Liev Schreiber - Mental (2013) Discussion

[–] John_Dee_007 11 years ago

Agreed. Was scratching my head wondering if he was actually Australian this whole time and I was somehow mistaken, because no way could an American pull off an Australian accent that well, and an occa accent at that. It was actually better than Anthony LaPaglia's. *Stunned*

EDSKRPHW

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[–] toosweetforrockandroll 11 years ago

i had to check his imdb to make sure i wasn't wrong about him not being aussie! probably helps that he's in a relationship with an aussie :)

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[–] Trismegistos4 11 years ago

Agreed. Totally nailed it.

And in a movie where a lot of accents were deliberately over done his stood out even more.

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[–] violachild2002 11 years ago

Many Australian actors force a 'dumb' Australian accent when they are playing working class. Best working class accents are by David Wenham and John Polson. See them in The Boys which was on TV in Australia last night.

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[–] alison-desmond 11 years ago

David Wenham as a junkie in Gettin' Square.

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[–] cherubalways 11 years ago

I have to agree. Frankly, I wasn't sure it was him at all when his character first arrives. Excellent accent. I'd be really interested in knowing how Anthony P reverts to his former accent? Does it come naturally, or, does he tackle it from scratch? In a recent interview, he expressed regrets letting his natural accent disappear. I've noticed he's been doing a few Aussie films lately. He too is married to an Aussie, maybe that helps him as well?

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[–] renn711 11 years ago

My first thought when I saw the character, cause I didn't notice any credits, was that he reminded me of Liev Schreiber, but it can't be, the accent is too good!!! Stunned at the end when I saw the credits. Well Played, Liev.

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[–] 11 years ago

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[–] SouthAussieLass 10 years ago

Agreed. Particularly for an American, who traditionally really struggle with the way we pronounce some of our vowels. My husband, who is American, has lived here for seven years and has never been able to get even close to an Australian accent, apart from a handful of words.

I only heard two tiny possible slips from Liev, and that was only because I was listening for them. Had I not known he was American, I'd never have picked him as anything but Australian. He did an awesome job, and totally has my respect for his efforts!

*Those without a sense of humour are at the mercy of the rest of us*

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[–] SouthAussieLass 10 years ago

Agreed. Particularly for an American, who traditionally really struggle with the way we pronounce some of our vowels. My husband, who is American, has lived here for seven years and has never been able to get even close to an Australian accent, apart from a handful of words.

I only heard two tiny possible slips from Liev, and that was only because I was listening for them. Had I not known he was American, I'd never have picked him as anything but Australian. He did an awesome job, and totally has my respect for his efforts!

*Those without a sense of humour are at the mercy of the rest of us*

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[–] broccoli2 10 years ago

Just watched the movie and have to agree - thought Trevor's character looked familiar and was trying to figure out who the Aussie actor was. When the credits rolled and I saw Schreiber's name I just went WOW, I AM IMPRESSED!

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[–] cleftheart101 10 years ago

He's married to Naomi Watts, maybe that helped!

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[–] weresmurf 10 years ago

He's spent a *lot* of time in Australia in the past, that would most definitely help. I've known people in the past who have spent time with him and Naomi Watts in Sydney and on the Gold Coast, saying that he absolutely adores it here. However, what he brought to the role wasn't just the accent, it was the authenticity. He didn't oversell the role, he didn't make it 'Steve Irwin'ised, he just 'existed'. He 'was' an Australian. He was perfect. Accent, acting, presence, everything.

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