The Worst Movie Accents Ever

Display appearing is a multifaceted self-discipline. It’s not sufficient for an actor to look the half. They’ve received to sound the half as effectively. And once they don’t, issues can go actually fallacious actually quick.

“Sounding the half” has confirmed very difficult for lots of display screen actors by the many years, together with a few of the easiest performers (with the perfect dialect coaches) in movie historical past.

Beneath, I’ve chosen 20 of essentially the most notorious, essentially the most intrusive accents in movie historical past, and supplied clips so you’ll be able to hear them in all their awkward, clumsy glory. And sure, you’ll positively see a pair Oscar winners on the checklist…

Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Godzilla

Born in Buckinghamshire, England, Aaron Taylor-Johnson sounded about as snug enjoying a gruff American soldier in Godzilla as I would sound enjoying a wealthy and good-looking actor from Buckinghamshire, England. As an alternative of going with a nondescript American voice, Taylor-Johnson determined to go the route of a extra inflected Noo Yawk form of factor, and it wound up about as sensible because the sight of a big lizard capturing atomic lasers out of its mouth.

Ben Kingsley, Sneakers

There’s a robust “How do you do, fellow youngsters?” vibe to Ben Kinglsey’s voice within the nice ’90s comedian thriller Sneakers. Like, Sir Ben, I do know you gained an Oscar. I do know you’re a nice actor. However this accent … it isn’t fooling anyone.

Brad Pitt, Troy

READ MORE: The Most Convincing Film Accents We’ve Ever Heard

Brad Pitt gave a really memorable flip with a really memorable accent enjoying a bare-knuckle boxer in Man Ritchie’s Snatch. However his different accents are way more hit and miss. I’m undecided what he was going for as Achilles in Wolfgang Petersen’s Troy. Greek? English nobleman? Vaguely essential sounding? No matter it was, it didn’t work. Whereas Pitt seemed each inch a legendary warrior, he seemed like a nervous child in a faculty play.

Cameron Diaz, Gangs of New York

No accent has given American actors extra constant matches than Irish. I’m undecided why, however it often backfires in spectacularly distracting trend. Cameron Diaz, an exquisite actress in virtually all her display screen roles, was lower than the problem of the Irish accent in Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York. Her struggles had been much more evident in a movie co-starring Daniel Day-Lewis — possibly the perfect accent actor in historical past. Cameron Diaz would, uh, not advantage consideration for that title primarily based on this efficiency.

Charlie Hunnam, Pacific Rim

Charlie Hunnam has boatloads of charisma — in his native English accent. He’s gotten a bit of higher at enjoying American guys by the years (all these seasons as a biker on Sons of Anarchy positively helped), however he actually struggled enjoying People at completely different factors in his profession. In Pacific Rim, he was very fortunate the movie concerned as a lot kaiju motion because it did. Hunnam himself has admitted that he’s gotten so misplaced mixing collectively completely different voices that when the time got here to play the title function in King Arthur: Legend of the Sword he truly needed to rent a dialect coach to assist him relearn his pure accent.

Dick Van Dyke, Mary Poppins

Dick Van Dyke is among the most beloved performers in Hollywood historical past. So even whereas everybody agrees that his accent is deranged in Mary Poppins, all of us form of shrug and settle for it? And form of like it? What would “Chim Chim Cher-ee” be with out it?!?

Don Cheadle, Ocean’s Eleven

This one is so unhealthy I wish to imagine it’s horrible on function; like a sly meta-commentary on unhealthy accents in ensemble thrillers that includes many actors all attempting to face out in a crowd of film stars any approach they’ll (i.e. by speaking with an unforgettably off-base Cockney accent). Sadly, Don Cheadle has gone on document saying he was going for good, not unhealthy with this voice. (“ one thing? I actually labored on that accent. Went to London, spoke to individuals, received to comprehend it … my agent mentioned it was tremendous, so I’m caught with this factor. Although everybody laughs at me.”)

Ewan McGregor, The Island

Ewan McGregor is one other actor who can do virtually something in his native accent however usually sounds a bit of … off when he tries to play American. You may title a bunch of various McGregor accents as his worst, together with The Males Who Stare at Goats and Nightwatch, however The Island has at all times stood out as notably tough and artificial — which is definitely form of ironic, given this Michael Bay movie’s material.

