Why is there such a large quantity of British/UK actors? It seems like an increasingly disproportionate number of British people are huge stars and have the most roles.

What's the rhyme or reason to it?

Thanks for answering a dumb question

Dat accent

Good dental hygine

Theater is taken more seriously in England. I think it's more difficult to break through there, where being classically trained is important. In America, it's more about how you look or who you know. Someone like Keanu Reeves would never have become a star in England.

Bruce Almighty said:

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Theater is taken more seriously in England. I think it's more difficult to break through there, we're being classically trained is important. In America, it's more about how you look or who you know. Someone like Keanu Reeves would never have become a star in England.

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Thanks for taking the time to type a serious reply. I assumed it had something to do with upbringing.

However it still fascinates how well they hide accents and are able to chameleon as a perfect American until they do behind the scenes interviews and i remind myself "ah that's right he or she is a Brit"

I know American is the easiest character to play but it's really impressive to me

coastsrs said:

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Bruce Almighty said:

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Theater is taken more seriously in England. I think it's more difficult to break through there, we're being classically trained is important. In America, it's more about how you look or who you know. Someone like Keanu Reeves would never have become a star in England.

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Thanks for taking the time to type a serious reply. I assumed it had something to do with upbringing.

However it still fascinates how well they hide accents and are able to chameleon as a perfect American until they do behind the scenes interviews and i remind myself "ah that's right he or she is a Brit"

I know American is the easiest character to play but it's really impressive to me

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I actually don't think a lot of them are that good at masking it, along with most Aussie actors. I have a weird annoyance with it that's just gotten worse over the years. I always seem to notice. They always sound like they are blocking their nasal passage while speaking

Some are really atrocious - Charlie Hunnam, Charlie Cox, Henry Cavill... Even Benedict Cumberbatch has struggled with it a bit.

Tom Holland might actually be one of the best. And I remember thinking Martin Freeman did a great job in Black Panther with his. I do agree that there are a ton of really fantastic British actors though.

coastsrs said:

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Bruce Almighty said:

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Theater is taken more seriously in England. I think it's more difficult to break through there, we're being classically trained is important. In America, it's more about how you look or who you know. Someone like Keanu Reeves would never have become a star in England.

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Thanks for taking the time to type a serious reply. I assumed it had something to do with upbringing.

However it still fascinates how well they hide accents and are able to chameleon as a perfect American until they do behind the scenes interviews and i remind myself "ah that's right he or she is a Brit"

I know American is the easiest character to play but it's really impressive to me

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That is because their accents are 100% affected - meaning forced or put on - so they can easily drop them.

Prior to about 1776 the British had no accents - not like they do now. And we both had what is called rhotic accents which literally means pronouncing your "r"s like we use them. So we all sounded the same then,

The British accents started in the late 1700s and early 1800s as a societal differentiation in British society. the upper and middle classes started using them to differentiate their class system which was pervasive there, but wasn't here. And thats why they have different accents based on the part of England you are from even the parts if London. It was a class thing. And the primary difference was dropping their "r"s.

That's why we have no pervasive ingrained nation wide accents - but some regional ones like Boston and NY developed a generation or so after that and were in part impacted by the Brit accents as east coasters had more contact with them.

Anyway it really isn't that impressive - it's much harder to go the other way and sound natural partly because there are so many variations and because it's easier to adopt growing up with it then it is to learn later.

It's also why Brits don't have an accent when singing - they don't force it then and it's hard to do when singing. Same for Bostonians, etc.

It's subsidized by tax payers

Another one who I forget is british is Christian Bale. I watched Ford V Ferrari the other day and was reminded.

You know nothing, Zombie Jon Snow

Really though - that may be complete bull****, but you made it sound great.

I always found it odd that British singers sounded perfectly American whilst singing.

And to all you doubters of ZJS, check the link below.

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/29761/when-did-americans-lose-their-british-accents

ZJS's description was at best a highly dramatized "based on a true story" type account

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And to all you doubters of ZJS, check the link below.

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I don't doubt at all that 300 years ago Brits & Americans spoke the same. I also do not doubt that mimicry of the aristocracy could cause a little island nation's accent to change over time.

What I am calling BS on is the idea that the British/English accent is a conspiracy & secretly they all talk like Americans. (Not ZJS's exact words, but that is what he is implying)

Humorous Username said:

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And to all you doubters of ZJS, check the link below.

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/29761/when-did-americans-lose-their-british-accents

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I'd love for you to explain how you think this article proves the idiotic claims made by ZJS.

Apache said:

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And to all you doubters of ZJS, check the link below.

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I don't doubt at all that 300 years ago Brits & Americans spoke the same. I also do not doubt that mimicry of the aristocracy could cause a little island nation's accent to change over time.

What I am calling BS on is the idea that the British/English accent is a conspiracy & secretly they all talk like Americans. (Not ZJS's exact words, but that is what he is implying)

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I didn't imply that or anything like that. Just that their accents are easily dropped like most accents.

