by Brian O’Neil
Much has been said and written over the past several years regarding the ability of English actors to speak with an American accent in contrast to the lesser likelihood of Americans being able to speak with an English accent. To the extent that this belief is true– and to a certain extent it is–it’s worth taking a look at a few of the reasons why. Some are artistic, some are practical — and some are a combination of the two.
Exposure to “our” sound. For purposes of this discussion, unless otherwise noted, I’m going to say “our” and “their” when referring to the sounds of American and English actors. Why?
There have been many references in the media to “the American accent” and “the British accent” when, in fact, both countries have an almost uncountable number of accents within their boundaries.
Over two dozen actors from England (as well as Australia, Ireland and New Zealand) were interviewed for this piece, and all unanimously concurred: Growing up in an English speaking foreign country means being inundated with “our” sound in the media to such an extent that it has naturally made “our” sound easier for them than “theirs” is for us. Americans don’t live their entire lives hearing the English sound in the United States– anywhere near as much as the English hear the American sound in England. The overall consensus was that If “we” did we would have one big advantage “they” have.
One English actor in the focus group pointed out that while he was still living in England he was in a play that required him to do a Scottish accent. He said that despite the fact that English and Scottish people speak the same language, and despite the fact that England and Scotland are located on the exact same island, he was still more familiar with the way English is spoken on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean than he was familiar with the way it is spoken just a few hundred miles away from where he had lived his entire life. And so he found playing the Scottish character- at least from the standpoint of speech -more daunting than playing any of the American characters he had played up to that point in time.
Many English actors have actually pointed out which American television television shows they watched that helped them to learn “our” dialect, but the perhaps the point was most pithily put by English actor Edward Westwick of the now defunct CW hit “Gossip Girl.” Asked how he learned the posh prep school American sound for the character of Chuck Bass, Westwick’s response was always the same: He got it from watching the character of Carlton Banks on “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.” Exposure.
One actor in my group contends that “our” sound is actually easier to enunciate from the sheer standpoint of a more relaxed physical execution. And while many agree, it’s only fair to those who work diligently to perfect “our” sound to acknowledge that, like most skills, accurate sound will come more easily for some than others.
Training and Motivation. Much to the credit of the English drama schools, they have almost always placed more emphasis on speech than have their American counterparts. Also, several top English drama schools have rachetted up their number of productions of American plays and admirably they want to get “our” sound right.
There are also practical aspects in the English training of “our” sound that cannot be overlooked. Clearly one of them is the increasingly realistic chance of an English actor’s coming to the United States to play American characters, something that has escalated over the past decade in unprecedented numbers. The reverse is clearly not the case. Therefore the English actor would be more motivated today, from a sheer standpoint of practicality, to learn “our” sound than we would be to learn “their” sound.
As far as ratcheting up the number of American plays being done at English drama schools is concerned, let’s look at two reasons why. 1). More so than ever before, members of the American entertainment industry are observing the work of English actors while still in training. To be a successful English actor working in America today largely means being able to play an American. Therefore, students are often being presented in their school showcase productions playing American characters with an eye toward their future goals. 2). From a sheer artistic standpoint, there is so much American drama of high quality that they are eager to perform it for its own sake. (Dame Diana Rigg weighs in on the quality of American drama later).
Learning “our” accent was not always the priority for the English speaking foreign actor as it is today. A look at films from generations past shows that the accurate emphasis on “our” sound was in place on some occasions and on others, it clearly wasn’t. One notable example of the latter, is Welsh actor Richard Burton’s deservedly Oscar-nominated portrayal of “George” in the film version of Edward Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” Whatever George is or is not, he is most definitely an American. While some critics carped at Burton’s accent, the public pretty much let it slide because we were, after all, getting a couple of major gifts in having Burton. The first being the sound of one of last century’s most mellifluous vocal instruments– regardless of its origin– and the second was Burton’s being the other half of the most famous acting couple on the planet. And in the very same film to boot.
