Foreign Invasion

I was talking to my dad the other day and he said something that real got me thinking. I don't know how the topic came up, but at one point during the conversation we were having, my dad said, "Well, American TV is being invaded by the British actors more and more everyday." I turned and stared at my dad after he said this remark not because he had offended me, but because what he said was totally true. In the past few years, British actors have begun to gain more prominence in the American entertainment industry. This can be attributed to nothing more than the industry changing and idea of having foreign actors appealing so greatly to the American audience, even if they just come from the other side of the pond.

Now you can definitely count me as one of the biggest fans of British actors. In fact some of my favorite actors are from the UK and Australia. In my opinion their supremacy comes from a combination of hot accents, hot appearance, and just plain superior acting ability. Take for example Patrick Stewart. Some of us know him as Professor Xavier. Others know him as Captain Jean-Luc Picard. No matter who you know him as, you know that he is a phenomenal actor. He takes on each character fully devoting himself to the image he is portraying. Patrick Stewart is also someone who I think of as a classic actor. He is one of the actors people try to measure up to today, which is a hard feat to do. Patrick Stewart is also a person of British origins. Born in Yorkshire, England, Stewart was one of the first British actors to make the big move into American cinema.

Yet another example, and one of my favorites, would be Damian Lewis. Lewis played Major Richard D. Winters in Band of Brothers. He was did an amazing portrayal of an American soldier, in one of the most symbolic times of American history, while staying true to his nation of origin. Lewis was born in London and retained his heart melting accent throughout the taping of Band of Brothers. I did not even know he was British until I heard an interview he was giving on the red carpet.

There are also young and upcoming actors that fall into this category as well. One of my favorites would have to be Alex Pettyfer. He was the star of Beastly and I am Number Four. Pettyfer was also able to hide his accent extremely well in the movies he stared in. The second I heard his Irish accent come out in the interviews was the second my heart turned to mush for him. However, Pettyfer's performance in both movies he has stared in must also be commended. Like Stewart, Pettyfer commits wholeheartedly to the roles he is given. He makes you believe that he is the character from the books the movies are based on, the characters that you first fell in love with after reading about them. This takes on a deeper level of talent because for an actor to make you believe he is the character from a books means that he must understand and portray the obstacles the character faces with such realism that you believe it.

The last British actor that I will give props to is Hugh Laurie, better known as House. Now this Oxford native has the amazing talent of switching accents with the flip of a coin. It is awesome how he can talk in a totally British accent and then immediately switch to an American accent when someone says so. In his TV drama, Laurie's character, Dr. House, diagnoses and treats people with the oddest ailments you can imagine. He doesn't always save his patients, but he always figures out what's wrong. What I love about House is that the viewers get to follow how House deals with different personal issues that correlate to the health issues of his patients. Its an eerie parallel. The other thing I love about Dr. House is his sarcastic nature. No matter how bad the situation gets, House will still have a joke up his sleeve.

Now I could go on for years talking about amazing British actors, but I think everyone can get the picture. The Brits are here, and we might as well welcome them with open arms. I know all they would have to say to me is, "Hello" in that sweet British accent. I am also a fan of a few Aussie actors including Chris Hemsworth, Liam Hemsworth (brothers :)), Cate Blanchett, Eric Bana, Heath Ledger, Geoffrey Rush, and Hugh Jackman. Its just a fact that we all need to accept. The Aussies and Brits have become the center of American cinema. Yay!!