Almost everyone said this premise has been done to death or at least done much better. Had they let Tom Ellis speak w/ his British accent this show may have been better. I am a fan of most of his work but, I thought this was just, okay.
shareTom Ellis is British? What's the deal with foreign actors staring in US shows as Americans. I don't have a problem with it, it's kind of funny. 'We are casting for a young stud - what British actor can we get, as we have no American actors who fit the role?' First there was Hugh Laurie and Matt Passmore from the other new USA show Satisfaction is Australian and Robert Taylor who stars in Longmire is from Australia too.
shareCheaper and better
shareCheaper, but don't know how you can make a blanket statement that someone from another country is better.
shareBritish actors are better, not a blanket statement....
It is a blanket statement and pretty hard to prove. Some people are born with talent and get better with experience. Some actors have talent and education, like Meryl Streep, who is a great American actress. Another great American actress is Sally Field, who I believe has had no formal training.
I could go on, but I see British and Australian actors gracing American TV and not all of them are great actors.
Judi Dench, Helen Mirren, HBC, Judi Dench....All better than the two you mentioned. I could also go on....
Better training means greater quality..You can have your opinion, but I also have the right to my own.
However, you changed the topic. It was not a comparison of Judi Dench and Meryl Streep, it was the proliferation of foreign actors playing Americans on US TV shows. This isn't happening because these people are such great actors, it's happening because they work for less. It's the same reason Canada is used to film American TV shows and movies.
shareI said this also I think you'll find....You were the one asking the question
As I said I personally prefer British actors, they have a far wider range. It's not up to you to decide what I believe.
I didn't ask a question. I disagree with generalizations. Stating British actors are better than American actors is a generalization you cannot prove. It is your opinion.
shareWhat's the deal with foreign actors staring in US shows as Americans.
Yes you did lol.
I can easily prove MY OWN OPINION as it's MY OPINION. You don't have to agree with me, but arguing it is futile especially when your comparisons are a joke.
That was a rhetorical question, but I did receive the answer on another board.
especially when your comparisons are a joke.This tells me you're quite biased on this subject and it goes way beyond having an opinion. share
Not really, I have an opinion on it, like I do with most things. You said that Sally Field and Meryl Streep were the best actresses I disagreed. That's what having an opinion is. You don't have to agree. I am neither right or wrong. It's a subjective issue.
shareYou can't prove your own opinion, you arrogant twit. If it can be proved, then it's a fact, not an opinion.
You're welcome to hold whatever opinion you like, but you can't argue that what you say about British actors being better than American ones is not a generalization... and you certainly can't prove it to be true! In some (or many, or maybe even most)cases it may be true - I'm even inclined to agree with the some or many options - but certainly not in all cases.
Cheaper perhaps but there are quality actors everywhere, I personally hate it when people say this because the british actors have a lot of theater background. It makes the person saying it sound pompous as arrogant which in turn makes me dislike having foreigners on future shows playing american actors. Also the generic american accent is very easy to imitate.
But I do love matthew rhys on the americans though, never saw him on brothers and sisters but saw him on the americans first and I loved his range.
It's not pompous or arrogant, it is a fact. American actors do not have the great training that we do.
shareActually, some of them do. Perhaps you've heard of Broadway? Many actors have theatrical training, not just the British.
If you want factual TV, go watch a documentary.
Broadway is terrible compared to the west end, and a lot of the good shows the main stars were Britsh lol.....Nothing worse than an American doing Shakespeare.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-28563394
Broadway is not a terrible comparison, you just can't see anything past your xenophobic nose.
If you want factual TV, go watch a documentary.
Broadway has a quarter of the plays London does, the majority are musicals (look if you don't believe me), and then the highlights are usually British actors.
I love how Americans get so upset about the fact they aren't the best at something
Broadway is terrible compared to the west end, and a lot of the good shows the main stars were Britsh lol.....Nothing worse than an American doing Shakespeare.
Your post is well thought out and really beautifully written about your experiences and views. It's quite compelling and stirs in me the need to go to London just to see a theatre production.
I do have a question based on this passage. Do you think the spate of British actors now appearing (starring) in US television, such as Tom Ellis, fall into this category?
The reason there is glut of British and Irish older and younger actors pouring into the US to work is that they have the technique, they have the range and they have the training to show up on time, hit their mark, know their business and perform beyond anything that's available in the US except for a handful of exceptional actors whose names we all know.share
Thankyou paradesend, someone who actually knows what they are talking about...Have you seen skylight by any chance? I desperately want to get tickets for Hamlet at the Barbican, I imagine it will sell out in seconds
shareSo, as long as people agree with you, they know what they are talking about. Your opinion isn't the end all be all.
shareBroadway has always been known for its musicals, the stage plays are generally off-Broadway productions. To say that there is no good theater in the States is idiocy. I'm not saying that Americans are the best, but to dismiss all of American theater is insane.
If you want factual TV, go watch a documentary.
I didn't I said it was terrible in comparison, which it is. Go to the west end, then go to broadway, you will see the quality change
share@lauren - again read what I said, THE PERSON saying it that meaning you here makes look like youre pompous and arrogant. I have no problem with british/aus/euro/etc actors coming and working or starring in american tv or movies. You stating your opinion as fact just rubs people the wrong way and youre doing it now.
