American audiences love the British accent, something I’m immensely grateful for in my career. When I first came to the U.S., the locals would wobble their heads and say “allo I’m Bw-itish, ‘ow are ya guv’nor?” It was amusing at first. These days, I still smile and laugh politely when this happens though I still haven’t figured out why y’all think we wobble our heads when we speak.
But here’s the thing: a British accent isn’t so simple as doing your best impression of a “Downton Abbey” character and shaking your head a bit. While having one of the many British accents in your list of character voices is desirable for any working American actor or VO talent, Brits have lots of lovely accents to learn and play with. And there’s plenty of work out there for anyone who can get the pronunciation correct. That’s all I ask. And that’s all any casting director, producer, or director will ask, too.
I work consistently with American actors who use a British accent in community theaters. One of my favorites to work with was a young cast performing “Mary Poppins,” a show that required a mix of cockney and northern accents, as well as
American audiences love the British accent, something I’m immensely grateful for in my career. When I first came to the U.S., the locals would wobble their heads and say “allo I’m Bw-itish, ‘ow are ya guv’nor?” It was amusing at first. These days, I still smile and laugh politely when this happens though I still haven’t figured out why y’all think we wobble our heads when we speak.
But here’s the thing: a British accent isn’t so simple as doing your best impression of a “Downton Abbey” character and shaking your head a bit. While having one of the many British accents in your list of character voices is desirable for any working American actor or VO talent, Brits have lots of lovely accents to learn and play with. And there’s plenty of work out there for anyone who can get the pronunciation correct. That’s all I ask. And that’s all any casting director, producer, or director will ask, too.
I work consistently with American actors who use a British accent in community theaters. One of my favorites to work with was a young cast performing “Mary Poppins,” a show that required a mix of cockney and northern accents, as well as
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