Linus Roache : Anothre Brit? Gawd

Are there not enough talented North Americans that could
do the job?
I say North Americans because a lot of our television shows are filmed in Canada and
that country has lots of talent. Not a lot of difference in accent either.
Ciao

Do which job? Being Linus Roache? No, I think he's got that one pretty well buttoned up.

"You're fakin' nicked me ol' beauty!"
John Cleese, The Life of Brian

It seems not. And Roache is an amazing actor.

"Sometimes my ruminations are too confusing for someone not inside my head." -Anon

No offence, but I always think that when Americans are cast as Brits in movies, e.g. Renee Zellweger as Bridget Jones or Angelina Jolie as Lara Crof2000t. Don't get me wrong, I liked these movies and I know the studios have to have big names attached to them to attract audiences, but surely there's a stock of good British actors to play British characters, at least the accents are more convincing. By the way, I'm from Northern Ireland and don't even get me started on Americans trying to do an Irish accent (Brad Pitt in The Devil's Own or Snatch?)Come on!!

Well, I thought Angelina Jolie did a very good job with Lara. Brad has admitted he's not all that good with accents, so the more humble the actor is in their shortcomings, the more I'm apt to be more forgiving. Zellweger was just awful in Bridget Jones.

I'm a huge fan of Brian Cox and think he's amazing as an American. He's got all that self-righteousness down to a tee. An amazing actor indeed. That's why I'm looking forward to Linus coming onto the mothership. If anyone had to replace Sam, thank god Wolf found someone who was capable. I would have hated to see someone like the male counterpart of Mariska Hargitay come on and take over. Disaster be thy name.

"Sometimes my ruminations are too confusing for someone not inside my head." -Anon

First off, what's wrong with the Brits?

Now, as far as North American accents, what corner of North America have you been isolated in? Southern accents, north-eastern accents, mid-western accents, west-coast accents, and I've heard several different Canadian accents, someone from Vancover doesn't sound like someone from Toronto or diffenetly Montreal.

North America (US & Canada) is the melting pot of the world, so why is it so hard to accept a British accent, especially on a television show set in New York City.

re: why is it so hard to accept a British accent, especially on a television show set in New York City

Because they're (for the most part) not doing British accents and it's distracting watching them (Brits AND Aussies) struggle through their interpretations of American accents. While there are indeed many American accents from many regions of the States, there's a brand-new one on television: Brits & Aussies straining to sound American.

Hugh Laurieda0 is COMPLETELY excepted from this. ;o) (and probably to blame for opening the floodgates).

Now, I wouldn't care if every character on every TV show were British, just stop giving them American accents. I understand the Bionic Woman and Sarah Connor needing to be American (get American actors for these roles), but why does the Journeyman dude have to be American? Or, Michael Cutter from L&O? Or the British chick from Moonlight (the Aussie lead on Moonlight nails the accent)? Or the dude from The Wire? Or LaPaglia on WAT? Or, or, or, there are sooo many.

um - if u're going to be a district attorney u have to be an american, hence the michael cutter's american accent. personally, i think it's quite authentic. doesn't sound new-york, more southern IMO. who cares? it's linus-frickin-roache, he makes everything sound good (if u catch my drift)

Batman? Batman you say? Coming for you? I'm counting on it!

NBC is rife with the Equity this year, it's true. Besides Linus [which I'm pretty happy about], there's Kevin McKidd on 'Journeyman' and the new 'Bionic Woman' who was excellent on the BBC's 'Jekyll'. If I thought about it longer I could think of a few more. 'L&O" has been a pretty domestic affair up to this point in it's long run. What's the harm?

CBS and Fox have their fair share of Australians. Any complaints?

Hey bibimimi, don't forget about Chuck's fake CIA girlfriend. She's Austrailian.
And Damian Lewis the lead character on the show Life. He's English. My mom freaked out when we watched the making of Band of Brothers.

Add Jake Weber from 'Medium', and if you wanna get anal, John Mahoney from 'Frasier', and NBC's long-dead staple, Bob Hope.

I am PURPOSEFULLY being ridiculous. I did think of Damian Lewis, but the only time I'd heard him speak with an accent was when he was alien-possessed in that awful 'Dreamcatcher'. Aside from that misstep, I like him very much.

"CBS and Fox have their fair share of Australians. Any complaints?"

Yes, "Without a Trace" has some Australians faking really awful American accents.

I have absolutely no problem with Brits playing Americans because generally speaking they do a damn fine job of it (Hugh Laurie from House, Anna Friel from Pushing Daisies, etc). As I am currently watching the second episode of L&O with Linus Roache in it, I am surprised at how much I actually like him. I didn't think I would since he's replacing Sam Waterston in a role he's been in for a very long time.

