rjw_lgb_ca

It's a shame that Julia Roberts didn't think of doing stage work here in California; we have an amazing amount of theatre activity year-round up and down the coast, and a lot of film and TV actors hit the boards to exercise their stage chops and show off their range (I saw Jean Smart do a Christopher Durang absurdist piece at the height of "Designing Women"-- she did it to remind people that she has tremendous range and technique).

Julia would have gotten the practice she obviously needed....

GeorgeW, one never really "loses" an accent-- one simply replaces it with another set of speech patterns and sounds. A good ear always helps. Look at the better Australian and English actors; Toni Collette's South Philly accent in "The Sixth Sense" was so convincing (spot-on perfect), I had to remind people that it was the same actress from "Muriel's Wedding". Getting a proper regional Southern accent is especially hard for Southerners from other regions. Patricia Neal, a Kentuckian, nailed a west Texas accent in "Hud" (and I'm from Louisiana, so I know what it sounds like). It's part of the craft.

GeorgeW

rjw, thanks for the intersting reply. I find it funny that George Bush I never adopted a Texas accent, George W. Bush did (due to his Texas wife?) but Jeb seems to have either never adopted a Texas accent or has had it fade after living in Miami for thirty years.

Some people (and actors) also try accents that aren't genuine and make fools of themselves. For instance, Bob Guccione Jr's "English" accent sounds ridiculous.

escargot

snowrooster, to reply to your post, "escargot: The only thing I really take offense at is the implication that one has to travel to New York to see "good theatre." - I certainly never meant to imply that - the discussion was about Broadway/NY theater -
I wholeheartedly agree that many wonderful experiences are off, off off broadway AND in many wonderful regional theaters and smaller venues and other cities.

My husband and I have enjoyed theater in Williamstown, Westport, Maryland, DC, Boston, and many little towns in between - and often travel for regional theater - this was my point, that the be all and end all isn't always on broadway with a name star, and that I often feel it is a shame that that is what people only think of when thinking of stage acting.

I understand why some, as I said, when visiting NY head for a 'big name broadway show' - I just encourage people to add to the mix. Many of the shows started (like Putnam Spelling Bee) years ago elsewhere and worked their way up.

Neopolitan: my daughter was lucky enough to atend the final rehearsal of Schwimmer in Caine Mutiny and thought he was fabulous- she said for the first few seconds she could see "Ross" in some of the movements, as many actors carry some movement or expression always with them, but within a minute he transformed into his role and she was most impressed by him and the entire production.

Many actors who have their roots in stage work, or favor it over the more better paying movie/tv roles, often return to a Williamstown or regional spot for a break (when they can afford to) and to return to the camaraderie and depth a stage experience brings.

Many of the fine actors mentioned can cross over - I think even Humphrey Bogart and many of the oldies but goodies got their start in small stage productions on Cape Cod and south of Boston...back in the day !

and I enjoyed Jean Smart in Williamstown last summer...and Chris Noth also in western mass -

and the accents...go figure...I'm always amazed at what a trained actor can do - I'm still amazed even watching House where the Dr. totally loses his british accent ! although I'm still waiting for an actor who doesn't butcher the Bahston accent and always sounds like a bad rendition of a Kennedy...but it's a tough one to master...almost all the actors kept slipping in and out of it in Mystic River....and I'm a Boston girl, so I guess now I have to go get lunch and pahk my cah somewayah.

a good discussion all around - and I think Grazer could use one of Scarletts meals !

GeorgeW

Talking about accents, what do you folks think about Lee Remick's (native of Boston) southern accent in The Long, Hot Summer. For that matter, what about Orson Welles' and Tony Franciosa's southern accents in the same movie? Or Newman's?