Michael Sheen - only welsh actors should play welsh characters

[smoker]

A classic case being The Likely Lads where Terry was Sunderland born but Bob was from Bingley ??

Brigit Forsyth (Thelma) is from Edinburgh.

Did they ever say it was supposed to be the North-East in the 1960's series? I thought it was deliberately left vague.

 

[PeteFTM]

Method acting might bring a different factor into it.

But Sheen's Welsh point seems to be more around actors who aren't from a working class background playing Welsh characters rather than it simply being not Welsh. Probably similar to how in a lot of films and tv the 'lower class' characters are usually played by middle class kids.

I don’t think he has a point.

A good actor will be convincing, maybe his problem is with sub-standard acting.

 

[PJH]

I don’t think he has a point.

A good actor will be convincing, maybe his problem is with sub-standard acting.

It all seems to be offshoots from comments by Russel T Davies saying only gay actors should play gay characters.

I'm probably in agreement with you, more just on the thread to clear up what Sheen is actually saying since the OP has just set the thread off on the wrong foot.

 

[Chatty83]

I'd rather the films/shows be good and the actors have shite accents than have everyone play themselves in absolute shit shows.

 

[HorsePills]

It's almost like actors forget they're just pretending for a living.

 

[Kenna]

He aint like, sounds scouse in every thing he has ever done

He has some great American ones, currently watching him in Boardwalk Empire, if I didn't know better I'd not realise he has a broad scouse accent.

 

[lurker]

It’s shite hearing a half arsed generic North-East accent on telly when there are actual North-East actors who could do the work.

Michael Sheen did a pretty good Brian clough mind you.

Maybe we should have all petitioned to have Jimmy nail or Roy chubby brown play him.

 

[journeyman]

After recently watching steeltown murders and listening to Philip glenister play a leading welsh role I thought the same, could also add Brenda blethryn please don’t try being a geordie as your accent is shite

 

[citybythesea]

Haha,

They’re acting!

Does it actually matter who plays who?

It’s shite hearing a half arsed generic North-East accent on telly when there are actual North-East actors who could do the work.

People in media have became “professional geordies”

You hear this fake accent on radio advertising

Must use Ant and dec’s made-for-telly dialect as a reference point for the fake north eastern accent

 

[HellsBells]

To give the full context, here's the Independent's interview about this including his quotes:

Michael Sheen says he finds it ‘hard to accept’ non-Welsh actors playing Welsh roles

Thank you for adding the context here. He actually doesn’t say only Welsh actors Should play welsh people does he. In fact I think he’s saying the exact opposite.



“Again, it’s not particularly a point of principle, but personally, I haven’t seen many actors who have come from quite privileged backgrounds being particularly compelling as people from working-class backgrounds,” Sheen continued.

“If you haven’t experienced something, you know, the extreme example is, well, if you haven’t murdered someone, can you play a murderer?”

 

[Napoleon Dynamite]

Who the fuck would want to pretend to be Welsh

Awful accent

 

[Iballistic George]

Yes, he's basically saying that it's probably better if Welsh characters were played by Welsh actors but saying it in the context of starring in an upcoming drama about a disabled young woman (with the question being about whether the disabled should be played by disabled people. It's worth noting that Michael Sheen does not play the young disabled woman, he plays her dad.

So taking it to the letter then surely it should be someone who has a disabled daughter playing the part. This sort of shite has gone too far. It's called acting for a reason. Not having a pop at you but the hypocrisy of it all.

 

[Bamber]

Thread 'The thief, the wife and his canoe'
The thief, the wife and his canoe

This thread here probably sums up what Sheen was saying….

 

[JL1985]

Gave a great motivational speech to the Welsh team only to get pumped by England 3 hours later.

 

[ClassicDom]

You mean someone has read a headline to get angry about something without bothering to read what he actually said?

How very unsurprising.

 

[jedi_toaster]

Hugh Laurie’s accent in House was so believable that the director didn’t realise he was English for the first series.

It’s about good actors vs bad ones really. Accents are difficult as there’s even nuance in the same city (Suddick vs East Herrington for example), so if someone is portraying an accent you’re totally familiar with it’s gonna jar at some point.

It’s all just playing anyway. Don’t get so het up.

 

[PinzaC55]

Sounds like he has the onset of dementia.

 

[Pete]

I thought it was acting

Yup, by that logic only murderers should play murderers and cops play cops

 

[OOOSH YEAH]

Hugh Laurie’s accent in House was so believable that the director didn’t realise he was English for the first series.

It’s about good actors vs bad ones really. Accents are difficult as there’s even nuance in the same city (Suddick vs East Herrington for example), so if someone is portraying an accent you’re totally familiar with it’s gonna jar at some point.

It’s all just playing anyway. Don’t get so het up.

The director had cast, spoken to off camera and never even heard of Hugh Laurie before?

aye right.

Also MS isn’t getting het up.

 

[jedi_toaster]

The director had casted, spoken to of camera and never even heard of Hugh Laurie before?

aye right.

Also MS isn’t getting het up.

He auditioned in character and stayed in character.

I wasn’t saying he was. I was saying people get het up when it’s their regional accent that is being done badly, as witnessed on this thread.