And also generally speaking, there isn't a lot of 'North American' talent that can stand up to the quality talent that comes out of the UK. Don't you realize how much of US tv is ripped from UK tv?

Hey - no problem here. Just a note though - he's not replacing Sam Waterston's character - Jack is taking over from Arthur (wonder if Thompson will be back if the President gig doesn't pan out). As long as they don't screw Jack up - bring 'em on!

As to the whole Brits as Americans - love it! Now if we could just adopt the Brits way of filming TV series - six weeks at a time (I think - feel free to correct). Then maybe some of our actors wouldn't get burned out with one character so quick. (Think another L&O - D'Onofrio; and the mega-awesome Hugh Laurie in House. The latter actually being helped by the writers' strike when he had to take a break and go home to his family. Poor guy. But I digress.)

In any case - love the work Linus is doing so far - hopefully they keep him around for a long while to come!

This isn't the 1700's and who cares if he is Brit or a Martian he is great eye candy and his acting is tops too for Law and Order. The show needed some new good looking dudes! By the way, he reminds me of Bobby Kennedy Jr. I'll watch for sure now.

*bing!*

I used to have to wait for Linus to do a movie.

I'm happy.

"By the way, he reminds me of Bobby Kennedy Jr." Linus played Robert Kennedy, actually, in "RFK".

I love all the Brits playing American on American TV. I sorta wish they were allowed to play Brit, even, not forced to do American accents. That being said, they're all REALLY good at it! Damian Lewis is the best non-American American actor around, and one of the finest working now period. That wasn't even Damian's real British accent in the horrible horrible "Dreamcatcher"! I don't know what that was.

Linus is amazing, I love his intensity and energy. And his face. Soooooooo glad he's on L&O now. I haven't watched that show in more than 10 years but came back for him.

On the flip side, though he's not done it for a few years, James Marsters is the best American-doing-British, or was when he was Spike on "Buffy". Upon learning he wasn't British, I had the freak out reaction someone's mom had after watching the Band of Brothers making-of docu. "He's not British, are you kidding m2000e!"

I assume that they are using Brits to help sell the the shows in UK/Europe. There's also the Ben Silverman factor, before taking the reigns at NBC his big claim to fame was importing UK show formats like the Office (great) & Coupling (stunk to high heaven)

No, not really. It's very odd. Apart from Anna Friel in Pushing Daisies they're not pushing the shows that way at all..

No I think they're using British actors because a) they're quite professional, b) they don't start getting all prima-donna if the show is a success, c) they probably tend to be less demanding in terms of fees and d) errthey can do a wide range of gigs in terms of drama, comedy, romance, etc.

The problem with many American actors is that - certainly in the past - they don't want a part (particularly as a villain) if they think that it will hold them back in their future careers. British actors tend to think less strategically about that as an issue, hence Alan Rickman has made a career out of playing what he allegedly once described as "very interesting people" - Sheriff Of Nottingham (arguably the best thing in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves), Gruber (Die Hard) and a whole load more besides.

However, one of the other elements to this is that a Brit - once his/her gig in the US is over - can fly back over the Atlantic and claim sanctuary in the British industry which still includes a fairly active stage sector. An American actor linked to a series of failures probably suffers from guilt by association and doesn't have anywhere to run.

Are you kidding me? Who cares where Linus is from? Not only is he incredibly hot (much more attractive than Hugh Laurie in my opinion), but he's really talented. Have you guys seen Shot Through the Heart? It was the first movie I saw him in He's amazing I can't wait until next season of Law and Order

I'm sorry, but I am going to admit alot of the good actors are Brit. It seems America is so consumed with attractiveness that they put anyone who is attractive and can somewhat act on the big screen and call them a "movie star". Too many shows like The OC, Beverly Hills 90210.. are consuming the American-based "movie stars". 'Oh its a pretty face, lets put him/her on the screen. That should bring some attention' Some of their acting is flat and boring. Three out of my four current favorite actors/actresses are Brit.

Not all Americans are like that And there are a number of good American actors/ actresses (Julia Roberts and Robert Deniro would be two good examples). I would say that we shouldn't pay any attention to where they come from. Can they act? Are they interesting to watch? That's the bottom line.

American actors rarely study dialect until they get into a Masters Program of study [MFA] unlike the United Kingdom. In the UK, the study of acting is far more structured and disciplined at all levels starting with the Freshman Level of College. Our country prides itself in our 'freedom, democracy, and ability to direct our own path in life' to the extent that we do not appreciate being told what we must study in order to prepare for a career, especially a career as creative as the theatre.

