lincoln is even more amazing, when you realise that back in the day he had a very strong regional accent, so much so that in order to land parts in the USA he had to work strongly to break his natrual accent.
Margot Robbie is great but she's not British, and can i just point out that when Americans say "British" they seem to mean, English but there are 4 countries in Britain.
3 of the 4 Stars of the American Civil War classic GONE WITH THE WIND were British. Vivienne Leigh as Scarlet O'Hara, Olivia DeHavilland as Melanie Wilkes and Leslie Howard as Ashley Wilkes.
I have never worked with a more British Actor than Damien Lewis- he went to Eton!- his accent is great I think because his Dad was ambassador to Washington for years-so he will have spent plenty of time there.
A reason that these accent videos don't get many views might be that they are all WatchMojo, they are badly made and often inaccurate. When I see their logo I usually don't continue watching. Videos about accents and we don't hear any of the voices?
I think you've mislabelled the video causing some confusion 😅 the Mojo video does not specify them as 'British' just the top 10 non-american actors who are good at american actors.... so we have a mix of Australian and British in there. Was fun to watch though.
I first saw Hugh Laurie in Wooster and Jeeves and later in the different versions of Blackadder. When the House first aired, I hadn’t watched it until someone mentioned that Hugh Laurie was the star. My friend thought that I was weird when I asked why they would have a British actor staring in an American tv show. No one believed me when I said the Laurie was British.
That's JJLA's fault for putting British in the title of the video, the video he's reacting to is titled "Top 10 Actors Who Are Great at American Accents".
@@ffotograffydd The _original_ video wasn't. But the above reaction video itself is explicitly titled "American Reacts to Top 10 British Actors Doing American Accents!".
Forty years ago when I first went to the States I was astonished about how many people did not know what town I was referring to when I talked about 'New York'! No matter how often , slowly, or quickly I repeated it the Yanks were mystified ast where i meant !
One reason British, Irish, Australian and New Zealand actors are good at American accents is that they see lots of American films and TV. I don't think American actors see a lot of films or TV from those countries.
Damian Lewis is SO British, having been to the top Private School, called a Public school in the UK, Eaton. The cast of Band oF Brothers is a litany of young British and Irish actors. As well as Damian Lewis there are Michael Fassbender, Stephen Graham , Mark Warren, James McAvoy, Simon Pegg, Dexter Fletcher and Tom Hardy amongst so many!
True but at least in Mahoney's case he moved to the US when he was 18 and then actively set out to lose his English accent - he isn't putting on an American accent in 'Frasier', by that point that was his "natural" accent.
Check out Albert Finney in 'Saturday night, Sunday Morning' and then in 'Big Fish/Erin Brockovich' , and then back again to 'The gathering storm' - no way that is the same person! LOL
Haha this reminds me of when we did Grease the musical at school. I decided to put on an "American" accent for my part. We had Americans visiting family who came to the school to watch the play. They thought I was American. It's because we grow up on America telly, I watched so much with my mum when I was a kid. Rosanne, Cheers, Fresh Prince, it was easy to pick up an accent.
Another good one is Lennie James who played undercover spec ops operator Robert Hawkins in the tv show Jericho 2006-08 ( several of that title but this is the show about the aftermath of several small nukes going off in US cities ). I only found out he is British years later. The other way around, I had no idea while watching Bridget Jones Diary that Renee Zellweger was from Texas. I just assumed she is the English actress Renee Zellweger. Agree with Damien Lewis and Daniel Day Lewis being amazing.
A few more names for the list - Aussie Rachel Griffiths (Six Feet Under), and Brits David Harewood (Homeland) and the late, great Tom Wilkinson (In The Bedroom).
Actually hugh laurie wasnt being sampled, he was being interviewed so was speaking his normal British accent lol... You should check out Jeeves and Wooster...he plays Wooster an upper class english twit with incredibly posh whiney accent, Stephen Fry plays his butler Jeeves... wonderful stuff
As a kid we watched so many John Wayne movies on the TV that when we played at Cowboys, we all sounded American. Ye ha!!! "Drink up yur milk. Git on yur horse. Git outta town" You see, we can all do brilliant American accents😂
I appreciate your reaction videos over many other creators as you tend to actually take an interest in the subjects, but when it comes to these videos, the problem lies from your not being able to show the clips, which makes it a tad tricky to be invested in. That being said, im going to have to look out for you on the walking dead now
You have to remember that British actors have to learn a wide range of regional English accents to get many roles. They also have to learn Scots, English, Welsh, Irish republic and Northern Irish accents depending on which of those four they grew up in. American is just one more tool in getting roles for them. A big negative on that video is counting Aussie actors as British. That's insulting to the Aussies and to any Aussies who are insulted by that, this Scot agrees with you.
