View Full Version : Christian Bale - why the affected American accent?
Stuart Wright
25-06-2005, 4:49 PM
Watching lots of promos for Batman Begins and most of the interviews with Bale irritate because of his affected American accent. If I were interviewing him, I'd ask why he's talking that way.
You're English! What's the matter, the English accent not good enough for you now ?! :mad:
johnscarlet
25-06-2005, 5:02 PM
I thought he was Welsh (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000288/) ? :grin:
JS
Stewart :hiya:
Probably because the Americans can't understand an English accent. Americans always find it hard to understand us brit's I have experianced this first hand many times when I holiday in the US. I got called german, french, dutch...etc I wasn't alone in this either as many other British families on holiday got the same response.
Batman Begins was a great movie, I throughly enjoyed it. :grin:
Hawklan
25-06-2005, 5:25 PM
Hi
Reading an article in the Metro he is having trouble kicking the accent
RON
scrapbook
25-06-2005, 5:26 PM
Has he lived in america of the best part of his life and was just born in wales?
According to IMDB he was raised in wales, portugal and the US. The chances are he has just lost his accent.
Edit...again
IMDB also says
In the "Fresh Air with Terry Gross" radio interview first aired June 13, 2005, he admitted to Gross that because Batman is "such an American icon," he had decided not to perform his promotional interviews for the movie Batman Begins (2005) in his natural mixed Welsh/British accent. He instead spoke to Gross in an almost-inflectionless mid-American accent, only revealing his dialectic roots with a few words.
Yes, saw an interview with Michael Caine yesterday and he was surprised to learn that Bale was British!
Stuart Wright
25-06-2005, 7:15 PM
I've seen him doing very recent interviews where he had a distinctly English accent. Cudos that he's can do a good American accent. But it sad that people like him and Zeta-Jones 'go American'.
Legion
25-06-2005, 7:45 PM
I've seen him doing very recent interviews where he had a distinctly English accent. Cudos that he's can do a good American accent. But it sad that people like him and Zeta-Jones 'go American'.
I heard he likes to do promo interviews in accent of the role he played, similar to Wesley Snipes for the Blade films. Then again could be a load of cobblers.
Maybe it is to do with his method acting, he is one of those actors who completely immerses himself in the role he is playing...
Tejstar
26-06-2005, 4:15 PM
Reading an article in the Metro he is having trouble kicking the accent
I read the same thing elsewhere. He said he was really ****** off because he wasn't able to portay an anglish man on a film he was working on (can't remember the one) as the american accent kept coming back naturally. Scary!
partyweb
26-06-2005, 5:23 PM
I read the same thing elsewhere. He said he was really ****** off because he wasn't able to portay an anglish man on a film he was working on (can't remember the one) as the american accent kept coming back naturally. Scary!
Yep I read that too in one of the dvd mags on the newsstand.
Ulysses
26-06-2005, 7:40 PM
:confused:
If Batman is meant to be English,living in an old English Country House, how the hell does he get across the Atlantic to the American City of Gotham?
Or is his old English country house in America and just his butler is English?
:confused:
To be honest I've never paid that much attention to the continuity of it all until now. :suicide:
eviljohn2
26-06-2005, 9:38 PM
Bruce Wayne is American but the actor, Christian Bale, is of UK origin. :)
Sick Note
27-06-2005, 4:42 PM
glad someone else noticed this too, it drives me round the bend but lets give Mr. Bale the benefit of the doubt as he has lived in yankland for many years unlike that silly welsh slapper Catherine Z J. God I hate that woman with her false pretending to be a Yank accent. The final straw was her snubbing ITV when they asked her to appear on their anniversary show as thats where she started out. Whats wrong love the UK not good enough for you you self involved bint!!!!!!!!!
Tejstar
28-06-2005, 6:41 AM
There's some strong feelings there Sick Note! :grin: :rotfl:
Rambo John J
28-06-2005, 7:55 AM
I've got a friend that lives in South Carolina, he moved there from Northampton and took just 14 months to start sounding exactly like Deputy Dawg
CrispyXUK
28-06-2005, 8:51 AM
The final straw was her snubbing ITV when they asked her to appear on their anniversary show as thats where she started out. Whats wrong love the UK not good enough for you you self involved bint!!!!!!!!!
