British Accents In American Movies

Why is it in American made movies and series, if the dialogue would be in another language due to story location, , using an actor with a British accent somehow sounds more like they are using the actual language? (Example: Chernobyl. ) We know it isn't Russian, but for some reason, it just works better than using an American accent. Why is this?

I'm guessing they don't use American accents in the UK for 'foreign' sounding dialogue.

 

"Chernobyl" was a collab; HBO and Sky UK. I thought it was extremely well done and I confess I'm a huge fan of Jared Harris.

Anyway, I found this on Wikipedia... "In preparation for the miniseries, Mazin visited the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.[16] Mazin made the decision in the early stages not to use Russian or Ukrainian accents, and instead, have the actors use their natural accents. Mazin explained, "We had an initial thought that we didn't want to do the 'Boris and Natasha' cliched accent because the Russian accent can turn comic very easily. At first, we thought that maybe we would have people do these sort of vaguely Eastern European accents - not really strong but noticeable. What we found very quickly is that actors will act accents. They will not act, they will act accents and we were losing everything about these people that we loved. Honestly, I think after maybe one or two auditions we said 'Ok, new rule. We're not doing that anymore'".[17] Mazin also did not cast any American actors, as that could potentially pull the audience out of the story."

So it appears they are in agreement with you on the American accents.

 

No they certainly don't....

 

@Bess Barber British accent?

I'll try to duplicate the scene's statement:

"Ahhsk it?........ Ahhsk it? I COMMAHHND IT!"

Richard Burton, "Where Eagles Dare",

 

Bess - me toes curl and me teeth itch when I hear an American accent in a film by a British actor

 

Richard Burton was Welsh, not English!!

 

When watching 'Frasier' they introduced Daphne's brother - oh brother, his British accent was so bad
Just didn't cut the mustard at all dear boy

 

What about Hugh Laurie in the TV series, House. ..He fooled me.

 

Haven't seen it Nancy but, I have heard a couple of good 'uns - so not 'all' bad
But - when they're bad, they're bad

 

Then of course we have the lovely Dick Van Dike in Mary Popins

 

He did OK - not great but OK and none of us kids cared a fig about it, it was the grown ups going on and on about it

 

AGREE
Think he made the film with that so called Cockney accent

 

@Holly Saunders
Then, Burton was not "British"? Is that not the same as saying I am a Chicagoan, not an American?
Frasnk

 

Fair point, but most people think of a British accent as an ''English'' one... just pointing out he wasn't English ..the Welsh accent is quite distinctively different ...

 

To cultivate an English accent is already a departure away from what you are. Sean Connery