Why do the actors in Greek or Roman movies have English accents?

Question

All of them, Gladiator is a good example. why did Joaquin Phoenix have to ahve an accent ot paly a Roman emperor. because as far as i know they didn't back in bc.

Answer 1

Great question!! I have always wondered this...it's so inauthentic that it's laughable. Probably it stems from the time that most of those parts were played by British actors who just never bothered to change their accent. However, this also may be due to a historical link--the Roman Empire did occupy England for about 400 years.

Answer 2

The accent is just the tip of the iceberg. The nordic and Anglo Saxon people with the accents are the problem. They have the italian actors play Arabs ,mexicans,hebrews,etc. I'm personally insulted mostly because of the generation of morons who believe that's what Mediterranean people look like.

Answer 3

I think it's because of two points:

1. The production wants to show that the Ancient people were as refined and advanced as us today (if not more so), which usually comes across better with a British accent, rather than a standard American accent. Probably to better show us modern folk that they're smarter than we possibly think they were.

2. The production and anyone in general pretty much have no idea what their native accent sounded like back in the day.

Answer 4

Because the next closest thing you'd have to Roman in english is Italians from Brooklyn

Answer 5

I have wondered the same thing. I haev seen many movies where the people were suposed to be in another country but they all seem to have a British accent. Pretty sad!

Answer 6

because they are second rate english actors?
They should be able to put on an appropriate accent, but perhaps the convention is that since they are not using the correct language anyway, they are speaking english to an english speaking audience, so why bother.

I think that joaquin may have put on a wierd accent in keeping with his vision of the wierd character. he may think he is another marlon Brando who would do the same sorts of things. i am sure the director did not insist on it but tolerated it. it is ART man.

Answer 7

People still associate the notion of Empire with the British Empire, which really only finally closed shop in 1997. So it makes sense that people think of the English accent as the sound of Empire.

Answer 8

Because they are not English and they have their own language.

So English is an additional language for them.

If you wish to hear English without any accents, you should live

just in Britain/London.

Answer 9

Because English people are the best actors to play Romans and Greeks. Can you picture Bruce Willis playing Gladiator?

Answer 10

They have greek accents because they weren't Spanish. Hola!