In the UK, Laurie was seen as a comedy actor, usually playing the stooge to Blackadder or as Bertie Wooster being steered along the right path by Stephen Fry's Jeeves.
The way to do accents is to do what you think and then dial it back a lot more than you probably expect. Most of our early perception of foreign accents is through comedic caricatures, or overheard xenophobic/racist impersonations, so often colours our delivery and mental image of word sound shapes.
A British actress who is amazing at accents in Jodie Comer. It was so weird watching her in Killing Eve then finding out she comes from Liverpool and has a strong scouse accent...
She used to be a Tesco checkout girl.
She's brilliant!
Not for us in the UK.i first watched her in TV comedy,drama series my big fat diary playing the lead characters friend before movies and killing eve.
Similarly Stephen Graham ... So talented
im scouse the fist time i seen her was killing eve@@sarablack2547
The thing with Hugh Laurie is if you're British it was very wierd hearing him do an American accent, he's so English and the roles he's played have always been so English. A lot of us grew up on Blackadder and Fry and Laurie. Then there's all the Americans who were so shocked to find out Stuart Littles dad is English, such a contrast, it is interesting
Apparently when Damian Lewis accepted his Emmy for Homeland many of the audience sat up and said "Wait WHAT? He's BRITISH?"
You could also add Australians Guy Pearce and Russell Crowe to this list
Didn't he attend Eton which makes him not just British but extremely posh British? It's also funny to remember a young Andrew Lincoln doing full frontal scenes as Egg in This Life o Channel 4.
@@auldfouter8661 Hugh Laurie went to Eton and then Cambridge Uni, even taking part in the Boat Race vs Oxford!
I thought Toby Jones was American , even though i'm English.
He also does an incredible impression of a pub singer with no self-awareness.
I can't believe that Gary Oldman isn't on this list. Since True Romance, he has continued to wow me with his talent.
State of Grace 1990
@22grena oooh the one with Sean Penn? Still haven't watched that one. I'll put in on my list. Thanks for reminding me about it.
@@Kerazzy. Where Gary does his Hells Kitchen New York Irish accent.
He isn't on the list because they haven't realized he isn't American yet.
Hugh Laurie is just great at comedy and straight acting roles. His American accent is very good. Also a talented pianist and singer.
But not singer!!!! Noooo-noo no no! He's a terrible singer...not tone-deaf,he has a perfect ear, which is how he can do such brilliant accents: accents are like tunes. But his singing voice alone will never get him on the cover of The Rolling Stone 🤭 He's a fantastic bloke!
@@RachaelMorgan-om4xw Who cares about Rolling Stone magazine? My brother wanted his album for Xmas a few years ago and I gave it a listen before I wrapped it up. I'm into Delta Blues and the early electric blues so not easily impressed by much modern music but it was pretty impressive to be fair.
@@shaunw9270 Ach man, I'm not trying to offend Hugh Laurie's music, he is brilliant, so I don't think he's a great singer? So what? I love him for everything else he's got. That was a line roughly translated from the lyrics of "Cover of the Rolling Stone", by Dr Hook, before Sylvia's Mother 🤗 See what I did there? I love the old blues, Bessie Smith is a favorite of mine, and when my daughter was little she would ask me to sing I Love You Porgy, Billie Holiday when I was tucking her in bed.
AND he’s good looking!
So it's a list of 8 of British actors and two Australian born actors.
When you listen to the intro, they actually say non-American actors. It's just the title that's misleading.
I think a big part of the reason for British acting excellence is that theatre continues to be a major element of the culture.
A lot of Americans seem to treat theatre as being Broadway, school plays, and a nebulous area inbetween that they know exists, but aren't clear on the details. With a focus on film and TV, an actor only needs to hit the bare minimum of skill as long as they are photogenic.
