MovieChat Forums > Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (2013) Discussion > Edward Kenway...

Edward Kenway...

posted 10 years ago by Littlebitsofgaming
12 replies | jump to latest

is from Swansea...that is not a Welsh accent he has.
However his history states: at the age of ten, his family relocated to a farm in Bristol.
Even by the age of 10 he would have had a Welsh accent. But even if we believe he lost the accent living in Bristol...He does not have a Britolian accent either.

What is the problem with using correct accents for the character?
Would have been great to have the hero with a Welsh accent or a Bristolian twang.

Before playing I knew he was from Britain and was trying to place his accent without knowing his history. So far all I have come up with he was from...

Generic-Hollywood standard that everyone from Britain has a "British Accent" despite there is no such thing as a "British Accent" as Britain is made up of 4 different countries all with very different dialects and accents-ville.

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[–] The_Welshman 10 years ago

It does sound Welsh, but it sounds more like a Cardiff accent than a Swansea one IMO.

[–] BadgerBollocks 10 years ago

You have to listen hard but there's definitely a faint Welsh accent there.

[–] newfrontier45 10 years ago

Because nobody outside the UK knows the difference or cares. Seriously, we have the same issues with the various American accents but actors, even voice actors, are not always chosen for their native tongue. Most movies portraying the Southern United States utilize actors who do not have Southern accents and while some do a fair job, most make a mess of it. It is to be expected because the people producing the move/TV show/video game couldn't care less about such things. Same for most viewers. It is what it is.

[–] rokhaund 10 years ago

Only Edward's mother was Welsh.

[–] RatedSophisticated 10 years ago

But Edward states to the African Assassin bureau leader in Kingston, he is not British, but I think Edward's father was English while his mother was Welsh. I remember reading that Matt Ryan brings to Edward a Mancharian accent(Manchester?).

[–] BadgerBollocks 10 years ago

But Edward states to the African Assassin bureau leader in Kingston, he is not British

He says he isn't "English" which most Welsh folk are happy to point out to foreigners, but it would sound moronic for a Welshman to claim to not be "British" because the Welsh are probably the most British of the Brits considering they're basically descended from the Ancient Britons who lived here long before the English or Scottish even existed.

but I think Edward's father was English while his mother was Welsh.

Yeah, that's true and that's why I thought it strange that he was so quick to point out that he wasn't English, because reading his background story his Dad is English and he left Wales as a child to grow up in Bristol, England, realistically he probably wouldn't have too much of a problem with people calling him English.

I remember reading that Matt Ryan brings to Edward a Mancharian accent(Manchester?).

Whoever wrote what you read needs their ears cleaned out, it's definitely not a Mancurian accent, his accent is Welsh, it's just very subtle.

The voice actor is Welsh, he probably just used his own accent.

[–] rokhaund 10 years ago

Maybe he just wanted to distinguish himself from the red coats. I don't know. The whole scene was basicly just a play on the racial themes. "You all look the same." Same as when Edward and Adewale (Akinnuoye-Agbaje?) are talking about if Adewale will return to Africa when he gets rich to which Adewale asked if Edward was going back to Paris. The story short, Edward wants to think of himself as Welsh and the voice acting etc. doesn't really mean anything in the context of the story.

[–] RatedSophisticated 10 years ago

That is your opinion, maybe it doesn't sound Welsh to others.

[–] Pyrrhus65 10 years ago

I'm not sure what to tell you... his voice actor is Welsh, and used his natural accent for the game at request of the developers.

Would you kindly?

[–] malwales 10 years ago

I come from Wales and that not a Welsh accent at all. He sounds English though,

The voice actor was born in Wales but raised in England so he has an English accent if you been living there for long.

The developers are Americans so they don't know what the Welsh sounds like and most Americans don't know where Wales is I know I been to America.

It's a shame really :( it would be cool to have a leading man with a Welsh accent it be something different oh well never mind.

[–] sennan 10 years ago

It's pointless trying to compare a work of historical fiction against the status-quo.

Consider this - Everyone knows what the Australian accent sounds like but 300 hundred years ago Australia (as a colony) didnt exist.

Things change.

[–] aHardNightsDay 8 years ago

He 100% has a Welsh accent. It's not overly strong but I can hear it in every line he says. Just to add, his voice actor is from Swansea, so I don't mean to be rude but I think he most likely has a better understanding of its nuances than most gamers do.

That said, I'm sure they've softened it to appeal to international audiences. But it's definitely there and part of what makes the character so great to me.

(PS. I'm English for reference).