Accents based on a different language are more significant hurdles because different languages have different sounds that are not always a part of that native language.

All accents in Native English speakers are not difficult to drop. Conversely though those regional accents are harder to adopt if not born and raised in it.

Ask any dialects or acting voice coach.

When I said affected I don't mean every person with an accent NOW is faking it. They have it because they were born into it. But those accents were developed and did not used to exist. That's an affected accent when it originated.

expresswrittenconsent said:

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Humorous Username said:

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And to all you doubters of ZJS, check the link below.

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/29761/when-did-americans-lose-their-british-accents

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I'd love for you to explain how you think this article proves the idiotic claims made by ZJS.

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That article says pretty much exactly what I said. Although it explains it better. Wasn't aware I was being graded for a term paper.

" Before and during the American Revolution, the English, both in England and in the colonies, mostly spoke with a rhotic accent. "

" Around the turn of the 18th 19th century, not long after the revolution, non-rhotic speech took off in southern England, especially among the upper and upper-middle classes. It was a signifier of class and status. This posh accent was standardized as Received Pronunciation and taught widely by pronunciation tutors to people who wanted to learn to speak fashionably. Because the Received Pronunciation accent was regionally "neutral" and easy to understand, it spread across England and the empire through the armed forces, the civil service and, later, the BBC.

Across the pond, many former colonists also adopted and imitated Received Pronunciation to show off their status. This happened especially in the port cities that still had close trading ties with England Boston, Richmond, Charleston, and Savannah."

Humorous Username said:

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And to all you doubters of ZJS, check the link below.

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/29761/when-did-americans-lose-their-british-accents

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No one doubts that the "British accent" was created. But no one believes it is faked today. They sre fully baked in now

Brian Earl Spilner said:

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But those accents were developed and did not used to exist. That's an affected accent when it originated.

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Isn't that true of every accent in history?

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No. Accents based on language are natural not affected. German and Japanese accents for example. Within those languages they may have further regional or status accents that are affected. But the language based accent is the part that is hard to change or adopt to other languages. Because the pronunciations or sounds within those languages can be very different. Some sounds may be unique or not exist in other languages. Or may not exist in those languages. It can be done but is much more difficult. Native bilingual speakers are able to do that easily though.

Duncan Idaho said:

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Humorous Username said:

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And to all you doubters of ZJS, check the link below.

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/29761/when-did-americans-lose-their-british-accents

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No one doubts that the "British accent" was created. But no one believes it is faked today. They sre fully baked in now

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Yes. I agree. I didn't mean it's all affected now. I can see how my first statement implied that but I wasn't talking about them affecting it now. I just meant an accent within a common language is more easily dropped than an accent based on a language difference.

But all accents didn't "used to exist". They're all developed.

Brian Earl Spilner said:

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But all accents didn't "used to exist". They're all developed.

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All languages also did not used to exist...it's not really the point though. But as languages developed those language based accents are innate to the language not some regional thing or developed for some societal reason.

It's simply the difference between an accent based on a language vs an accent based on some regional or societal norm. The former are harder to modify than the latter.

Your post implies that its easy for a Received Pronunciation speaker to drop their accent back to something more similar to what an American would, and based on the topic of this thread it is very easy to make the inference that youre also saying its harder for an American to go the opposite direction. I dont think there is any difference in the difficulty of Americans to mimic the British or vice versa, and if it does exist its related more to differences in levels of cultural exposure.

In the specific case of global film and television actors, any difference is most likely related to an economic pressure for British, Australian, Irish, South African, New Zealand actors to develop passable American accents in order to have more access to the greatest number of potential roles

expresswrittenconsent said:

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Humorous Username said:

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And to all you doubters of ZJS, check the link below.

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/29761/when-did-americans-lose-their-british-accents

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I'd love for you to explain how you think this article proves the idiotic claims made by ZJS.

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Maybe you should try reading instead of being your usual asinine self, buddy.

BTW, Scottish and Irish speakers have rhotic accents just like Americans. Their accents are not "affected" at all but a matter of local language and national identity. I also dont think it is any different for British actors to move among Irish, Scottish, and English accents as compared to moving to Amercian accents. Some are good at it and some arent.

Humorous Username said:

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expresswrittenconsent said:

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Humorous Username said:

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And to all you doubters of ZJS, check the link below.

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/29761/when-did-americans-lose-their-british-accents

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I'd love for you to explain how you think this article proves the idiotic claims made by ZJS.

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Maybe you should try reading instead of being your usual asinine self, buddy.

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I'm well aware (as is everyone on this thread apparently except you) of the theory you posted. It's common knowledge. Try and keep up.

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In the specific case of global film and television actors, any difference is most likely related to an economic pressure for British, Australian, Irish, South African, New Zealand actors to develop passable American accents in order to have more access to the greatest number of potential roles

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