Let’s be honest, everyone at some point or another has tried to imitate an accent other than their own. Admittedly our enjoyment at trying to replicate someone else’s idiosyncratic speech patterns knows no bounds as we attempt to add some international flavour to our conversations.

For the most part we all fail miserably and end up creating a strange sounding hybrid that would be insulting if it wasn’t so unfortunate. While we might all fail miserably it is a thespian’s job to make sure that they embrace accents wholeheartedly to the point that we truly believe they are from that part of the world. There are some astounding examples out there as actors and actresses immerse themselves so deeply in a character that even their speech patterns are completely transformed. Case in point is Meryl Streep who even after all these years continues to astound me with her lingual dexterity.

Unfortunately for every shining example there are those times when a performer’s limitations are laid bare. Accents are truly a tricky thing to perfect but sometimes, possibly due to star egos, it seems that a movie’s entire production team momentarily lose their hearing capabilities. As the audience we end up having to endure a cacophonous combination of words that undermines the believability of the movie. Just out of curiosity, was anyone else bothered by Sam Worthington’s attempt at an American accent in Avatar?

We have looked back at those moments in film when actors and actresses destroyed the beauty of spoken language with their unfortunate accents. Please keep these examples in mind next time you decide to break out your killer Scottish accent.

10. Sean Connery in Highlander
A repeat offender but just to set the context, Connery’s character is supposed to be Spanish. Sounds a little Scottish for my liking.
 


9. Angelina Jolie in Alexander
There are so many horrible accents but Jolie’s attempt at a Greek accent takes the cake.



8. Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins
Mythic for its highly questionable quality.



7. Russell Crowe in A Good Year
Let’s be honest, while Russell may be a good actor, he’s not that great at accents. This being the glaring example.



6.Julia Roberts in Mary Reilly
Can anyone do a decent Irish accent?



5. Kevin Costner in Robin Hood Prince of Thieves
Costner didn’t even try, perhaps the worst thing about this is how jarring his glaring American accent is in creating any period charm. Even Christian Slater gave it a go.



4. Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany’s
So much wrong with this…



3. Tommy Lee Jones in Blown Away
Has Jones ever heard an Irish accent?



2. Nicholas Cage in Captain Corelli's Mandolin
Cage should have known that a poor racial stereotype does not equal a good accent.



1. Keanu Reeves in Bram Stoker's Dracula
A great example of how a horrible accent can ruin an entire movie.