British theatre is more visible at all levels of society, from famous actors doing pantomime shows at Christmas, to local theatre, to the multiple threatres that have been operating continuous since before the American Revolution. British actors are trained and hired based on skills first and foremost.
Not sure if Mojo has a good compilation, but a good example of this is to look at the actors who play aliens. Being able to project clear dialogue and emotion while wearing a latex mask is not easy and the memorable ones are usually theatrically trained.
Excellent summation for the yanks.
Daniel Day-Lewis was a lead in a small British film called My Beautiful Launderette where he used a south London (UK) working class accent. As a working class "sarf" Londoner myself it was a shock to later hear him speak perfect Received English Pronunciation at an awards ceremony he was so convincing.
One, originally, hails from The Old Kent Road and I have a very Southern English Received Pronunciation when the situation warrants. KnowwhatImean,Guv'nor?
I simply must away a I am in the most fearful rush as I have "8" coming for Supper,ce soir.
Toodle Pip and back to Millwall on Saturday with the other Diamond Geezera.
Tru Say,Mi Bredda. Respect,Mi Bredrin..
He's Irish too ;)
@@RachaelMorgan-om4xw I mean, he's "Irish too" in the literal sense that he has _both_ British and Irish citizenships but Day-Lewis was born and raised in England.
@@anonymes2884 That's what I mean't.
He’s what I call a REAL actor
Throw in Idris Elba - who’s Philadelphia accent was so good it fooled the producer of The Wire into casting him even after stating he wouldn’t hire any non Americans.
He like Daniel Kaluuya is from London. You here so many accents here, He did get a grant from a charity 'The Prince's Trust' to study acting. The trust was started by the then Prince Charles of Wales, now King Charles III of the United Kingdom, UK for short. Daniel started out in the British version of Skins, he wrote episodes too, with award winners Dev Patel and Nicholas Hoult.
Don't forget Dominic West! He has a ridiculously posh british accent as standard
@@JudoP_slinging Another one from Eton.
If there's one thing you can learn from JJ is that he really wants to be cast in everybody's next project! 🤣🤣
And why not..I think he'd play a great quietly spoken psychopath 😂
@@nolajoy7759 he nails the same vibe as Michael C Hall as Dexter. Definitely would watch that.
Andrew Lincoln got famous in the UK in a series called This Life, playing a character called Egg. Great show!
And Teachers
Yeah I miss him being in things over here.
The fact that he grew up in Hull still baffles me
He was also in Afterlife. I broke my heart crying when his character died.
On the flip side, an actor that shocked me as a British person that they were American was Renée Zellweger as Bridget Jones
I also thought that Renee Zegwella was British
Sorry I got her name back to front.
Stephen Fry told a story of when he visited Hugh Laurie at the studios where he was filming House, he insisted that Hugh drop the American accent. Hugh stayed in character at all times during each season of the show, but agreed and when they were having lunch at the studio restaurant, the people at other tables, including people who worked with him on the show, were stunned to hear him using a British accent because they had all assumed he was American.
Hugh Laurie fooled America with 8 seasons of the very popular "House" in the leading role as they all thought he was American:)
Hugh was a great British Comedian before he conquered Hollywood:)
As a British man from the North West I genuinely love your videos. The respect, genuine insight from you're perspective and reactions are really enjoyable to watch. You're welcome in Ramsbottom (which is a small town) any time.
Caveat. I was on a bus with Damien Lewis once. I was too shy to speak to him though
The one that blew my mind as a kid was Gillian Anderson. After years of watching her in The X-Files as Scully, I saw her give an interview on British TV and she had a southern English middle class accent 😂
Anderson grew up living in both countries and she slips between the accents. So what's unusual is when she is herself on talk shows she sounds American on US shows and British on the UK ones. Good examples here
ruclips.net/video/BrQ-RlPDPFo/видео.html
@@garjones99 yeah I know. But in the 90’s the internet was in its infancy, and we only knew her as the American lady from The X-Files. So it genuinely blew everyone’s minds she had a British accent.
as a brit, i would say that she sounds too perfect! too flawlessly middle class. as though she hasnt actually lived life out and about in britain with that accent, only in a secluded way, through intense studying or as a child
Loved X Files as a kid. I preferred 'The Outer Limits' though. More horror.
