Been watching the BBC's latest foriegn set cop show Zen.
Something that irritates me. Only 2 actors in the entire episode attempted to sound or act Italian. Everyone else was just acting as if it was set in Sheffield.
I suppose its a catch 22. Do you put on an accent and adopt mannerism and offend the natives or just play the character as if he's from Sheffield and offend the viewer's sensibilities?
Answers on a postcard.
Yeah thats part of the reason im gonna leave the rest for iplayer or reruns, the shows not bad but the accents break immersion for what would be an otherwise perfectly fine detective show set in italy. I could accept the main character sounding different as they mention numerous times that he is venician so a wonky accent would work in his case but when two thirds of your cast sound like they're from yorkshire or ireland its abit of a problem.
Sean Connery's managed a decent career by not bothering to affect accents.
Well the second episode seemed to be abit better with not many british accents other than the couple of regulars, plot was'nt to bad either though they really should work on making it abit more of a mystery as its pretty predictable.
Quote from: One Horse Town;431667Sean Connery's managed a decent career by not bothering to affect accents.
Yes but Sean Connery only had to play Irishmen and Englishmen so it wasn't as much of stretch as Itallians from Sheffield.
Maybe to other italians the venician accent sounds like a sheffield one though? :)
Yeah I did that when I was in Arabian Nights. I was playing Baba Mustafa the old shopkeeper. On the first rehearsal I put on this ridiculous leprechaun voice and the conversation went a bit like this.
Me: (Reading my line in ridiculous accent) He came to the shop of the old crook Baba Mustafa.
Sullivan: (Head of drama) Ian what the fuck are you doing?
Me: Well nobody in the play is putting on an Arabian accent.
Sullivan: True.
Me: And there are accents within Arabic.
Sullivan: Also true.
Me: Well if the standard Arabian accent is translated into roughly North London Baba Mustafa sound Irish.
Sullivan: (Facepalm)
Anyway Zen himself has a very BBC accent. It's everyone else who has the dodgy Northern tones.
Quote from: Ian Warner;431905Yes but Sean Connery only had to play Irishmen and Englishmen so it wasn't as much of stretch as Itallians from Sheffield.
One word - Highlander.
his character was originally egytian though so you can hardly call that italian also being immortal he obviously had time to develop his scottish accent whilst waiting for connor to show up :)
Think the newer "Doctor Who" covered this in 2005:
MOM Character: "But he's got a Northern accent!"
Daughter Character: " Lots of Placesw have a North!"
- Ed C.