Why would anyone want to travel from america to the uk for some crappy ITV "Lets blow our own trumpet" show?
dynamic turtle
28-06-2005, 11:29 AM
I've got a friend that lives in South Carolina, he moved there from Northampton and took just 14 months to start sounding exactly like Deputy Dawg
:rotfl:
Yeah, you do tend to pick the accent up pretty quickly in the US, simply because every time you speak, someone laughs or wants to talk about England or gets you to say "Bond, James Bond" etc. :god:
Shoot them all I say :devil:
DT
bale said- he did the accent for 9 months straight whilst filming and the muscles in the face/throat/neck all start to get used to the new way of talking and it is alot harder to readjust to talking with his normal accent its not something he can just switch on and off with ease and as he needs an accent for "harsh times" he felt it was better to keep it going than to re-adjust all over again on advice form his vocal coach/doc or something!
i noticed that when im in the states the whole "bond. james bond" thing does come across alot more than my black country accent! though they all think im from australia! :suicide:
Tejstar
29-06-2005, 7:20 AM
I noticed that when im in the states the whole "bond. james bond" thing does come across alot more than my black country accent! though they all think im from australia!
Glad I'm not the only one then :laugh:
CrispyXUK
29-06-2005, 8:33 AM
Its strange isnt it, Im from southend essex and they think I'm Australian too?!
chillo
30-06-2005, 10:18 AM
on xbox live my mates and i get a loads of this, where are you from? Australia?
errrr.....
APPRIA40WR
01-07-2005, 7:58 AM
Christian Bale - why the affected American accent?
He's been living in a foreign country -most folks' accents change within a few months as they copy what they hear. This happens especially in other English speaking countries of course.
It sounds terrible but so do all broken accents.
NicolasB
01-07-2005, 9:36 AM
As Bale himself says, you use the muscles around your mouth and throat very differently when doing a not-normal accent. If you do it consistently enough and for long enough then the actual shape of the muscles changes (in the same way as one's body shape changes from working out) and it can be hard to switch back.
Americans like British accents, though. I remember when I was in america about 11 years ago, and mentioned that I was originally from Scotland, I was asked by this (very stoned) guy at a party 'oh, wait wait wait, could you say... uh... could you say "we're pushing the engines as hard as we can, captain" in your broadest scottish accent?' :)
I also got a request to record an answering machine message in my best "English butler" voice. And I was particularly charmed when I rang up Delta Airlines to ask about flight times and the lady on the other end said "c'd you just keep talkin' tuh me? I love yur accent." :)
As Bale himself says, you use the muscles around your mouth and throat very differently when doing a not-normal accent. If you do it consistently enough and for long enough then the actual shape of the muscles changes (in the same way as one's body shape changes from working out) and it can be hard to switch back.
Americans like British accents, though. I remember when I was in america about 11 years ago, and mentioned that I was originally from Scotland, I was asked by this (very stoned) guy at a party 'oh, wait wait wait, could you say... uh... could you say "we're pushing the engines as hard as we can, captain" in your broadest scottish accent?' :)
I also got a request to record an answering machine message in my best "English butler" voice. And I was particularly charmed when I rang up Delta Airlines to ask about flight times and the lady on the other end said "c'd you just keep talkin' tuh me? I love yur accent." :)
The yanks love a british accent. I got the same. :grin:
Legion
01-07-2005, 10:21 AM
Its strange isnt it, Im from southend essex and they think I'm Australian too?!
I found it depended on what coast I was nearest to. On the west coast most people thought I was an Aussie or South African. On the east coast most knew I was "British", one evan asked me in all seriousness "how often I had tea with the queen!!!