But she was born in America just moved to UK when young
Don’t forget Dominic West in ‘The Wire’ and Gary Oldman in ‘Mank’.
Hey! Love your videos. I'm from the UK and find it interesting seeing you react to people and things you didn't know where british. Thanks again!! Great Job!!!,😊
I have only recently come across your channel and, in actual fact, those videos you watch that are related to films and acting in general - and about accents in particular - are the ones that interest me the most 😊 and so I, for one, hope you do continue with these 👍
Only found your channel a few days ago and have been binging the content.
Your voice is so soothing and calming.
Totally agree... He could read the phone book and I'd still melt 😊
Yeah very calming zen.
Can't believe they missed Idris Elba . He was flawless in the wire.
Came here to say that
And Dominic West!
And even made a good fist of the very difficult accent in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.
Dominic West’s accent is pretty bad on The Wire, TBH
@@marissablank7561 No it wasn't.
The odd word in his natural accent slipped through and especially when he was angry and shouting, but otherwise it was pretty good.
“Get me in your next project” every time made me LAUGH OUT LOUD you funny b*gger 🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂
JJ i'm one of the few that like your content on actors not just because you're an actor but because they are interesting! so don't only make content for the views make content that interests you and i'll be happy to listen to your soft american accent! it's very comforting lol!
I think maybe these videos get less views is because we can't hear the actors voices. I think they're still interesting though.
The movie was Empire of the Sun, but I've never seen it. I agree with Hugh Laurie being number 1, we only recently watched House for the first time. His accent was a surprise because for me I've only known his British accent in things like Blackadder.
Wishing you well 😀
Lol I just posted a similar comment before seeing yours
He played a character that shared my name - James Graham!
there were plenty of British, Australian and New Zealand actors portraying US servicemen in Band of Brothers another stand out for me was Dexter Fletcher as John W. Martin his accent was flawless don't forget almost all of it was filmed in the UK except for a hand full of scenes mainly in the last 2 episodes that were filmed in Switzerland
Gillian Anderson (Scully X Files) has a perfect British and American accent.
Born in Chicago but Schooled and lived in London and has dual nationalities she also has an OBE (Order of the British Empire).
Gillian Anderson's a really interesting case I think because she seems to genuinely have _two_ "natural" accents - on UK chat shows (and presumably in her daily life living in the UK) she speaks with an English accent and on US talk shows (and presumably when interacting with people in the US) she has an American accent but _neither_ seem "put on".
@@anonymes2884John Barrowman is in a similar position, but reversed. He also changes which accent he uses depending on which side of the Atlantic he's on.
Just watched this, as I have many of your posts, and it struck me that your own accent is very nice. It is probably why I watch your vids as you seem to have a very calm and soothing voice, never harsh or abrasive. I am a great grandmother and just love watching you getting your head around all our British idiosyncrasies.
I respect you for saying that you are doing this video because you find it interesting even though the other similar ones didn't do so well. It shows that you are real and not just creating for views. You are staying true to yourself and enjoying your own journey. ❤
Hugh Laurie was also great in "Blackadder" with Rowan Atkinson and in his comedy show together with Stephen Fry
Hugh Laurie started out in Comedy, in a double act with Stephen Fry.
TV series: A Bit of Fry and Laurie and the P.G. Woodhouse's Jeeves and Wooster. Separate Rolls in Blackadder.
British drama schools teach students how to have a neutral accent.
Most British people have grown up listening to American accents in films and on TV.
Some regional British accents use the same or similar vowel sounds as in American accents,
The American Deep South accent, in particular, is close to some British regional accents
I did a drama degree (I graduated almost 10 years ago now), and you're right. We, as English people have greater exposure to American media and therefore Americans are surprised to learn people like Daniel Day Lewis, Damian Lewis, Idris Elba and Stephen Graham are English. Same goes for Aussie and Irish actors (Hugh Jackman, Ben Mendelsohn, Russell Crowe, Colin Farrell etc). By contrast, American actors aren't as good at English/British accents (Don Cheadle in Oceans Eleven, Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins etc). The only notable exceptions for Americans playing English Characters I've seen is Renee Zelwegger in the British Jones films, Robert Downey Jr as Sherlock Holmes and Emma Stone in The Favourite.
