British accents

[Neds Head]

If you mean in the show itself then no they don't , neither of them have Scottish accents , Robb's sounds more like a neutral Yorkshire accent and Jorah sounds like he's from further South , certainly not Scottish.

As a Scotsman myself, there is almost no one in the North in the show who sounds Scottish. In fact, the only clear Scottish accent I've heard in the show so far has belonged to the fat, bald guy who was part of Theon's crew in S2.

[Neds Head]

And yet, Rose Leslie is actually Scottish!

[Whoresbane Umber]

Not to a Scot it isn't. Although the actor has a strong Scotish accent, the character he plays has a northern English accent.

i agree

[Clariana]

As a Scotsman myself, there is almost no one in the North in the show who sounds Scottish. In fact, the only clear Scottish accent I've heard in the show so far has belonged to the fat, bald guy who was part of Theon's crew in S2.

What about Pyat Phree the warlock in Quarth? I thought it came through quite strongly.

[Neds Head]

What about Pyat Phree the warlock in Quarth? I thought it came through quite strongly.

Completely forgot about him! Make that Pyat Pree and the fat, bald guy in Theon's crew then!

[BananaSpice]

Oh wow, this topic is really interesting, and I'm always wondering about accents and perception. When I'm not paying attention, all the Game of Thrones characters (who aren't supposed to be "foreigners" like Syrio, Shae, Melissandre, etc.) sound close to the same to my mid-western American ears. Even Tyrion with his "put on" accent sounds more or less the same. We would describe the accent as "British" here. :) It's only since I've been paying more attention that I notice the differences between Robb, Cat, Davos, Theon, Arya, Tyrion, etc.

When the actors talk in interview / other shows/movies, I notice even more ... like, wtf is Richard Madden saying? Haha ... I watched that show Sirens for his beautiful face, but half the time I really struggled to understand him. Some of it is differences in slang / how people in the UK turn a phrase, but the accent is thick!

Other actors, like Alfie or Sophie or Emilia are really easy for me to understand.

[The Dragon King]

Is the British accent now the default-setting for this kind of material? And, if so, why?

It is the default and it works great, having actors with American accents would just not work. I think the reason for this is British theatre, for a very long time you had British actors portraying ancient Greeks and Romans, and you also have British actors in British plays and it just stuck, blame Shakespeare.

[Sun]

Hi, I am a BBC journalist.

I'm writing a piece for the website on why all of the characters in Game of Thrones, and many other TV and film adaptations of fantasy literature, speak with modern-day British accents - even if, as in the case of GoT, some of the actors playing them are American.

Is the British accent now the default-setting for this kind of material? And, if so, why?

Are there any examples of "fantasy" on film and television where American or other accents have been used? Does it work?

I'd welcome any thoughts you have on this subject - I may use your quotes in my piece, so let me know if you have a problem with that.

Thanks!

Brian Wheeler

BBB News

It hasn't always been the case, but it is somewhat the default now, certainly.

Why? I suppose the success of LOTR, followed with the popularity of the Harry Potter movies may have cemented the idea of quality fantasy as equal to British sounding characters. Added to that the essential fact that the United States has no medieval history of its own, then the choice of using british voices in a medieval setting would, rather than strike a viewer as curious, be seen as natural. After all, how convincing would you have found Deadwood with an entirely British cast? Ian McShane had to americanize his voice to play Al Swearengen - the fact that Deadwood is based on fact while GOT on fantasy shouldn't disqualify the comparison as most readers see Westeros as an analogue to medieval Britain in geography, politics, laws... and so on.

Having said all that, I think the real reason that fantasy shows seem to go for the British accents is cost. More bang for the buck when hiring British actors. And as a general rule, when in a world, a production would be much more believable if it kept the voices of its actors consistent.

Examples of fantasy senza the British accent:

Willow - An American lead, as well as 2 british leads with American voices. The film worked, and is today considered a classic of the genre.

The Mists of Avalon - Film produced for television with an almost entirely American cast. Worked very well.

Earthsea - Scifi network. A mixture of American and British cast. Didn't work at all, mainly because of it was a terrible adaptation, but also the shift in voices from character to character was jarring.

The Odyssey - A lead with a decidedly New York accent playing Odysseus. It worked, up to a point.

Gulliver's Travels - A superb adaptation with an almost entirely american cast.

ETA:

One, and only afaic, example where a mixture of British and American accents worked beautifully in fantasy is the Princess Bride. But ofcourse, the fact that it was also a romcom and the accents themselves used as comic elements, explains why it worked so well.

[The BlackBear]

The problem with saying 'British accents' is that there are so bloody many. Yorkshire accents seem to be the most predominant in the show. What's even more confusing is the overblown standard 'Hollywood British.' I've heard stories of British actors having vocal coaching to make them sound 'more British.' :bang: There are few Scottish accents, only one Irish (that I can think of.) But you'd never see Brummies or Cornish accents running around.

And I say they're overall very good, but NCW and Peter Dinklage do sound a bit odd on occasion. Still better than Russell Crows attempt.

[Mad Madam Mim]

Are we talking about the sand dunes of Kent or the arctic tundra of Scotland?

hohoho! I miss my like button! Although "Winter is coming" does feel particularly apt in Britain at the moment

[Urine Greyjoy]

It's because Britain is in the 'Old World' and Americans (who make up the majority of media consumers I would assume, given our population) speak English and can understand them perfectly, while still getting an old world feel from it. This is why shows taking place in ancient Greece or Rome typically do this, because an American would be baffled by a modern day Greek or Italian accent, and also, hearing an American voice just detracts from the mystical, historical feeling.