Games Guru
01-07-2005, 10:29 AM
awww... americans eh? Gotta love those bloodthirsty tykes eh?
dynamic turtle
01-07-2005, 10:46 AM
The yanks love a british accent. I got the same. :grin:
And I love a nice southern Irish accent. Just lovely on the ears ;)
Razor
01-07-2005, 11:00 AM
And I love a nice southern Irish accent. Just lovely on the ears ;)
To be sure :smashin:
Legion
01-07-2005, 11:34 AM
To be sure :smashin:
Continuing the off topic discussion :god: My wife is Irish and hates all the stereotyping of the irish (understandably) such as phrases like "to be sure" etc. However, when I first met her father, his first words to me were.............."top o' the mornin' to you". The crest-fallen look on her face was amusing!
Razor
01-07-2005, 11:41 AM
Continuing the off topic discussion :god: My wife is Irish and hates all the stereotyping of the irish (understandably) such as phrases like "to be sure" etc. However, when I first met her father, his first words to me were.............."top o' the mornin' to you". The crest-fallen look on her face was amusing!
:offtopic:
LOL... My missus is Half Irish, half scotish. A Firey combo. To be sure. :grin:
Legion
01-07-2005, 11:49 AM
:offtopic:
LOL... My missus is Half Irish, half scotish. A Firey combo. To be sure. :grin:
:eek: Talk about celtic passion........ :smashin:
dynamic turtle
01-07-2005, 12:38 PM
:offtopic:
LOL... My missus is Half Irish, half scotish. A Firey combo. To be sure. :grin:
I've always promised myself (and my father) that I would never marry a celt/irish woman for that very reason, as undeniably attractive as they are.
problem is though, I somehow just know I will :(
DT
I've always promised myself (and my father) that I would never marry a celt/irish woman for that very reason, as undeniably attractive as they are.
problem is though, I somehow just know I will :(
DT
As I am a 18 stone bodybuilder I need someone to keep me in check :god: It's quiet funnny, when on the rare occasion we argue poeple have commented that they wouldnt answer me back, but she's gives as good as she gets and she only 8 1/2 stone.... lol.
serena008
19-07-2008, 8:07 PM
Ok you people always say that.
the reason why he doesnt speak with his accent is so that movie-goers dont get confused that batman is british. that's why in interviews he uses an american accept. but he is british and he does have a british accent!
serena008
19-07-2008, 8:07 PM
accent(**
Excellent bump of a 3 year old thread :grin:
LFC_SL
19-07-2008, 10:42 PM
He's Welsh?
leepy
20-07-2008, 10:30 AM
Excellent bump of a 3 year old thread :grin:
or excellent use of the search button maybe?:grin:
andytabor
20-07-2008, 11:15 AM
yep he's welsh
Wild Weasel
20-07-2008, 11:58 PM
yep he's welsh
His parents are both English. :thumbsup:
BULL3T_OR_BLADE
21-07-2008, 12:22 AM
My Sister has lived in the States for 5 years now, after visiting last year for a total of 2 months I noticed various twangs to her accent, and the way she said certain things... We are both Irish/Welsh.....
People thought I was related to Sherlock Holmes, mind you that was in a conversation with people at a truck stop in Virginia. :grin: Nice folk all the same!
I like like Mr Bale, and whatever accent he does, hope he and Nolan at least make another Batflick after TDK.
RichardG
21-07-2008, 7:27 AM
His parents are both English. :thumbsup:
And the Royal family are German
Relevance ?????:confused::confused:
Wild Weasel
21-07-2008, 2:17 PM
And the Royal family are German
Relevance ?????:confused::confused:
It means he's not really Welsh. Duh
nwgarratt
21-07-2008, 2:25 PM
It means he's not really Welsh. Duh
He was born in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire in Wales so he is Welsh regardless where his parents came from.
I am looking forwad to TDK and hope he keeps making Batman films.
Garrett
21-07-2008, 4:46 PM
He was born in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire in Wales so he is Welsh regardless where his parents came from.
I am looking forwad to TDK and hope he keeps making Batman films.
In an interview he said somthing like "All I was, was born in Wales but I was brought up in England I class myself as English".