Why are Brittish actors more polished then actors in US?

Question

I've been noticing that there is a large influx of brittish actors who are doing shows here in america, Hugh Laurie (love him!!!) The young lady from the Bionic Woman and I was just wondering what kind of training or discipline goes into their craft and how can I learn and apply them to my craft. Thanks for the advice.

Wow thanks for all the great input so far, I want more give me more !!! Just to clarify I do think there are great American Actors as well, I'm striving to be one myself, but there's just something about the brits...

Answer 1

The British are the finest actors because they have a tradition steeped in the Theatre. The RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company) the Old Vic in Bristol, RADA Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts etc. It doesn't mean that American actors are terrible. Some of the top ten of The finest actor over the last 50 years have been American. De Niro, Pacino, Freeman, Brando, Washington, Hanks....the list goes on and on.

I know what you're saying though. I think it has lots to do with the techniques we are taught here in England. We study Brecht and Stanislaski. All the greatest actor BECOME the character as opposed to just pretending to be the character.

Great question though.

Answer 2

i guess it's the little things that set the brits apart and it's true, Americans often regard the Brittish as sophisticated. My personal take , and without going too much into psychology is that a lot of (i won't say all!) american actors tend to show more strong drama while with the brits it's more subtle, perhaps more down to realism than theatre. While americans are masters at showing strong emotions the brits are masters at finding an alternate (perhaps more intelectual) way of expressing the same emotions. I tend to think the brits are more into the "art" of acting, something like reading between the lines... just my humble opinion...

Answer 3

It's because they are classically trained. They go to class and they practice the art of acting, they learn in the theatre and study different acting techniques and put them into practice. Not like all the kids here who only want to be on Disney. The Brits have been here for a long time, it's not a recent invasion :-) and Michelle Ryan from the new Bionic Women is British.

my two cents
Marianne

Answer 4

A lot of British actors had extensive theatrical experience on the stage before going into films .Hugh Laurie started out with Griff Rhys Jones as a comedian and appeared in that type of role in many films .Quite a few of them were Oxford or Cambridge educated and carried a polished manner into their acting careers. Hugh Laurie was educated at Eton and Cambridge

Answer 5

I think British acting is more to do with playing the character rather than injecting the actors character onto the part. If you see a number of roles by a British actor, they come over as completely different people, whereas American actors seem the same, only the role changes. There are exceptions on both side of the pond of course, there some terrific American actors as well.

Answer 6

British actors, speak proper English, and seem to be better schooled in the art of acting, Many of the good ones have had stage experience, and acted in Shakespearean plays.

Answer 7

Aside from their magnificent stage tradition, British actors usually have much more technical training. Most American actors do little more than learn to lose their localized accent. British actors are taught to master many different accents including various American accents. (allowing them to take American parts in our media) They are also taught style in much greater depth than most Americans.

Answer 8

I, too, have noticed that British actors SEEM more polished than American actors. I think that "polish" is actually their cultured-sounding British accent and that they tend to speak proper English, not the slang-filled, lazy manner in which we generally speak.

Answer 9

Those who note the tradition and training of the English actor are correct. They just think acting is more important than we do and they train their actors better.

Answer 10

Whats wrong with the crafts and polishing of the American actors. Also, its not like American actors don't get work outside of America. Most folk are unaware of the non-American actors working here in the U.S. because their roles call for them to have American accents.