I praised Matthew Rhys on The Americans but I also love actors like Walton Goggins on Justified. There are great actors everywhere, if they want to find something more stable or better paying then they can try their luck here. Even a lot of commercials are using british/aus narrators.
I stated it as an opinion. It is a subjective medium meaning there is no right or wrong. I also stated this.
shareIt's not pompous or arrogant, it is a fact. American actors do not have the great training that we do.
That makes you look arrogant to me, we can argue if an actor is bad but not that actors are better or worse. Some of the best actors have been american, how often does another country make box office movies or shows that are dubbed or remade. Sure a few shows from other countries are remade but its about 10-1.
They don't need to remake them as they don't have the arrogance to do it lol. Really not a great comparison considering almost all American remakes are sub par compared to the original....
Actually, you said you could PROVE your opinion - which we in Canada commonly refer to as a load of horse puckies...
shareWhat's the deal with foreign actors staring in US shows as Americans.
Recently there has been an influx of unknown British actors staring in US TV shows as Americans which is a little different that what you outlined.
shareRecently there has been an influx of unknown British actors staring in US TV shows as Americans which is a little different that what you outlined.
Well, Canadians have been playing Americans for years. Plus, it's not really new. Many of the Old Hollywood actors were not American.That is something that happened organically. It wasn't a planned occurrence.
Besides, funny thing is if you watch non-US TV, there are plenty of Americans playing non-Americans. Philip Winchester plays a Brit on StrikeBack. Elisabeth Moss played a Kiwi in Top of the Lake. Gillian Anderson was English in The Fall (and a huge number of other things). Erik Estrada moved on to Telenovellas years ago. Sandra Oh was a Brit in...oh, wait, she's Canadian.I understand there is and has been crossovers, but those actors are well established and known. I am speaking to the current crop who are unknowns, but staring in their own series as Americans. Granted, most of them are in ensemble casts like this series with Tom Ellis, Satisfaction with Matt Passmore, the first & best, Hugh Laurie, Robert Taylor on Longmire. Hugh Dancy, Hannibal, Simon Baker, Mentalist, several on The Walking Dead and probably 10-15 in supporting roles on other TV shows. share
I understand there is and has been crossovers, but those actors are well established and known. I am speaking to the current crop who are unknowns, but staring in their own series as Americans.
the first & best, Hugh Laurie,
I didn't mean to start yet a different debate on this subject. As I said there is nothing new about crossover transatlantic actors, however there is currently a spate of English/Australian actors playing Americans on US TV. Most of these actors are unknown in the US, work for less and as another poster states are better actors. They aren't typecast, a plus for actor and producer and finally we are becoming a global audience. Some of these actors may be known in their home country which helps the show's popularity. I forgot Game of Thrones which I believe has more Brits than Americans. There are some people who do call this the 'House effect' since Hugh Laurie did this for 8 years and at one time was the highest paid US TV actor.
Costas Mandylor, an Aussie, was in Players on NBC in 1996. He was also in Picket Fences in 1992, but not the lead.Just read your list. Costas Mandylor is one of my faves and I've seen him in a few things, so I wondered why he hid his accent in everything I've seen him in so I looked up his bio. He has lived here for 27 years. Costas Mandylor is not a foreign actor playing an American. share
I didn't mean to start yet a different debate on this subject. As I said there is nothing new about crossover transatlantic actors, however there is currently a spate of English/Australian actors playing Americans on US TV. Most of these actors are unknown in the US, work for less and as another poster states are better actors. They aren't typecast, a plus for actor and producer and finally we are becoming a global audience. Some of these actors may be known in their home country which helps the show's popularity. I forgot Game of Thrones which I believe has more Brits than Americans. There are some people who do call this the 'House effect' since Hugh Laurie did this for 8 years and at one time was the highest paid US TV actor.
Just read your list. Costas Mandylor is one of my faves and I've seen him in a few things, so I wondered why he hid his accent in everything I've seen him in so I looked up his bio. He has lived here for 27 years. Costas Mandylor is not a foreign actor playing an American.
Simon Baker has lived in LA for 17 years.
Or that something the media has dubbed "House effect" is anything other than the media trying to make "newsworthy" something that has been going on for years.I didn't read anything about this topic until I found it interesting a couple years ago that two Australian actors I had never heard of were starring in two A&E shows playing Americans, The Glades and Longmire. Since then the phenomenon has grown. share
also to add to that list are Lennie James, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Christain Bale. played Americans for a while now but still speak in their brit accents in real life.
sharealso to add to that list are Lennie James, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Stephen Graham (Al Capone on Boardwalk Empire) and Christain Bale. played Americans for a while now but still speak in their brit accents in real life.
shareClueless LOL
Never heard of the critically acclaimed series Blackadder, which is probably older than you are........
Gillian Anderson is practically British. She lived here till she was 11 and has lived here since 2006. Most of her work is predominantly done in the UK....
shareShame he cheated on his wife and broke up his family to 'break America'. I used to love him, but that put me right off.
shareI imagine it's simply down to X,Y and Z go for the role, Z ends up the best choice and just happens to be British.
sharetrolls...
share