Why are so many ENGLISH actors taking roles from american actors?

[obarth]

If the character was written as an american, it's an american role, that being said if a non american makes it their own and does it better than anyone else, it is what it is

Breh, again, what is an American? Idris Elba played a black man from Baltimore. Henry Cavill played an alien raised in Kansas. The only thing they did was put on a different accent. This isn't a bunch of white people being casted as Gods of Egypt or a white dude being the Last Samurai. The only thing different is an accent. They look the part they're casted to play. They act the part they're casted to play. Beyond that, the idea of an "American role" is absurd. In the most diverse country in the world how do you decide what an "American role" is? I'm a New Yorker. The amount of different accents I hear on a daily basis is ridiculous. So having a Brit or European in general, play an American is really not something that even warrants discussion for me. Literally, an "American role" would be solely based on citizenship. A piece of paper saying you were born in a certain place. This isn't a case of race or gender. It's a case of an actor being asked to act. I just started watching The Night of. Riz Ahmed, ironically, is British. He plays a nikka from Queens, New York. I didn't know he was British while watching. I found out he was British and didn't think anything of it because I see people that look like him everyday and he played his role perfectly.

 

[T-K-G]

Breh, again, what is an American? Idris Elba played a black man from Baltimore. Henry Cavill played an alien raised in Kansas. The only thing they did was put on a different accent. This isn't a bunch of white people being casted as Gods of Egypt or a white dude being the Last Samurai. The only thing different is an accent. They look the part they're casted to play. They act the part they're casted to play. Beyond that, the idea of an "American role" is absurd. In the most diverse country in the world how do you decide what an "American role" is? I'm a New Yorker. The amount of different accents I hear on a daily basis is ridiculous. So having a Brit or European in general, play an American is really not something that even warrants discussion for me. Literally, an "American role" would be solely based on citizenship. A piece of paper saying you were born in a certain place. This isn't a case of race or gender. It's a case of an actor being asked to act. I just started watching The Night of. Riz Ahmed, ironically, is British. He plays a nikka from Queens, New York. I didn't know he was British while watching. I found out he was British and didn't think anything of it because I see people that look like him everyday and he played his role perfectly.

breh. im saying when they wrote the stringer bell character....if he was born and raised in america (which they would talk about beforehand because backstory is a part of writing) then he would be American, so it would be an American character, and American role. Idris Elba played the role of Stringer Bell, a man born and raised in America who was involved in the drug trade, it's an american role being played by an English man

 

[FlyRy]

maybe this is why hollywood movies are making less and less money in the US, while tv is picking up more and more steam

Most of the actors on TV are not American either breh

Even Eleven from Stranger Things is a brit

 

[David_TheMan]

Most of the actors on TV are not American either breh

Even Eleven from Stranger Things is a brit

Hard to say they are taking over when they usually have bit parts.
Walking Dead, House, and now I'm at a blank for tv shows with british leads that are american and very successful.
But like I said, I don't watch many shows.

That said this convo does remind me of what the black american actor from The Knick, Andre Holland, complaining about how black trained actors are passed over for brits.
Why Does Hollywood Prefer Black English Actors? THE KNICK Star André Holland Speaks Out | Tribeca

In the modern-day film business, the reasoning behind why British actors of color are scoring so many prime roles is that, per the close-minded people trying to defend the situation, they’re better-trained thanks to England’s theater programs—not unlike Algernon Edwards’ fictional background.

While chatting with Greenwald, Holland kept it all the way real about why that’s, in his own words, "bullshyt." For one, Holland, who hails from Alabama, has worked steadily on the stage himself, even spending time alongside England’s thespians in that country's productions. "The fact is, every spring, all the drama schools around this country…graduate classes of actors, and within those classes are actors of color who are trained," says Holland. "They've done Shakespeare, they’ve done Ipsen, they've done Chekov. And the only thing that those actors are missing is, as Viola Davis said, opportunity. They might not get agents out of school because there are only so many slots those agents have to service those actors. So what happens to them? They’re still here. I happen to know a lot of them. And for anybody who's in the casting community having a hard time finding them, call me—I'll put you in touch."

Holland continued, “"I'm really, really passionate about that, because it’s divisive, number one, and it's also, I think, a real slap in the face to the people who have been out here working, and hustling, and knocking on doors, and doing plays downtown for $100 a week. It's really disrespectful."

I would say you could probably say the same thing about american actors in general.
A certain age looks at anything with a british accent as superior, period.

 

[AnonymityX1000]

Hard to say they are taking over when they usually have bit parts.
Walking Dead, House, and now I'm at a blank for tv shows with british leads that are american and very successful.
But like I said, I don't watch many shows.