That being said, my observation has been that the actors coming out of the United Kingdom have consistently been superior in affecting an 'American' accent and the opposite is sadly not true. An obvious case in point is the ever talented Hugh Laurie, remarkable star of HOUSE, MD. I had forgotten him from the Monty Python days and I was astounded to hear his very British accent when he was interviewed on Bravo-TV's The Actor's Studio!

My opinion comes from a lifetime of living in the theatre - on the periphery. My grandmother started the first professional summer stock theatre in America and I spent summers there. My father was a film and TV producer. My mom was a Broadway and TV actress. I myself studied Drama with and interest in Play analysis and Dramaturgy. I cannot claim any credits myself; I like what happens behind the scenes and makes the magic happen; I like figuring out why one side of the pond produces better accents than the other.

By the way, regardless of Linus Roache's nationality, has anyone noticed how like Jack McCoy he is? I was prepared to HATE any replacement for Sam Waterston out of hand simply because it was not Sam Waterston until I saw how alike their characters are! I think that Linu Roache ROCKS! The fact that he is not a Jack McCoy clone in his other acting roles shows me that this guy really has talent. I'm OK with him. Any comments?
Gobo

I agree he's probably one of the best actors I've ever seen he's proven he can adapt in any role he can be the good guy, the bad guy, the guy you feel sorry for, the guy you love and the guy you hate all in one

Yes, unfortunately when most people here say they want to act when they grow up, they are told to get a "real career path," but that's because Hollywood is what it is Those who truly want to act do it anyway and those who are in it for the money or the fame eventually fall by the wayside

About the dialect, though, I have plenty of friends who have never studied acting (and some who have) who can pull off many accents, including a British one Unfortunately, you wouldn't know that from the way Hollywood is, but if you get a chance, try and see a play somewhere in the states I think you'll be surprised


just some thoughts

Not too be nitpicky, but Hugh Laurie wasn't a member of Monty Python, but of BlackAdder.

But I agree, his accent is terrific. Ana Friel in "Pushing Daisies" is great too, and I first saw her in "Goal!", where she played a Geordie.

I find it that the Brits are very good at dropping their accents for American ones, mostly if said accent is the so-called California/Neutral.

That being said, I prefer to hear these actor's natural accents. They are music to my ears. Sometimes I wish that they wouldn't have to get rid of them just because they are in an USA production.

Hi, just to resurrect the topic, if we're talking about British playing American, you can't go without mentioning Marianne-Jean Baptiste in Without A Trace! I'm British and5b4 I had no idea she wasn't a native New Yorker, her accent is truly flawless!

On the other hand, a certain American doing British, 3 words- Keanu Reeves, Dracula! Giving his fellow countrymen such a bad name, I tend to think quite a few Americans doing, more specifically, English, do a great job like Angelina in Tomb Raider.

In my opinion, Australian actors tend to struggle with the American accent the most, don't know why, like Poppy Montgomery on WAT, she slips between US and Aussie 3 times per scene!;-) Though Anna Torv in Fringe doesn't do a bad job.

Dearly departed Heath always did a great American accent too.

Anyway, just my own thoughts.


Rest In Peace Heath
I hate that you're not around

But on the negative side is Louise Lombard who was on CSI. It always sounded like she was from Belgium trying to do an American accent or that she had marbles in her mouth. Her accent drove me nuts.

Yes, there is a difference in accents between American and Canadian. Canadian (there are even different types throughout the country) accent is more pronounced and more "anglo" or commonwealth. It is more of British English in grammar and approach, but not with the English accent. Canadian accent is a North American one but with a touch of UK flair and sometimes rural Canadian simplicity and warmth. Then there is the accent and culture from Quebec, but that's a whole different story, but they're still very Canadian.

As for accepting British accents, Canada is a commonwealth and the country is quite British in mode and feel of the environment and society (although a more toned down feel), so British as well as Irish, Australian and New Zealand aspects of culture, works, arts, movies, tv shows, are more accepted and played in Canada. A UK/Australian/New Zealand show can be played freely on one of the regular Canadian networks sometimes, even for children's programming. Also, the people in Canada can connect with them and see it as a regular thing.

most Canadians watch mostly American produced television and movies


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Is the original poster an American? If he/she is then he/she can't see any further back than 1776 (if he/she did then they'd know what part we played in the creation of America. Where do you think the Pilgrim Fathers came from?), or any further forward than the end of his/her nose. Why don't you whine about Russell Crowe or Hugh Jackman affecting American accents? No doubt because you are particularly prejudiced against 'Brits', so therefore there's an agenda behind your comment.