Now I discovered your channel, they are great.
They are great train journey viewing.
Keep up the good work 😊
Damian is currently touring is album in the UK, I was surprised when on my way to work I saw a poster of him on a local small studio hall! I remember liking him in 'Life' and then he just went from strength to strength.
Great list, agree with you JJ about the top 3 placement.
Great stuff, cheers!
Damian Lewis was Helen McCrory's (she played Narcissa Malfoy in HP) husband before she passed in 2021.
Andrew Lincoln is also an incredibly talented comedic actor too. He was fantastic in 'Teachers', with a very early appeance of James Corden as an eager student, too.
I used to watch teachers. It was really good.
Yes. Half the cast of The Walking Dead are British amd no one can ever tell.
But I preferred him in Afterlife
Toni Collette's breakout role was probably that of the titular character in the bitter-sweet Australian comedy 'Muriel's Wedding.' Australian actor Guy Pearce has also done pretty well for himself in Hollywood, too. And let's not forget British-born New Zealander, Sam Neil.
If you want a real shock of Hollywood-Actors-You-Didn't-Know-Were-Aussie check out an early 90's Aussie film called Cosi. Plus is a fantastic film
Empire of the sun is one of my favourite films. It’s so well done. ✌️💜
Christian Bale's breakout role was 'Empire of the Sun.' An outstanding film and outstanding performance.
JJLA, how about a Vid about your acting career?
Toni Collette also pulls off some very different British accents in her roles, too.
A few great Welsh actors that nail American accents really well are Catherine Zeta Jones, Michael Sheen, Iowan Gruffydd, Luke Evans, Jonathan Price, Anthony Hopkins and Matthew Rhys 👍🏻 🏴 🇺🇸
How Day Lewis wasn't top is utterly beyond me. Toni Collette too deserves huge kudos.
First time I saw was in a movie called "cosi" it was brilliant.
Dick Van Dyke is wildly remembered for the worst British/Cockney accent of all time. But you know what!!!!!!!! that’s what makes the musical so adorable and special 👍👍👍👍
I can only imagine what the Australians on this list think about being described as British!! Maybe you should have titled it American Reacts to Top 10 Commonwealth Country Actors Doing American Accents?😂
Not only is Daniel Day-Lewis capable of changing his voice depending on accent, check out Gary Oldman particularly in 'Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy'.
Don't quite get your comment, as Gary Oldman was playing George Smiley a senior MI5 man, so was playing an Englishman, and seeing that Oldman was born and bred in London that wouldn't be to hard.
@@ChelseaPensioner-DJW Smiley has a pretty posh accent (he went to public school then Oxford) whereas Gary Oldman has a working class London accent (i.e. the two don't sound much alike). On top of that, I think I get what OP means in that Smiley has a different _voice_ - it's not just Oldman doing a posh accent, his cadence, timbre etc. are all distinct too (not sure if it's deliberate but it reminded me a bit of Alec Guinness's portrayal).
Whereas if you've seen "Slow Horses" (and if not, I recommend it), his spy character in that, Jackson Lamb, basically just has Oldman's natural accent.
(and Smiley's in MI6 BTW :)
If we're just talking about 'accent versatility'...Gary Oldman' s Churchill can't be ignored!
Daniel Day Lewis would be my number one, his acting ability is just unbelievably well developed, utterly convincing in whatever accents he uses.....
The best thing about the UK is the regional accents, you can go 20 miles in any direction and people sound different. I love this stuff
This is why I hate the _British accent_ moniker. I can do four different accents from London alone, all from friends.
And there's more I cant do.
My vote goes to Bella Ramsey in "The Last of Us". She was born in Nottinghamshire. Can't testify to how good her accent was, but her acting was brilliant.
"King in the North!"
Andrew Lincoln is even more amazing, when you realise that back in the day he had a very strong regional accent, so much so that in order to land parts in the USA he had to work strongly to break his natrual accent.
I like how in this vid it's just her explaining it but not actually hearing the actors doing any accents vs their real accents
Totally agree with you on positions for 1, 2 and 3.