That said this convo does remind me of what the black american actor from The Knick, Andre Holland, complaining about how black trained actors are passed over for brits.
Why Does Hollywood Prefer Black English Actors? THE KNICK Star André Holland Speaks Out | Tribeca


I would say you could probably say the same thing about american actors in general.
A certain age looks at anything with a british accent as superior, period.

Hmm . . . that's interesting. I do think this plays a part as well classism I guess.

 

[obarth]

breh. im saying when they wrote the stringer bell character....if he was born and raised in america (which they would talk about beforehand because backstory is a part of writing) then he would be American, so it would be an American character, and American role. Idris Elba played the role of Stringer Bell, a man born and raised in America who was involved in the drug trade, it's an american role being played by an English man

I 100% get what you're saying. What I'm saying is that the distinction of a character being American doesn't matter. Stringer isn't defined by his American citizenship. If I asked you to describe Stringer Bell ,before this thread was ever made, "He's American" would most likely not be one of the descriptors. Stringer is defined by his motivations and actions. Elba plays to those descriptors perfectly. I'll put it another way. Let's say Idris Elba was from Colorado. I would sound silly saying Colorado actors are taking jobs from Maryland actors. The distinction is so pointless it doesn't warrant discussion. Again, unlike race or gender, the only difference between the actors and the roles they're playing is a piece of paper saying where they were born. They're "acting". The whole point is to be someone you're not. There are logical limits to that though. If Bryan Cranston was starring in a Joan of Arc biopic as Joan of Arc, we have an issue. If Tom Hanks eventually really gets the role of the Last nikka on Earth, we have an issue. Tom Hardy playing a dude from Brooklyn doesn't bother me. Margot Robbie in Wolf of Wall Street doesn't bother me. I see and hear people that look like them and sound like them(with their genuine accents) all the time.

Let me put it another way. Morgan Freeman is from Memphis. He played Nelson Mandela in one of his movies. Nelson Mandela, as I'm sure you already know, is not from Memphis. Forest Whitaker is from Texas. He played Idi Amin. Idi Amin, as I'm sure you know, isn't from Texas. I can keep this going, but you get my point. Acting is acting. Nobody's job is being taken.

 

[FlyRy]

Hard to say they are taking over when they usually have bit parts.
Walking Dead, House, and now I'm at a blank for tv shows with british leads that are american and very successful.
But like I said, I don't watch many shows.

That said this convo does remind me of what the black american actor from The Knick, Andre Holland, complaining about how black trained actors are passed over for brits.
Why Does Hollywood Prefer Black English Actors? THE KNICK Star André Holland Speaks Out | Tribeca


I would say you could probably say the same thing about american actors in general.
A certain age looks at anything with a british accent as superior, period.

Breh The entire game of thrones cast.

Plus i think every show I watch to has a foreign lead playing an American too

 

[David_TheMan]

Breh The entire game of thrones cast.

Plus i think every show I watch to has a foreign lead playing an American too

I thought that was an American Brit production, that said I don't watch it so I don't care too much

 

[FlyRy]

I thought that was an American Brit production, that said I don't watch it so I don't care too much

Yeah well other than TWD which you mentioned its the 2nd biggest show on TV

I also didn't nention Fargo, The Americans, Homeland, The Affair. And thats just off top. And these are lead roles so I'm not sure where you are getting your "bit part" from

 

[Scientific Playa]

good flick on class warfare before Hitchcock crossed the pond and went to Hollywood

Spoiler

 

[David_TheMan]

Yeah well other than TWD which you mentioned its the 2nd biggest show on TV

I also didn't nention Fargo, The Americans, Homeland, The Affair. And thats just off top. And these are lead roles so I'm not sure where you are getting your "bit part" from

Yeah I don't watch any of those shows.

 

[Jazzy B.]

Money.

They're cheaper to hire and most British and Australian actors want to break into Hollywood. They'll take the cut in order to do so.


@ anyone talking about "talent" when Hollywood is solely about marketability and money. Jai Courtney wouldn't be constantly getting roles if it's just about "acting" or "having talent"

 

[Jazzy B.]

American actors do seem a tad limited especially when it comes to doing accents.

Which accents are those exactly?

 

[Kuwka_Atcha_Ratcha]

A

Which accents are those exactly?

americans can only do american accents, u got the odd few that can do other accents but not many, and black american actors are the worst for doing accents

 

[Jazzy B.]

A
americans can only do american accents, u got the odd few that can do other accents but not many, and black american actors are the worst for doing accents

Why do American actors need to be able to do "other accents" when 99% of the roles available require an American accent first an foremost?