Something interesting re: nationality of actors

Uber is a Kiwi? I wasn't aware of Andy Serkis being from New Zealand.

 

I thought the Brits liked being cast as the bad guys? At least they know that when the bad guy's a Brit, he's crafty and sinister in an extremely intelligent and refined way.

Anyways, I'm not sure I could see any tie to expanding the brand for global purposes exactly. You can look at many films and see a Brit playing an American or an American playing a Brit, and it doesn't necessarily mean they're trying to make it global.

If anything, I'd tie it to them using some no-name Americans to play the roles for domestic appeal, while filling in the gaps with Brits since a lot of production was done in the UK... hence you see plenty of Imperials with a British accent.

 

I always found it dumb how Imperials were almost always British, John Mctiernan is another director who's been guilty of making British people look evil too (Die Hard 1 and 3, Last Action Hero)

 

Accents
Dialects in English correspond to different in-universe accents in the movies. Ewan McGregor's and Ian McDiarmid's faint upper-class Scottish accents are, for example, Coruscanti accents in the movies. As a general rule, Imperial characters speak with RP-like British accents while Rebels usually have American accents. However, it would seem that this is perhaps a representation of social class, as stormtroopers and other low-ranking Imperials are heard to speak with American accents, while some Rebels speak with British accents (Mon Mothma, for instance). Other accents are also heard, such as:

Mexican (Hondo Ohnaka, Diago Hixan)
Spanish (from Spain) (Zygerrian Slave Empire)
British (Dengar) and (Mon Mothma)
Belgian (Vaarko Tiyai, Nok Drayen,Arek Drayen III)
Congolese (Xivhkalrainik, Yudrass)
Jamaican (Kit Fisto, Dunari)
Irish (Emon Azzameen, Fenn Shysa, an unnamed Czerka officer outside Anchorhead in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic,Lurmen, Sugi)
Scottish (Whorm Loathsom, Darth Sion, Jeelg, Cutup and Shoan Kilian)
Italian (Bannamu, Watto and Mee Deechi)
German (Nuvo Vindi)
Japanese (Neimoidian) and (Mee Deechi)
Kenyan (Halle Burtoni)
New York/Brooklyn (the Chissbartender Baldarek in Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast)
Australian (The Serrocoans, as well as some Mandalorians in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords)
New Zealander/Maori (The Fett family and clone troopers)
French (certain Twi'leks, such asAayla Secura and Orn Free Taa)
Russian (General Grevious, Juhaniand Even Piell).
Swedish (Shmi Skywalker Lars. Actress Pernilla August is Swedish)
South African (Pantorans, such asRiyo Chuchi)
Indian (Zabraks, such as Eeth Kothand Queen Talia, Queen Apilana)
Welsh (Bryn, Sith, Chiss)

 

Wow! This is very informative, thanks!

 

I think the real nuts n bolts reason so many of the actors are British this time around is that production took place in Britain and the Brits do not need working visas.

Also, one of the worst liabilities of the PT (though not of the OT, where all the American actors had really effective vocal inflections and standard American English accents) was that the two young leads had these weird accents and strange inflections, putting emPHAsis on the wrong syllABle or word of a sentence, "Eeeahni, Ah'm Pregnit!", etc. I mean you can't blame it entirely on America, because Hayden is Canadian and Nat is half Israeli. But where the American cast of the OT and the mostly British cast of the PT could sell some of the harder bits of dialogue, the Murican-accented kids in the PT (and they were all very young at the time) made it sound even worse than it was at times, especially in Ep 2. A 'received' British accent can cover a multitude of sins and makes everything sound more credible. This is why they use British actors for car ads.

But yeah, the OT really seems to have been a cycle around the American Revolution mixed with the fall of the Roman Republic, ending with the fall of Communism. But that cycle is finished, and George Lucas seems to have been careful not to wave the Stars and Stripes too boldly - except for casting Brits as the bad guys. I mean it's partly because a stiff upper lip worked better as a foil to the Force-choking ways of Vader, but the first guy we see Force-choked has an American accent. I think for the PT, Lucas thought more in terms of the origin of the characters, and the accents that might have arisen on each of the worlds depicted in the trilogy. So Coruscant, the oldest human colony and the seat of government, has a English accent. Tattooine denizens are mostly American. Alderaan is American, while Naboo is American with English influences. The only place Lucas got into trouble was with, for example, the quasi-West-Indian Gungans of Naboo and the obviously Japanese Trade Federation characters. I think the idea of dialects on each of the different worlds can be explored without resorting to Earth stereotypes.

 

Like Fowl said the bad guys were British in the OT because the Death Star scenes were filmed in England, and it just kind of stuck.

Boyega and Ridley are both capable of American accents and I am sure Driver is capable of RP, those are all basic accents any actor is supposed to have. I see let's hear them speak before assuming anything. I do love the thread idea though, accents are important to Star Wars

 

until now i really don't think about whether daisy ridley and john boyega would keep their british accents or use american accents.

 

I really hope Driver uses his natural American accent. It is kinda annoying that pretty much every single Star Wars villian (except the Stormtroopers) speak with British accents. It would bring much more diversity because the other supposed villians Gleeson, Serkis, and Christie will almost certainly be doing English. James Earl Jones as we know is American but spoke with a British accent, yet I always thought Jones still kept a bit of his American accent in there, so I guess Driver might do the same. Im almost positive Isaac and Ridley will be doing American. MvS and Boyega are hard to call. It would be cool to hear MvS do Swedish and Gleeson do Irish though.

 

How in the world did JEJ speak with any hint of a British accent?

And I truly hope Boyega isn't ising that awful cockneyesque accent he has.

 

I personally feel Boyega is the weakest link in this film. I'm anxiously awaiting to see his performance because I'm personally not a fan.

Maybe it's because I can't stand Attack the Block, nor his accent, but I think he's pretty mediocre...good facial expressions but...meh...he's just very meh to me.

In comparison, there's something intriguing about Daisy, who is even less known, but innately more intriguing.

And that stupid comment about "get used to it" was an amateur shot at the incredible minority who doesn't know how to feel about him being black. Get over it kid. At least be better than it.

 

Let me rephrase. I guess what i'm saying is that JEJ spoke like a fancy pants.

 

Dang. He's classified as an emo teenager during the PT, and now Anakin/Vader speaks like a "fancy pants" in the OT? He can't catch a break.

 

I never had any problem with the accents in the OT. The PT was a different story.