Margot Robbie is great but she's not British, and can i just point out that when Americans say "British" they seem to mean, English but there are 4 countries in Britain.
Most Americans seem to think England is Britain 🙄
@@101steel4It seems they also think Australians are as well 😁
Damien Lewis and Christian Bale had me fooled for years too haha Good stuff JJLA keep up coming.
Was waiting for a final "cast me in your next project" as sign off 😆
3 of the 4 Stars of the American Civil War classic GONE WITH THE WIND were British. Vivienne Leigh as Scarlet O'Hara, Olivia DeHavilland as Melanie Wilkes and Leslie Howard as Ashley Wilkes.
Both Damien Lewis and Hugh Laurie went to Eton College.
Good luck with that casting, JJ. Enyoyed this video, as with all your content.
two ozzys was not all british lol
Aussies.
The 'cast me in your next project' whisper, which got successively faster, was hilarious ! 😂😂😂😂
I have never worked with a more British Actor than Damien Lewis- he went to Eton!- his accent is great I think because his Dad was ambassador to Washington for years-so he will have spent plenty of time there.
A reason that these accent videos don't get many views might be that they are all WatchMojo, they are badly made and often inaccurate. When I see their logo I usually don't continue watching. Videos about accents and we don't hear any of the voices?
Ditto - Doesn’t JJLA realise we only get the irritating commentary?
Can’t be sure if he reads the comments tbh.
Hi jj just started watching your videos they are great and you too
I think you've mislabelled the video causing some confusion 😅 the Mojo video does not specify them as 'British' just the top 10 non-american actors who are good at american actors.... so we have a mix of Australian and British in there. Was fun to watch though.
I first saw Hugh Laurie in Wooster and Jeeves and later in the different versions of Blackadder. When the House first aired, I hadn’t watched it until someone mentioned that Hugh Laurie was the star. My friend thought that I was weird when I asked why they would have a British actor staring in an American tv show. No one believed me when I said the Laurie was British.
Bob hoskyns as New Yorker Super Mario... Apparently the technicians on set thought he was joking around when he put on a British accent between takes
Your accent is really cool, 👍😎. do you do audiobooks as you definitely have the voice for them ? 🤔
How is Margot Robbie British, she is Australian
Toni Collette isn't British either.
That's JJLA's fault for putting British in the title of the video, the video he's reacting to is titled "Top 10 Actors Who Are Great at American Accents".
Right. Why do people do different things to their video titles, it’s annoying!
The video wasn’t about British actors doing American accents, it was about actors who aren’t American doing American accents.
@@ffotograffydd The _original_ video wasn't. But the above reaction video itself is explicitly titled "American Reacts to Top 10 British Actors Doing American Accents!".
Forty years ago when I first went to the States I was astonished about how many people did not know what town I was referring to when I talked about 'New York'! No matter how often , slowly, or quickly I repeated it the Yanks were mystified ast where i meant !
One reason British, Irish, Australian and New Zealand actors are good at American accents is that they see lots of American films and TV. I don't think American actors see a lot of films or TV from those countries.
JJ: DAMIEN LEWIS IS BRITISH?
Me: YOU'RE AN ACTOR?
Unique New York is a phrase used in acting enunciation exercises. So Laurie might be afraid muscle memory would kick in.
Millie Bobby Brown was in one episode of modern family in 2015. But before that she played an American girl who killed her mother in NCIS (2014).
Damian Lewis is SO British, having been to the top Private School, called a Public school in the UK, Eaton. The cast of Band oF Brothers is a litany of young British and Irish actors. As well as Damian Lewis there are Michael Fassbender, Stephen Graham , Mark Warren, James McAvoy, Simon Pegg, Dexter Fletcher and Tom Hardy amongst so many!
It's spelt Eton.
@@melissaquinn1296 Thank you. Fat Finger syndrome on keyboard.
The title say Top 10 British Actors... But Margo Robbie is Australian.
Australia isn't in Britain?
Killian from The Running Man, aka Richard Dawson, and Frasier’s Dad in Frasier, aka John Mahoney, both British actors
True but at least in Mahoney's case he moved to the US when he was 18 and then actively set out to lose his English accent - he isn't putting on an American accent in 'Frasier', by that point that was his "natural" accent.