Plus a lot of people seem to assume that Britain was the only country in existence during the middle ages...

[polarbear]

It is the default and it works great, having actors with American accents would just not work. I think the reason for this is British theatre, for a very long time you had British actors portraying ancient Greeks and Romans, and you also have British actors in British plays and it just stuck, blame Shakespeare.

American actors play Shakespeare too.

Bu

The problem with saying 'British accents' is that there are so bloody many. Yorkshire accents seem to be the most predominant in the show. What's even more confusing is the overblown standard 'Hollywood British.' I've heard stories of British actors having vocal coaching to make them sound 'more British.' :bang: There are few Scottish accents, only one Irish (that I can think of.) But you'd never see Brummies or Cornish accents running around.

And I say they're overall very good, but NCW and Peter Dinklage do sound a bit odd on occasion. Still better than Russell Crows attempt.

'more British' is more about speaking English properly, clearly and LOUDLY. It is the received pronunciation that all stage actors had to learn just so they could be understood by the audience. It involves removing any trace of a regional dialect from your accent. That is basically what Dinklage and NCW are doing. And Lena Headey is doing it too. She is acting as if she is a Yank imitating a British accent. Personally I think it works for the Lannisters.

I'm from New York. I have a NY accent. But if I pronounced every word as directed to in the Oxford English Dictionary, I would sound kinda British too. (Not to an English person of course, but maybe to another American)

[polarbear]

. This is why shows taking place in ancient Greece or Rome typically do this, because an American would be baffled by a modern day Greek or Italian accent, and also, hearing an American voice just detracts from the mystical, historical feeling.

The only show taking place in ancient Rome right now is Spartacus, and they all speak with poorly disguised Australian accents. The show still rocks though.

Also most classical Hollywood movies have used American accents to emphasize the class and ethnic dynamics of the Roman Empire. Spartacus, Ben-Hur, Quo Vadis, The Robe. The Brits play the ruling class. The Yanks play the Jews/Christians/slaves/Gauls etc.

[The Dragon King]

American actors play Shakespeare too.

The question was about accents, not nationality. Peter Dinklage is American but has a British accent on the show.

[Dragonstoned]

Thought NCW slipped back into his Danish accent a couple of times last episode. Sounded like Jaqen H'ghar.

Any reason why Stephen Dillane is playing Stannis with a northern accent? Feeds into my idea about Stannis being a northerner at heart.

[upfish]

okay so i broused the thread and i think a major point is being missed. the question was why modern british accents right? i would say it's because the show is essentially set in a fantasy version of midevil britan. the story is heavily inspired by the war of the roses, (read your history, i don't think it's not a mistake that lannister and lancaster have a similar ring). i believe GRRM said he originally had the idea when he was standing on hadrians wall. while it clearly is a fantasy series, alot of the lands have some historical parallels, weastros being predominatly england (thus the accents), old valyria being the fallen roman empire, and the dolthraki are quite similar to mongolians. as far as it being a modern accent, i think real old english would be pretty difficult to understand for the majority of the intended audience, myself included. so yeah, a modern british accent was chosen because it fits the setting and is easy to understand.

[upfish]

i don't actually know what the directors are thinking so... that's just like my opinion man

[Leothwyn]

I haven't read the whole thread, so I suppose I'm saying something that has already been said. I think it's all about the perception that British english is older than American english. A lot of fantasy is based in worlds inspired or influenced by medieval (or older) Europe. American english just doesn't go that far back. British english doesn't either, but Britain at least has a history that goes that far back. (I know, so does North Amercia. But not english speaking history).

Side note: I remember reading an interesting thing about the relationship between British and American English... Of course the english spoken by people on both sides of the Atlantic back when colonization was first happening was the same. Looking at writing of semi-literate people (people not sure about spelling, who spelled things phonetically) back then gives an idea of how things were pronounced. Turns out that modern British accents are no closer to that than American ones are. Both have drifted away in fairly equal amounts.

[polarbear]

What we popularly associate with Medieval language has little to do with the actual middle-ages. People back then would have speaking the Middle English of Chaucer and Caxton.

The conventional "ye olde merrie English" that we have come to expect through exposure to Hollywood movies and folk songs and romance novels dates back to Sir Walter Scott and the gothic rennaissance of the late 1700s/early 1800s. Everybody back then went crazy for Gothic novels, ruined castles, and romantic poems as an escape from the oncoming industrial revolution.

It is the English language (and accent) from that era, circa 1800, that forever has become associated with fantasy worlds in a medieval setting.

What I was curious about is that many actors on the show are using very modern British dialects, and is that distracting for British audiences? I think it would be like watching a movie about the First Thanksgiving where all the Pilgrims and Indians are speaking with thick Boston accents (because hey...that's where they are all from..right?)

[Dragonstoned]

Thanks polarbear, interesting post. Didn't know it was Scott et al who came up with 'ye olde merrie English'.

What I was curious about is that many actors on the show are using very modern British dialects, and is that distracting for British audiences? I think it would be like watching a movie about the First Thanksgiving where all the Pilgrims and Indians are speaking with thick Boston accents (because hey...that's where they are all from..right?)

As for this, I am British but didn't find the accents distracting; in fact they seemed to fit my conception of north vs. south, common vs. noble etc. because people (including me) assumed it was like that in the Middle Ages too.

The only strange thing is inconsistencies e.g. Sansa and Bran speaking with southern accents, Stannis and Robert with northern ones.