Harrison Ford, Ok-19: The Widowmaker

Harrison Ford has not completed numerous accents in his lengthy and fairly profitable profession. For those who’ve seen him fumble a Russian voice in Kathryn Bigelow’s Ok-19: The Widowmaker, why. (“Why have they got to be Russian? What’s that about?” Ford himself joked in a well-known look on Late Evening With Conan O’Brien.)

Jared Leto, Home of Gucci

It’s a’me! Jared Leto in a da Home’a Da Gucci! I’m’a Italian! 

John Malkovich, Rounders

John Malkovich’s accent in Rounders makes The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle’s Boris and Natasha appear to be the themes of a nature documentary a few moose and squirrel.

Jude Legislation, Midnight within the Backyard of Good and Evil

Jude Legislation is one other actor who, in an act of smart self-preservation, has largely prevented roles that demand an excessive amount of of him within the accent division. Within the early days of his profession, although, he didn’t have the posh of being fairly so selective in his roles. And what you bought at that time, was Jude Legislation doing stuff like enjoying a Southern-fried homicide sufferer in Clint Eastwood’s Midnight within the Backyard of Good and Evil. The outcomes communicate for themselves. (Actually.)

Justin Theroux, Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle

One other good actor doing one other unhealthy Irish accent; on this case, Justin Theroux as an Irish mobster in Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle. Hear for your self; there’s simply no defending it. (Though if you wish to give Theroux a move on this film just because he’s so absurdly shredded and sizzling, be my visitor.)

Katharine Hepburn, The Iron Petticoat

Katharine Hepburn had probably the most distinctive voices in film historical past; many years after her dying individuals nonetheless imitate her distinctive speech patterns. The disadvantage of such a singular speech sample is that it doesn’t at all times show fairly so adaptable to different accents. When Hepburn tried to play a Russian pilot reverse Bob Hope, the movie was a catastrophe, with Hope and Hepburn clashing over the tone of the movie and the dimensions of Hope’s function. After which when Hepburn spoke, it seemed like … this.

Keanu Reeves, Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Look, this isn’t about knocking Keanu Reeves. Keanu Reeves is a good actor, and he has made many nice motion pictures, from My Personal Personal Idaho to Pace to The Matrix to a ton of different issues. When critics used to bash him and name him a nasty actor, it was foolish and principally fallacious. BUT … his English voice in Bram Stoker’s Dracula is unhealthy. “I’ve seen many unusual issues already!” he says, fairly unconvincingly in a single scene. For those who’ve watched Keanu in Coppola’s Dracula you’ve heard many unusual issues too.

Kevin Costner, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

Lengthy thought to be one of many worst accents in Hollywood historical past, Kevin Costner’s nobleman from his grounded retelling of the Robin Hood legend will not be solely unconvincing, it’s additionally inconsistent. Costner’s accent appears to look and disappear not solely from scene to scene, however typically from line to line. It’s brutal.

Leonardo DiCaprio, Blood Diamond

Leonardo DiCaprio is usually an excellent accent actor, however he will get tripped up from time to time too. His accent work as a Rhodesian mercenary within the thriller Blood Diamond leaps instantly to thoughts for this form of checklist. I’ve by no means forgotten his supply of the road “ in America it’s bling bling, however out right here it’s bling bang, eh?” which was featured in all the Blood Diamond’s trailers.

Orlando Bloom, Elizabethtown

Admittedly, Cameron Crowe’s Elizabethtown had numerous issues, not simply star Orlando Bloom’s shaky American accent. (The movie was the inspiration for movie critic Nathan Rabin coining the time period “Manic Pixie Dream Lady” to explain Kirsten Dunst’s character.) Nonetheless, the way in which Bloom stumbles his approach by each single line of dialogue positively didn’t assist.

Tom Cruise, Far and Away

Tom Cruise does his personal stunts and his personal accents. Sadly, as evidenced by Ron Howard’s Far and Away — one other movie with a fantastic American star doing a not-great Irish accent — Cruise is just actually good at a kind of issues.

Tom Hanks, Elvis

Austin Butler’s Elvis voice in Elvis? Genuinely spectacular! Tom Hanks’ Colonel Tom Parker voice in the identical film? Genuinely horrifying! He’s alleged to be Dutch, I feel? He sounds extra like an over-the-top Bond villain from a Saturday Evening Dwell sketch making enjoyable of unhealthy accent work in motion pictures.