Check out Albert Finney in 'Saturday night, Sunday Morning' and then in 'Big Fish/Erin Brockovich' , and then back again to 'The gathering storm' - no way that is the same person! LOL
Haha this reminds me of when we did Grease the musical at school. I decided to put on an "American" accent for my part. We had Americans visiting family who came to the school to watch the play. They thought I was American. It's because we grow up on America telly, I watched so much with my mum when I was a kid. Rosanne, Cheers, Fresh Prince, it was easy to pick up an accent.
you should watch High Laurie in Blackadder 3, you wouldn't believe it was the same person
Pue didn’t use her natural British accent in Fighting with my family, she did a Norfolk accent which isn’t her standard accent.
Another good one is Lennie James who played undercover spec ops operator Robert Hawkins in the tv show Jericho 2006-08 ( several of that title but this is the show about the aftermath of several small nukes going off in US cities ). I only found out he is British years later.
The other way around, I had no idea while watching Bridget Jones Diary that Renee Zellweger was from Texas. I just assumed she is the English actress Renee Zellweger.
Agree with Damien Lewis and Daniel Day Lewis being amazing.
Most of the actors in Band of Brothers are British
Marc Warren.
A few more names for the list - Aussie Rachel Griffiths (Six Feet Under), and Brits David Harewood (Homeland) and the late, great Tom Wilkinson (In The Bedroom).
All great actors but the mist versatile is Hugh lawrie from Laurie and fry, black adder to er. Good post I enjoyed it. 👍
Happy Birthday JJ, have a good one 🎈 X
By the end I was waiting for you to say "Cast me in your next project" with bated breath and giggling like a schoolgirl. lol
Did you know the actress Kim Catrall is English from Liverpool
Actually hugh laurie wasnt being sampled, he was being interviewed so was speaking his normal British accent lol... You should check out Jeeves and Wooster...he plays Wooster an upper class english twit with incredibly posh whiney accent, Stephen Fry plays his butler Jeeves... wonderful stuff
As a kid we watched so many John Wayne movies on the TV that when we played at Cowboys, we all sounded American.
Ye ha!!!
"Drink up yur milk. Git on yur horse. Git outta town"
You see, we can all do brilliant American accents😂
I appreciate your reaction videos over many other creators as you tend to actually take an interest in the subjects, but when it comes to these videos, the problem lies from your not being able to show the clips, which makes it a tad tricky to be invested in. That being said, im going to have to look out for you on the walking dead now
I think both Margot Robbie and Toni Collette would be offended to be seen as British. Australia is about as British as the US (and I'm British)
The video doesn’t say they’re British…
@ffotograffydd The title does though
@@stuartmcquade3407 The title isn’t the video though…
@ffotograffydd yeah I know that but the title is the first thing people look at so it's not unjustified to query that in the comments section
@@stuartmcquade3407 OK mate… 😂
Hugh Laurie was speaking in his native tongue lol. I enjoyed this
So you have promo head shots and televised head shots? Cool. I imagine "I've been shot in the head 3 times" is quite a conversation starter.
Toni collette does a excellent Welsh accent in the film dream horse.
Top 10 British accents - then lists some Australians.😂
I am not sure of the criteria or the definition of British Actors ..But Margo Robbie and Toni Collette are Australian.
You have to remember that British actors have to learn a wide range of regional English accents to get many roles. They also have to learn Scots, English, Welsh, Irish republic and Northern Irish accents depending on which of those four they grew up in. American is just one more tool in getting roles for them. A big negative on that video is counting Aussie actors as British. That's insulting to the Aussies and to any Aussies who are insulted by that, this Scot agrees with you.
In the UK, Laurie was seen as a comedy actor, usually playing the stooge to Blackadder or as Bertie Wooster being steered along the right path by Stephen Fry's Jeeves.
The way to do accents is to do what you think and then dial it back a lot more than you probably expect.
Most of our early perception of foreign accents is through comedic caricatures, or overheard xenophobic/racist impersonations, so often colours our delivery and mental image of word sound shapes.
When do we get to see you 'performing' for a change? And someone, anyone... please, cast him in their next project!
I did some investigating yesterday and discovered JJ's identity and then was able to watch some of his acting work (he's not too bad)