Oh, why can't the English learn to set
A good example to people whose English is painful to your ears?
The Scotch and the Irish leave you close to tears.
There even are places where English completely disappears.
In America, they haven't used it for years!
Why can't the English Lyrics, My Fair Lady
With the release of One Day, the film version of the bestselling book, a torrent of complaints, catty remarks, and just plain bitchiness has been unleashed upon Anne Hathaway. While her name sounds like that of some 19th century English Rose, her Yorkshire accent in her most recent blockbuster really gives the game away. One journalist welled up at tears by the end of this film, not at the emotional and sudden ending but at the dire attempt of Hathaway to be British. As we can all band together and agree on, being British is more than just an accent, but why is it that we get so bloody offended when a Yank can't get it right?
Similar animosity was shown towards Russel Crowe in his role as Robin Hood in the imaginatively named film, Hood. Rather than having one crappy imitation of a British accent throughout, his accent seemed to change and manifest as he moved through the Nottingham countryside. When questioned about this, Crowe replied, rather haughtily (and I paraphrase) "Robin Hood would have travelled all over England if he were real, and would have picked up all kinds of different accents, which is what I portrayed in the movie." Good point Mr Crowe, but surely the same could be said for jet-setting businessmen who travel weekly to all corners of the world, but they don't walk into every meeting speaking a different dialect of Mandarin.
The only American who we graciously accepted and applauded in the role of a Brit, was Renee Zellwegger in the role of the fantastic and brilliant creation of Helen Fielding, Bridget Jones. Her accent was spot on as a Londoner, and the fantastic casting of Gemma Jones as Bridget's mum made the whole thing rather believable. It wasn't just her accent though. Her mannerisms, choice of swearwords and incessant smoking as soon as off the tube made good ol' Bridge relatable to a large chunk of British women. However, Ms Zellwegger can't be credited for our love of Bridget Jones, and of course we should all bow down to Ms Fielding for bringing her to us to begin with, but the point remains: this is one of the only British characters played by an American that we have really appreciated. Oh scratch that, worshipped.
Personally, after a bad nights sleep and getting a very untimely shock from the window cleaners (of course I was brushing my teeth naked), I can only think of one more American in a British role that we, as a nation, have embraced like a brother. I speak, of course, of Johnny Depp in his fantastic portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow. He is a frequent guest at fancy dress parties which gives many men an excuse to wear make up and think themselves sexy, and is even the subject matter of a Lonely Island song (but with hits like Dick in a Box and On a Boat, I don't think subject matter is high on their list of priorities). His drunken gyrations on and off a boat deck, his eyeliner, beaded dreadlocks and his insistence on being called Captain would make him a less than desirable bed guest for most women, but somehow Depp pulls it off and, even more commendable, makes it totally hot.
The moral of the story? Most Americans should stick to what they know, and play characters in which they don't have to drastically change their accents because then they won't be the subject of ridicule until they make a sex tape and we all forget about it. Unless you're Johnny Depp, because, let's face it, he could get away with anything with those lips.
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