Amusingly, some felt that the actual character of George lent itself to acceptance of Burton’s sound, as if to say that a character who is erudite and academic enough to become a college teacher, clearly just might magically also happen to sound like someone who comes from, you know, the United Kingdom. Even more amusing– and what follows is American bias — two years prior to Virginia Woolf, English actress Julie Andrews played the Austrian Maria von Trapp in “The Sound of Music.” Some found it odd that an Austrian character would speak with an English accent, but if one extends that mode of thinking about two more feet down the road, one might then consider why an Austrian character would be speaking English in the first place. Again, this was American bias at its best. Had Andrews been an American actress, and had she spoken with an American accent in the film, no one would have said anything at all.
Familiarity with the actor. Here is where an American actor can be at a distinct disadvantage. It commonly happens that by the time an American actor is asked to assume an English accent, the actor is already well entrenched in our consciousness. That is, he or she is famous. We have been watching them for years. We know the person we are watching on the screen is an American and we know the speech pattern they are assuming as a foreigner is an artifice. While an English actor who is taking on the role of an American may also be well-known, there are many more instances in which the foreign actor whom we are seeing is someone with whom we are not quite so familiar. There is an advantage in that and I elaborate in the next point.
Geographical acclimation. When an English actor is imported to the United States, it is not uncommon to be slipped into our consciousness in somewhat subtle fashion– especially in the medium of television– and often as part of a relatively large ensemble. In most cases the actors’ true roots only become known to the American public in one of two ways: 1). Appearance on a talk show, or 2). Appearance on an awards show. It’s at that time when the actors revert to their original manner of speech. This is often done to give us Americans the full effect: (“Did you hear him on Jimmy Kimmel last night??” “Did you know?” “OMG, I almost died when I heard him!”). Yet, by the time that happens, the actor has often lived in the United States for at least a couple of years. This gives a clear advantage because the actor is now on an American set with American actors and living in an overall environment where English is spoken with an American accent. When it becomes known that the actor is indeed of English origin, one can often hear the differences in the actor’s speech in the earlier episodes of the show versus the more recent. Again, that’s after it becomes known. And to some extent, the reason for that follows next.
Most people do not know what they are hearing. While many people claim to have a great “ear” for dialects, it truly is the highly sophisticated ear that is really able to discern what is accurate and what isn’t. Two examples: In one situation an English actor with whom I spoke had appeared in an American play in England. The play then came to the United States. The cast was pleased because English sources had informed them of how genuine their American dialect sounded. That is, until they got to New York where they were quickly informed how far off base it actually was and that it had to be fixed. The second example involves an American actor who appeared in a play in New York portraying an English character. American critics praised his English accent with frequent use of the word “flawless.” Then he headed off to London to perform the same role in the same play where the word “flawless” was not the word used by English critics to describe his sound.
Quality of American product. While the massive expansion of American television has enabled the induction of English actors into our media in a way not seen before, quantity and the opportunity for international exposure are not the only reasons for interest by the English. Quality, as I mentioned previously, is another. While a number of English actors and directors of English drama programs have recently heaped enormous praise on the current quality of American drama in the areas of stage, screen and television, internationally acclaimed Tony and Emmy winning British star Dame Diana Rigg is quite emphatic in her position on American drama versus British drama. In an April, 2018 interview with American Theatre editor Diep Tran, Dame Diana says: “There was a turning point, I think it was the 40s and 50s- Splendor in the Grass, On the Waterfront. The writers, such as William Inge, and the subjects they tackled- they were miles ahead of us- and still are, as a matter of fact. The visceral subjects they tackled, and we tend to be skittering on the top. I’ll probably be kicked in the teeth when I get back to England if you put that!”
As for the writer of the article you are currently reading? I love good actors and good writing no matter what or where their origin or present location. Good acting and good writing exist everywhere and I don’t believe that any of what goes with either of the two territories is easy. No, not me. Not by a long shot.
Brian O’Neil is the best-selling author of Acting As a Business: Strategies for Success, Fifth Edition. A former talent agent and personal manager, he teaches at many top conservatories and universities including The Juilliard School and NYU. He is also an acting and marketing coach. For more information, visit: http://www.actingasabusiness.
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