Top 10 Cringiest Accent Fails by Great Actors
#10: Idris Elba
“Molly’s Game” (2017) Acclaimed English actor Idris Elba has pulled off successful American accents in the past. Watch him as Stringer Bell in “The Wire” and you’d never know that he’s actually English. But something went really, really wrong with “Molly’s Game.” Playing Molly’s lawyer Charlie Jaffey, Elba can barely contain his natural vernacular, often fluctuating wildly between his native accent and his character’s New York accent. Elba reportedly spoke in the fake New York accent the entire time while on set, but despite all that practice, he still seemingly couldn’t pull it off.
#9: Julia Roberts
Top 10 Julia Roberts Performances
“Mary Reilly” (1996) Julia Roberts has quite the esteemed filmography, but “Mary Reilly” is an obvious stain. The movie bombed at the box office and received many negative reviews, with critics arguing that Roberts was woefully miscast as the titular Mary Reilly. Roberts is clearly giving it her all as she attempts to pull off the tricky Irish accent, but the end result feels more like a parody, with many an “aye” thrown in for good measure. Critics roasted Roberts for her atrocious Irish accent, and she was even nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst Actress. We’re not saying the embarrassing Irish accent was solely responsible, but it...probably was.
#8: Halle Berry
“X-Men” (2000) “X-Men” was an enormous success. Grossing nearly $300 million in 2000, it helped launch the superhero craze of the following two decades. Though the film gets a lot of things right, much of the praise was rightfully directed at the cast, which includes Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, and Halle Berry as Storm. As fans of the franchise will point out, Storm has a distinctive African accent throughout the first movie, however terrible it may be. It was so bad, in fact, that Berry just ditched it entirely for the sequels. This was retroactively revisited over a decade and a half later in “X-Men: Apocalypse,” in which Alexandra Shipp played Storm with a Kenyan accent, to greater success.
#7: Jennifer Lawrence
Jennifer Lawrence Biography (UPDATE)
“Red Sparrow” (2018) In 2018, Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence played a Russian spy by the name of Dominika Egorova in “Red Sparrow.” The movie received middling reviews, with most of the praise going to Lawrence’s performance. But no matter how good she was in the role, we just can’t get over her Russian accent. When she’s not veering into over-the-top parody, she’s blatantly slipping into her natural American accent. It’s exactly what you’d expect from an American doing a fake Russian accent, and it definitely took away from the movie. It’s an OK spy flick, but it would have been better without the distracting accent problems.
#6: Anne Hathaway
Michelle Pfeiffer VS Zoë Kravitz VS Anne Hathaway as Catwoman
“One Day” (2011) For this 2011 romantic drama, Brooklyn-born Anne Hathaway was cast as the English Emma Morley alongside actual English actor Jim Sturgess. And the results couldn’t have been more jarring! Hathaway’s Yorkshire accent was widely lambasted by critics, and James Corden even made a joke of it on “The Late Late Show” with Hathaway present. Hathaway is a great actor, having won an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and an Emmy. But her work in “One Day” proves that convincing accents are incredibly tough to nail, even for studious and respected performers.
#5: Nicolas Cage
Top 20 Greatest Nicolas Cage Moments
“Captain Corelli’s Mandolin” (2001) Nicolas Cage CAN be a great actor. One only needs to watch his Oscar-winning performance as Ben Sanderson in “Leaving Las Vegas” to see that. But he’s not the greatest at accents. His accent work in “Con Air” is dubious at best, but that looks Oscar-worthy next to “Captain Corelli’s Mandolin.” This war film examines the Cephalonia Massacre, which saw over 5,000 Italian POWs executed by the Germans during World War II. This type of material requires the utmost professionalism, but Cage’s infamous Italian accent ruins any semblance of realism. It’s seriously terrible (to the point of being funny at times) which is the last thing you want in a tragic war story.
#4: Don Cheadle
Top 10 Terrible Performances by Otherwise Great Actors
“Ocean’s Eleven” (2001) “Ocean’s Eleven” is arguably one of the greatest heist films of all time. The cast is absolutely stacked, starring the likes of George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts (sticking to her natural accent this time), and Don Cheadle ... whose atrocious cockney accent nearly ruins the movie. Cheadle reportedly worked very hard on the accent, but, upon the film’s release, was publicly eviscerated for it nevertheless. Critics widely agreed that his cockney accent was a major stain on the otherwise great movie. According to Cheadle, even his own English friends gave him a hard time for his “truly terrible London accent.”
#3: Keanu Reeves
Top 10 Times Keanu Reeves Went Beast Modec
“Bram Stoker’s Dracula” (1992) Look, we love Keanu Reeves as much as the next person. But his work as Jonathan Harker in “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” is NOT why. The movie was widely acclaimed for its performances, but Reeves was often singled out for scrutiny. Many critics thought that he was miscast, and that performing next to legends like Gary Oldman and Anthony Hopkins didn’t do him any favours. His accent was also widely condemned, often sounding like an overly-posh English mixed with L.A. surfer dude. It’s truly one of the most unique accents we’ve ever heard. Just, not in a good way.
#2: Kevin Costner
Top 10 Kevin Spacey Performances
“Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” (1991) This Robin Hood adaptation is a bit of a mixed bag. The Academy Award-winning music is obviously stunning, while Alan Rickman’s turn as the Sheriff of Nottingham was easily one of his greatest performances. And that’s saying a lot! But then there’s Kevin Costner. Unlike Rickman, Costner was unanimously criticized for his turn as Robin Hood, even winning a Razzie Award for Worst Actor in the process. Most of the criticism stems from his English accent...or complete lack thereof. Costner’s accent is barely discernible, with many calling it a lazy effort and one of the worst “accents” in movie history. It makes Russell Crowe’s accent as Robin Hood look almost competent by comparison. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Angelina Jolie, “Alexander” (2004) We Have No Idea What This Was Supposed to Be Gabourey Sidibe, “Tower Heist” (2011) This Oscar-Nominated Actress Turns in a Razzie-Worthy Jamaican Accent Tom Cruise, “Far and Away” (1992) Irish Accents Just Aren’t for Him Harrison Ford, “K-19: The Widowmaker” (2002) The All-American Harrison Ford Putting on a Russian Accent Is Just Rich James Van Der Beek, “Varsity Blues” (1999) Dawson Leery Attempts a Texas Accent & It Is Terrible
#1: Dick Van Dyke
Top 10 Philip K Dick Adaptations
“Mary Poppins” (1964) “Mary Poppins” is one of the most magical films ever produced; it would take something spectacularly bad to sink it. But Dick Van Dyke’s cockney accent nearly succeeds! The American Van Dyke was cast after Disney executives saw his work in “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” and while his performance as Bert is generally well regarded, his brutal English accent is often considered the worst movie accent ever. While receiving a BAFTA for television excellence in 2017, Van Dyke jokingly apologized to the members for what he admits is “the most atrocious cockney accent in the history of cinema.” Even fifty years after the fact, Van Dyke was still laughing at himself.
