Most British actors can do a "generic" US accent, but which one actually nailed a specific regional dialect (Boston, Deep South, Philly) perfectly?

I didn't know who he was before watching that show last year. I finished it and only then learned he was British. I can't accept it yet

Or in Homeland

I saw Damien Lewis in Life. He nailed the Southern California accent and mannerisms. When my husband told me that Lewis is British, I thought he had him confused with another actor.

He was so fun in Life

I saw the preview for his new WW2 Movie and he’s a British character, told my friend it was weird putting an American actor in that role. Only then learning he was British this whole time

Dude was awesome in Homeland. Homeland was awesome. I've watched it twice so far and absolutely will again. Probably one of the best shows I've seen.

Also, Life and dream catcher. I saw him as American so many times, hearing his natural accent sounds extremely wrong.

Pattinson is one of the most talented actors in the world at making his voice sound like whatever the f*** he wants. He's so good.

I believe that movie is called “Good Time” (no S). For a second I was afraid he had starred in an all-white remake of the 70’s sitcom about the projects.

Dynamite!!!

You think you're better than me

Do you mean regular human bartender Jackie Daytona?

BAT!

Though Dominic West's best accent work in the show was his Blatimorian trying to affect a shitty cockney for a low budget sex worker bust.

I'll call Elba's accent a qualified success because we never heard Stringer say "Aaron earned an iron urn."

Elba’s was so good that his real voice sounded fake to me the first time I heard it

Dominic’s british accent definitely bleed through in some moments of the wire but it almost didn’t matter because dude *nailed* the character work to a T.

I would add Aidan Gillen as Councilman Carcetti, who is Irish. I knew of him in this role before he was Littlefinger in Game of Thrones.

Dominic West doing an impression of a Boston accent faking a British accent in that undercover hotel scene was pretty funny after I learned he was really British. He’s pretty good. It reminded me of the scenes in Barry when they’d have to act like they were bad at acting for the acting class scenes.

Neither sounds passable to me but I grew up with those accents so I guess that has something to do with it. They don’t sound British but they certainly don’t sound like people from Baltimore

Dominic Wests accent was not pitch perfect. His British bleeds through all the time

No, they didn't. Even considering the difference between the white and Black Baltimore affectations, neither were pitch perfect. Idris did a better job, but it sounded more like he was from a NYC borough than Baltimore. Compare his accent to that of Robert Chew who played Prop Joe or Snoop Pearson, who were born and raised in Baltimore. The Black Baltimore accent has a slower, Southern-adjacent sound.

They sure did not. But they were extremely passable.

I felt like it was incredibly obvious that Dominic West was doing an accent from the beginning. It's that thing where you can feel the amount of effort he's exerting to maintain it. Idris Elba's accent *feels* like it still has a trace of his native one in it, but that might just be because he still very much sounds like Idris Elba, and I'm so used to hearing him with an English accent that just sounding like him makes it feel English.

not Brit, but Kathy Bates, AHS - Freak Show. Idris Elba just does a great American accent. most who try another accent can't do more than a few words of dialog before they have to reset. I seem to recall he did a pretty long monologue in Molly's Game

Jacob is crushing it on IWTV!

Oh my god, yes.

Definitely! Every I hear him talk in an interview or something it's like I forgot he's British and it takes me a minute to remember that's his natural accent, lol.

It was INCREDIBLE. I had a boss from the triangle area and he sounded JUST like a male version of that boss.

He did a God awful attempt at a Belfast accent in the West Wing though.

she tried Irish in Boardwalk Empire. I seem to remember it was not very good, hit-n-miss mostly miss, but thinking WhoTF cares, it's Kelly MacDonald

Texan here, her accent in that film was perfect. She talked like my grandmother who was from a small town in North Central Texas.

It’s a crime against humanity to have Kelly MacDonald speak with anything but her native accent.

I don’t know that people who aren’t from that region know how specific that accent is and how difficult it is to nail it. (Like—I could tell that it was south eastern Pennsylvania and not Philadelphia, lol.) I don’t know if the show needed that specificity, but it was amazing

speaking of Beautiful Creatures. always thought Melanie Lynskey had a GREAT American accent

That’s literally in the OP post… or was it edited? Winslet herself was the one who insisted on using the accent, because the setting is such a key part of the ambiance of the show. It was hard even for the Americans in the cast.

She really did a good job with the Delco.

