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The 10 Worst Movie Accents of All Time
Casting a famous actor in a role can be a crapshoot. Just because a director can snag a big name for their film doesn't always mean that they belong there. Case in point, generally talented and experienced actors, when asked to do foreign accents, may stumble somewhat...or they may stumble a lot. Here, we've listed 10 of the worst examples of famous actors doing infamously bad accents:
10. Brad Pitt - Snatch. (2000)
Should Pitt be exempt from making this list for this particular role, given that we weren't supposed to be able to understand a word he was saying? Rumor had it at the time that Pitt's Northern British dialect was so bad, Guy Ritchie directed him to speak inarticulately in order to cover it. Thus, he lands himself a spot on the list.
9. James Van Der Beek - Varsity Blues (1999)
No one expects detail-oriented dialect work in a teen movie. Congratulations, James Van Der Beek, your West Texas drawl met our worst expectations.
8. Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz - Gangs of New York (2002)
DiCaprio's is just a bad Irish accent. But Diaz isn't sure from moment to moment if it is a New York or an Irish accent she is supposed to have in this film. Fittingly, then, they share the honor on this one.
7. Drew Barrymore - Ever After (1998)
We haven't heard Barrymore do a British accent very often, and here's why. It's an accent so canned and stale, only a cheesy fan video can do it justice:
6. Nicole Kidman - The Interpreter (2005)
It is not clear what African country Kidman's character Silvia is supposed to be from, but it's not on any map we've seen.
5. Jessica Simpson - The Dukes of Hazzard (2005)
The cheesiest Southern accent from one of the cheesiest movies ever made.
4. Keanu Reeves - The Devil's Advocate (1997)
Not exactly known for his stellar acting, Reeves adds insult to injury with this deplorable Southern accent. His character Kevin Lomax hails from Gainesville, Fla., but we've yet to locate the region his accent hails from.
3. Mickey Rooney - Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
A bizarre caricature of a Japanese accent and fairly racist to boot, Rooney's strange turn as Holly Golightly's landlord, Mr. Yunioshi, heartily earns him a spot on the list.
2. Kevin Costner - Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)
Sure, co-star Christian Slater's British accent is pretty bad, but Costner is the one who gets our vote. As the mythical, titular character he barely presents an accent at all.
1. Dick Van Dyke - Mary Poppins (1964)
Possibly the worst imitation of a British accent ever committed to celluloid, Van Dyke's Cockney is bloody awful, Guv'nah.