Is an actor speaking in another accent betraying himself?

[unicorn]

There's this extremely handsome 36 year-old actor I follow on social media, Jason Caceres, who recently put out a blurb on Facebook. In the blurb, he describes firing his manager when she suggested he take "accent reduction" lessons to get the "gay" out of his voice, so that he could have more acting opportunities. His speech must be described as very gay, one must admit.

That being said, the last movie I saw, Crime 101, starred Chris Hemsworth, an Australian, and Barry Keoghan, an Irishman. They play American characters, so they've obviously been trained not to speak with Aussie or Irish accents. I doubt they're ashamed of the way they normally speak, but rather realize that a good actor needs to be versatile. I think it's actually a feather in the cap for them that they can play American characters better (at least according to the casting director) than any American can. There are a lot of successful gay actors, and the best of them can play both straight and gay characters (i.e. Matt Bomer, Neil Patrick Harris, Zach Quinto, etc.). 

While Jason Caceres certainly has nothing of which to be ashamed, I suspect he could get a lot more acting gigs if he could play a wider variety of parts. Yet all of the comments on his clip on Facebook applaud his firing of his manager. Do you think he's being wise?

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1622663045969088

 

[PeterRS]

Not betraying himself, i think. More he is seriously denying himself the opportunity of getting more parts, no doubt better paying ones. An actor has to be versatile in almost all respects (although not necessarily THAT one!). Think of the British actors who have made it in the US - and not always playing English-accented roles. The late and much lamented Alan Rickman as the German in the first Die Hard Movie. Sir Laurence Olivier as the Nazi dentist in Marathon Man. Albert Finney in Erin Brockovich and the Bourne series. The wonderful Tom Wilkinson, Judi Dench, Helen Mirren, Jim Broadbent, Derek Jacobi, Jonathan Price, Anthony Hopkins, Brian Cox, Gary Oldman, Ralph Fiennes, Daniel Day Lewis, Ewan McGregor, Jeremy Irons and a very long list of more British and Irish actors who have made it in Hollywood movies. This is partly I believe because of their excellent training and then their early careers in weekly rep where they learned that essential versatility. An actor who deliberately decides not to train his voice does not deserve to call himself an actor!

[Lucky]

He deserves respect.

[BjornAgain]

1 hour ago, PeterRS said:

...An actor who deliberately decides not to train his voice does not deserve to call himself an actor!

Two British actors that definitely made it in the USA, so much so; that when auditioning for their debut Americian parts the producers and production staff didn't know they weren't Americian.

Idris Elba, now Sir Idris Elba, born in Hackney, London of Sierra Leone and Ghana parentage, auditioned for the role of Stringer Bell in the HBO series The Wire, told by his Agent to keep his background a secret, floored the producers with his Maryland accent. They were shocked to find he came from the East End of London.

Same goes for Hugh Laurie OBE, he was asked by his Agent to submit an audition tape whilst out filming the remake of Flight of The Phoenix in Namibia for a new medical drama called House, still in costume so to speak, ie unshaven and bedraggled, and recorded in his hotel bathroom, his rawness and arrogance caught the producers eye. Bryan Singer as Executive Producer has been noted as saying "he's just the kind of compelling American actor I've been looking for". He was somewhat shocked when someone told him he came from Oxford, England and educated at Eton and Cambridge.

 

[Keithambrose]

4 hours ago, BjornAgain said:

Two British actors that definitely made it in the USA, so much so; that when auditioning for their debut Americian parts the producers and production staff didn't know they weren't Americian.

Idris Elba, now Sir Idris Elba, born in Hackney, London of Sierra Leone and Ghana parentage, auditioned for the role of Stringer Bell in the HBO series The Wire, told by his Agent to keep his background a secret, floored the producers with his Maryland accent. They were shocked to find he came from the East End of London.

Same goes for Hugh Laurie OBE, he was asked by his Agent to submit an audition tape whilst out filming the remake of Flight of The Phoenix in Namibia for a new medical drama called House, still in costume so to speak, ie unshaven and bedraggled, and recorded in his hotel bathroom, his rawness and arrogance caught the producers eye. Bryan Singer as Executive Producer has been noted as saying "he's just the kind of compelling American actor I've been looking for". He was somewhat shocked when someone told him he came from Oxford, England and educated at Eton and Cambridge.

 

And the other way round, Meryl Streep as Mrs Thatcher,  brilliant I thought,  and many others.  

[PeterRS]

10 minutes ago, Keithambrose said:

And the other way round, Meryl Streep as Mrs Thatcher,  brilliant I thought,  and many others.  

But not as many! I aso think - personal view - that when you are imitating a living person or someone who is omnipresent on fim you are not creating another persona as most of the other actors listed above, you are merely imitating. Streep was good as Thatcher - but not nearly as good a some of the other characters she has performed over a lifetime in cinema. Not so many Hollywood actors have made it in UK movies as UK actors in Hollywood, even allowing fo the fact that there are far fewer UK movies made now.

[Pete1111]

Does it make sense to go on the Internet and put her on blast?  Perhaps stirring up this publicity is the point.  But kicking an agent or manager to the curb is tricky.  That can derail an acting career.

It's a competitive world in LA.  Many talented, younger and prettier people are aiming for limited roles

Being true to himself might work for him.  Perhaps after 5 years, he was ready to move on.  Or perhaps she was as well.

 

 

 

 

[vinapu]

4 hours ago, PeterRS said:

 Streep was good as Thatcher - but not nearly as good a some of the other characters she has performed over a lifetime in cinema

 Streep was good as Thatcher - but not nearly as good as Thatcher herself

[Keithambrose]

15 minutes ago, vinapu said:

 Streep was good as Thatcher - but not nearly as good as Thatcher herself

What film was she in?

[vinapu]

2 hours ago, Keithambrose said:

What film was she in?

MUGA = Make UK Great Again