The sheriff calls us outlaws. But I say we are free. Unlike some other Robin Hoods, I can speak with an English accent. ("God Save the Queen") [Narrator] There are countless
examples of American actors who do terrible British accents. I've seen many strange things already. Mary Poppins, you look beautiful. [Narrator] While most
British actors appear to have perfected their American accents. Is that the going rate for
saving the woman you love? But, I'm gonna kill you. [Narrator] So why do Americans
have such a tough time? I think part of it is an illusion. I think part of it is just
the fact that we actually hear a lot more British actors
doing American accents. [Narrator] Erik Singer is a dialect coach based in New York. How many accents and dialects can I do? All of them. (laughs) [Narrator] He works with actors
to fine tune their accents for film and TV. I think we can probably think of some accents from British
actors in American accents that are less successful. I can't imagine a world without you. There are guys you can hit. And there's guys you can't. The British actors who
do really successful American accents tend
to live in the states tend to come here and
really be sort of be aiming at the kind of success that, you know, having a career in TV and film that's produced in Hollywood represent. The American actors who do
really good British accents, and there are plenty, tend to be under the
radar a little bit more. You know they're doing theater in London or something like that. [Narrator] The type of
training actors receive can also come into play. More British actors tend to
have a drama school training in which speech and accents
and phonetics is part of it. [Narrator] So what are
some examples of Americans who can do a good British accent? I've heard some clips of Michael C. Hall in the Netflix series "Safe"
doing an English accent that sounds really really really good. I'm looking for Jenny, my daughter, I think she was Chris
last night, is she here? Alan Tudyk does a great job,
he's the robot in "Rogue One." I'm a reprogrammed Imperial Droid. [Narrator] On the flip side, Singer says there are numerous British
actors who have really nailed their American accents. Idris Elba's kind of African
American accent in "The Wire." You going out on point pickin'
up business in the pit. Ain't nothin' else to it. Daniel Kaluuya did an amazing
job, I think, in "Get Out." Yo, my man, they were asking me about the African American experience. Maybe you can take this one. Mark Rylance, his native
accent is English. He usually does a really
great job in American accents. Hello, I am James Halliday, if you're watching this, I'm dead. [Narrator] For those who have struggled with accents in the past. I need that money, Tom. [Narrator] Singer has some tips for actors looking to hone their skills. Listen to a native speaker, listen a lot and listen some more. It's an act of the imagination
taking on another accent if you're not familiar with
the culture, the place, the people or you don't
have a strong kind of sense of empathetic identification that's when it gets really hard. Meryl Streep is famous for
having done this a lot, being surrounded by people
who talk in the target accent. 1941, when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. Meryl Streep doing Margaret Thatcher which is a very specific,
it's an idiolect, it's one person's accent. But, it's absolutely flawless. [Narrator] When doing a British accent, there are a few basic
things to keep in mind. Posture wise the tongue
tips tend to be pointier jaw tends to be a bit higher. I would listen particularly
for sounds like goat, the o-sound where it's
like hold, gold, hope. I tend to use a bit more pitch, tend to use pitch for emphasis a bit more so that'll get you started. [Narrator] There were many
types of British accents. And some tend to be more
difficult than others. One thing that comes up for some reason is that a lot of Americans seem to really struggle with is Welsh accents. A lot of it is a lack of exposure. It's like Welsh, what
does that even sound like for a lot of Americans? Unless you've gone to see a
production of "Under Milk Wood" or something like that. You probably haven't been
exposed to lots of Welsh accents. There's also one type of British accent that actors tend to lean on. One of the first things that
you'll see American actors do is kind of straighten up,
yes, I've got to be like this. And there's an association
with the kind of fanciness. Sometimes you'll see British
actors kinda get soft and floppy and lean back 'cause
American are all like that. Which is adding a particular character and attitude on top of an accent. And I think it's really important not to rely on those sorts of things. And to realize that people are people. And character is to a large
extent, independent of accent. [Narrator] To perfect an American accent you need to focus on one key letter. A huge thing is getting American r-sounds. And there's two things that
can be challenging there. One of them is just making
sure they're all there. And unstressed syllables
like at the end of words like other and another,
mother, sister, brother, you know, writer, baker. We tend to skip right over those. Carl! Carl! American r's usually
are made for most people with the sides of the
tongue kind of bunching up. It's a really odd thing
to do with your tongue. And it can feel very awkward and clumsy and it involves a lot of muscularity. [Narrator] Regardless of your skills, sometimes your true accent
will pop up unexpectedly. Getting very emotional, yelling, also being tired or drunk, these are times when
accents do tend to slip. I killed Bethany, my old
girl friend with a nail gun. [Narrator] So how long does
it take to master an accent? It just depends, it really does. The more time the better. If you have six weeks
before shooting starts or before rehearsals start for a play and you work on it really really hard, ideally with a really
qualified dialect coach, you stand a pretty good shot
of getting to a good place. Yes sir, I will give it my full attention. Our work is finished here. Hers has just begun.
Interesting video, but horribly titled.
Gweneth Paltrow does a great English accent, she's pretty mainstream. I only watched the first season or so, but always found the dude from Walking Dead's accent to be pretty cringe. Idris was great in The Wire though. Also the guy who played Bill Compton in True Blood never felt out of place.
It's interesting. I usually wonder that it's easier for British actors to imitate American accent than vice versa.
Thanks for the nice video!