I speak like Cate Blanchett
I've been in the US a while now, and the incidence of accent foibles has decreased over time, but every now and then I still have a good one.
Yesterday I auditioned for a Shakespeare show at a theater where I've never worked. I was late, as usual, but they were running behind anyway, so there wasn't much chitchat before I began. I ran through the first side and stopped for comment. The director and his assistant both gave me a funny look.
"Um ... you ... You've obviously done a lot of vocal work. But you're using RP."
I stared at them blankly wondering if RP was some crazy American vocal technique.
"Received Pronunciation. Can you do it in your normal accent?"
My god. My god! They thought I was one of those annoying wanker Americans who pretend they're British when they do Shakespeare. I hate those actors; I couldn't believe they assumed I was one of them! I wanted to run out of the room screaming and take a shower.
"I'm Australian." I said it slowly in an effort to hide my creeping outrage.
Blank stare again, this time from both of them.
"This IS my normal accent."
"You're Australian?"
"Yes, but I don't sound like Steve Irwin. I sound more like Cate Blanchett." I couldn't believe I was having this conversation.
"Oh, uh, well, can you just sound less ... polished? Just be yourself."
So I faked having a lazy Australian accent for Shakespeare. I should have just done it in an American accent. Or, as Sean suggested when he heard the story, I should have gone balls to the wall and done the entire thing sounding exactly like Paul Hogan.
Note to self: always, always find a way to slip my Australian heritage into pre-audition chitchat, no matter how short or clumsy. "It's hot today, isn't it? Oh, but not so hot as it is back home in the outback with kangaroos and shrimp on the barbie. I said as much to my mate Judy Davis when I phoned home to the Land Down Under last weekend." Something like that.
Yesterday I auditioned for a Shakespeare show at a theater where I've never worked. I was late, as usual, but they were running behind anyway, so there wasn't much chitchat before I began. I ran through the first side and stopped for comment. The director and his assistant both gave me a funny look.
"Um ... you ... You've obviously done a lot of vocal work. But you're using RP."
I stared at them blankly wondering if RP was some crazy American vocal technique.
"Received Pronunciation. Can you do it in your normal accent?"
My god. My god! They thought I was one of those annoying wanker Americans who pretend they're British when they do Shakespeare. I hate those actors; I couldn't believe they assumed I was one of them! I wanted to run out of the room screaming and take a shower.
"I'm Australian." I said it slowly in an effort to hide my creeping outrage.
Blank stare again, this time from both of them.
"This IS my normal accent."
"You're Australian?"
"Yes, but I don't sound like Steve Irwin. I sound more like Cate Blanchett." I couldn't believe I was having this conversation.
"Oh, uh, well, can you just sound less ... polished? Just be yourself."
So I faked having a lazy Australian accent for Shakespeare. I should have just done it in an American accent. Or, as Sean suggested when he heard the story, I should have gone balls to the wall and done the entire thing sounding exactly like Paul Hogan.
Note to self: always, always find a way to slip my Australian heritage into pre-audition chitchat, no matter how short or clumsy. "It's hot today, isn't it? Oh, but not so hot as it is back home in the outback with kangaroos and shrimp on the barbie. I said as much to my mate Judy Davis when I phoned home to the Land Down Under last weekend." Something like that.
Labels: acting
posted by Mormolyke at
07:23
4 Comments:
Had that a few times too, mostly because Americans have exactly zero knowledge that that South West of England exists. It is remarkably more offensive than it should be when you're asked if that's your "real accent". I mean WTF, do I need to speak like the Queen to be English?
Ha! You should have dropped all English dialects and put on a thick Charlie Chan:
"So solly, prease to excuse. Prease monorogue again, prease....thisa Jurieta Montagoo... 'Garrop apace you filey footed steeds.... '"
Anyway, that's pretty funny. "You're doing RP." Gimme a break. Please, please tell me where this happened. I gotta know.
To any non-American reading: you would probably be surprised and saddened to learn how little the average American knows about where you come from. I don't exclude myself from this either. It wasn't too long ago that I learned that England, Scotland and Wales are on the same island.
Also, Clark wins the internet with his suggestion.
Small problem with that Mel. Like England, we gots regional accents too (Adelaide's accents are particularly painful). And by my hazy recollection you're not from the expensive leafy suburbs of Melbourne like our Cate. Yeah, nah, yeah mate, youse are from from Quoinsland, like Steve Irwin. Admittedly it was bogan-licious Mt Gravatt rather than banjo-tastic Beerwah like Steve, but it's a long bow to draw. And yes I am just bitter because you lot of nutbag rednecks won the last Origin match thirty to nil. Didn't help re motivation that one of the idiot NSW prop forwards called everyone in Queensland a nutbag redneck in the leadup to the game.
To further confuse the issue, Cate had a Texan father. Fact.
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home