All I can think of is [this](https://youtu.be/qaKZi6p6sxg?si=uh2OGBj9D8CIkSRR)

This is the one. One of the most impressive pieces of acting I’ve ever seen.

Walton Goggins on the first time he met Herriman: >"So I agree to do Justified. I get on a plane, I connect through Detroit on the way to Pittsburgh, and as I’m making my way from one gate to another a guy comes up to me with this heavy Aussie accent. He says, “Are you Walton?” And I said, “Yeah, yeah.” And he said, “I’m Damon Herriman.” And I said, “Well nice to meet you Damon.” Then he said, “I’m playing Dewey,” and I thought, no, man! No! They have an Aussie, this gentrified, polished, world-traveled Aussie playing Dewey Crowe? Are you kidding me? No! And I had all these fears and insecurities from that conversation. And then the first words came out of his mouth in that read-through and it was like, Oh. My. God. That guy is brilliant. In a million years I wouldn’t have seen it. And he killed it. And then I thought, here we are. And here we go."

WAIT this one actually fucked me up. No way Dewey isn’t American. If he was more well known this would be at the top because damn his accent is perfect. Not from the area but I’ve been around some Kentucky folks and to my outsider ear it was spot on.

Had zero idea he wasn’t American until seeing him in an Australian show years after Justified. He was fantastic as Dewey!

He also did a great Charles Manson on Mind hunter. Pitch perfect.

HE’S AUSTRALIAN!!?!?!?!

Yeah seeing him in Mr. Inbetween blew my mind. I typically know the non-American actors who play American roles, but this one absolutely shocked me.

As an Australian, Damon Herriman is brilliant and I get so excited seeing people overseas love his work. I first saw him on an Australian comedy show (that I think got remade in America), then I saw him on a random episode of criminal minds and was like Damon! What are you doing here?!?! That said, I haven't seen Justified, but it's on my list and I'll definitely have to watch it now :)

ummmm how did I not know Toni Collette isn’t American….. 🤯🤯🤯

Everyone in that show! The accents were spot on

She’s British?!

Get outta here. Fooled me!

Unless he's asked to say his son's name on TWD

His generic American accent was fine, but his Southern accent was awful imo. I thought he was an American trying to put on a Southern accent and failing.

You gotta watch Teachers, still one of my all time favorite TV shows.

Jonny Lee Miller, who is from London, had a better Edinburgh accent than most of the Scottish actors in Trainspotting.

He’s the king of queens

Disagree. Loved Tom on Succession but he sounded generic American to me.

He’s one of the most shocking British revelations to me. I guess I never really noticed him in anthem before I saw him in Succession and I think it’s moreso not because of his good his American accent is (which I disagree with down of the others and think his accent is good), but it’s because his British accent is so stark.

I don’t remember his accent really reading as Minnesotan. Certainly not a strong or distinctive one.

I’m sorry but I have to disagree, I loved his portrayal of Tom but his American accent was weak and did not sound at all midwestern. My wife is from the midwest and we had a good laugh about it every time he spoke. Christopher Eccleston did a very similar accent in The Leftovers, also a great performance as long as you suspended your disbelief and accepted that he and Carrie C*** grew up together lol. 

Gotta disagree, so many actors go too hard on the "oohs and aahs" of the Midwest accent. It always comes off plucky and like a parody. Like, yeah it's there but it's a little bit more subdued. Almost sing songy, whereas when actors do it it comes out too emphasized and always pulls me right out of the performance.

Juno Temple’s was amazing.

Doesn't matter what movie I see her in, I can't shake the sound of "who? Who? What are you a f****** owl?"

That's cheating. Kinnaman grew up bilingual cause his dad is American.

Yeah! I had no idea she was a Kiwi when I saw her in The Informant

Yes! She's so good and I also just really love her face.

Mel Gibson lived in New York State until he was 12 years old. I think his American accent is probably more authentic than his Australian accent.

I dunno who is voice coaching those HBO shows set in that area but they always nail it lol.

Agreed, would add that Alison Oliver is Irish and not British

His generic American in Legion was very impressive.

Also his character in Logan Lucky

Uh, no. It's cartoonish in parts.

while his Chicago was pretty bad in Road to Perdition. Jude Law's American wasn't so great. but gods, I love that movie. not underrated, but under appreciated gangster flick

I remember there was one episode where he had to ribbit like a frog, and it was the most British sounding ribbit I’d ever heard. Only time I noticed the accent slip.