Hollywood loves accents. Sometimes not even with good reason. Accents can add personality to the character, but if done poorly can be annoying and hamper the entire viewing experience. Here are 15 movie accents so bad, that they still make me cringe to this day.
1. Gabourey Sidibe, Tower Heist (2011)
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Originally, the director was going for a Jamaican accent, but all that we got was a really bad Caribbean/Irish accent.
2. Steven Seagal, Out for Justice (1991)
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Originally meant to be an Italian accent, we ended up getting a half-Italian half-New Jersey accent. Even this fake accent was dropped numerous times throughout the movie.
3. Cameron Diaz, Gangs of New York (2002)
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What this was meant to be was an Irish accent, but what we ended up with is a part-Irish, part-American accent that was practically impossible to listen to.
4. Laurence Olivier, The Jazz Singer (1980)
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Olivier played Neil Diamond's Jewish father in the movie. His German accent was so exaggerated that it was hard to make out the dialogues.
5. Sean Connery, Highlander (1986)
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The Scottish actor's Spanish accent in the movie was very forced and has drawn sharp criticism from critics.
6. Mickey Rooney, Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
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Mickey Rooney's portrayal of the Japanese landlord, Mr. Yunioshi, in the film has been the topic of extensive criticism for his racist and offensive characterization of the Japanese.
7. Dick Van Dyke, Mary Poppins (1964)
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In 2017, a Babbel poll ranked Van Dyke's British accent in the movie as "the worst British accent by an American in the history of cinema."
8. Anne Hathaway, One Day (2011)
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Commenting on Hathaway's Yorkshire accent in the movie, Huff Post wrote, "I was so distracted, wondering what version of the mother tongue she was going to attempt next — veering from wartime-BBC to proper 'Eeee by gum' clangers — I actually forgot to cry, which was a shame, as it's a corker of a tale, and Edinburgh and London both look lovely."
9. Leonardo DiCaprio, Blood Diamond (2006)
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In a tweet, comedian Trevor Noah commenting about Leo's accent said, "Tiffany is moving toward ethical diamond sourcing, but nothing will erase the horror of Leo DiCaprio's accent in Blood Diamond'"
10. James Van Der Beek, Varsity Blues (1999)
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According to IMDb, Van Der Beek's and the rest of the cast's Texas accents were so bad, that they won the "Worst Fake Accent" award at that year's Stinkers Bad Movies Awards.
11. Harrison Ford, K-19: The Widowmaker (2002)
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In the movie, Ford plays the role of a Soviet military officer. The uniform of the officer suits Ford pretty well, the Russian accent, not so much.
12. Angelina Jolie, Alexander (2004)
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"Jolie's portrayal of Olympias as a smacked-up cross between Morticia Adams and Medusa, eyes goggling as snakes writhe around her," said BBC commenting on Jolie's performance. Jolie's and her costar Rosario Dawson's accents were so off the mark, that according to IMBd, they earned a joint Worst Fake Accent: Female award at the 2004 Stinkers Bad Movies Awards.
13. Jodie Foster, Elysium (2013)
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Critics are confused about the accent Foster was going for in the movie but they agree that it was horrible. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian wrote, "She has a meanie Brit accent but switches haughtily to French for addressing murmured endearments to her husband and children."
14. Kevin Costner, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)
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Costner's English accent in the movie was unpolished and on and off in the movie.
15. Brad Pitt, The Devil's Own (1997)
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Brad Pitt's Irish accent in the movie is very off and all over the place. But his pretty face was a good distraction.