Some Of These Actors' Accents Are Laughable, While Others Had Me Convinced They Were Scottish

The Scottish accent is one that seems to allude even the best of actors. Here is a look at some of the good, the bad, and the straight up ugly. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

1. Willem Dafoe in Poor Things (2023)

Searchlight Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

The American actor delivered a pretty decent Scottish accent in his portrayal of Dr. Godwin Baxter in Poor Things. There has been some criticism of director Yorgos Lanthimos’ removal of the Glasgow setting, as the original book by Alistair Gray is indelibly linked to Glasgow, with Baxter’s home, the university, and many other locations in the novel named as spots in the city. Giving Dafoe’s Godwin a Scottish accent is a nod to the story’s original setting. And honestly, it’s not bad at all. It’s a melodious, sing-song accent which Dafoe said he based in part on recordings of Alistair Gray himself. It’s a fairly old-timey accent, and definitely sounds perfectly plausible as the voice of a respected yet eccentric scientist in Victorian Glasgow. 

Rating: 7/10

2. Paul Mescal in Aftersun (2022)

A24 / Courtesy Everett Collection

Again, it's not perfect, but Paul Mescal gives it a really good go. The Irish actor delivered a decent, though flawed in parts, version of the Edinburgh accent in the 2022 film Aftersun. It’s mostly pretty good, but his real accent does come through at times. The Edinburgh accent is more subtle than some other Scottish accents, and this can make it more difficult to pull off. Mescal also had to deal with the fact that he is onscreen opposite his young co-star who is an Edinburgh native. The comparison between the two does sometimes make Mescal’s accent less believable. However, this never distracts from his otherwise flawless performance in this beautiful film. 

Rating: 8/10

3. Jane Horrocks in Sunshine on Leith (2013)

Black Camel Pictures

A less good version of the Edinburgh accent this time...What can be said about Jane Horrock’s accent here? Well, it isn’t very good or very convincing. However, I do think she tried her best. The original stage play of The Proclaimers' jukebox musical was set entirely in Leith. In the film version, Leith has been mostly swapped for Edinburgh. However, much is filmed in what is recognizably Glasgow, which might not be noticed by international audiences but definitely is by locals! This musical is still a lot of fun despite these flaws. Shaky accent or not, the Lancashire-born Horrocks singing the title track to her sick husband is a deeply moving moment. 

Rating: 3/10

4. Lotte Verbeek in Outlander (2014–Present)

Ed Miller / © Starz / Courtesy: Everett Collection

As historical dramas go, Outlander is actually pretty accurate. It gives a fairly good account of mid-18th century Highlands and the broad beats of the Bonnie Prince Charlie story are correct. It has also been praised for its costume design. At least in the early seasons, it used a lot of the Gaelic language too. In Season 1 of the show Lotte Verbeek is introduced as Geillis Duncan, the red-haired purveyor of herbal remedies. While her accent is not perfect and is bit more west-coast than Highland, its really not at all bad and I was astonished to learn that the actress is Dutch! She gives a better performance than many native English speakers doing a Scottish accent! 

Rating: 6/10

5. Emma Thompson in Brave (2012)

©Walt Disney Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

When I first watched Pixar’s animated film set in an ancient Scottish Kingdom, I kept trying to work out who the Scottish actress playing Queen Eleanor was. She was clearly a very good actress, and sounded familiar. Who was she and what had I seen her in?! When the credits rolled, I learned it was actually Emma Thompson! The London-born actress does have a Glaswegian mother, which must have helped her to deliver one of the best Scottish accents on this list!

Rating: 10/10

6. Saoirse Ronan in Mary Queen of Scots (2018)

Liam Daniel. © Focus Features / Courtesy Everett Collection

I liked Saoirse’s performance as Mary. She showed the young queen to be a deeply human person, full of love, ambition, pride, and determination. The Irish actress gives a good go at the Scottish accent, and while not one of the best on this list, it isn’t bad at all. My only real issue with it is that in real life Mary didn’t have a Scottish accent. The ill-fated queen was raised in France and was known to speak with a noticeable French accent for the rest of her life. 

Rating: 6/10

7. Chris Pine in Outlaw King (2018)

David Eustance / © Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection

Four years before co-starring in the drama filled production of Don’t Worry Darling, Chris Pine and Florence Pugh worked together on this historical epic telling the story of King Robert the Bruce and the Scottish Wars of Independence. Despite being a better film, it doesn’t seem to have quite grabbed the public consciousness in the way that Braveheart did back in the 1990s. However, Hollywood star Pine is great at the battle scenes, stirring speeches, and honestly, for an American, his Scottish accent is not half-bad either. 

Rating: 6/10

8. Julie Walters in Wild Rose (2018)

Neon / Courtesy Everett Collection

I love Julie Walters. She is a truly a national treasure and has graced our screens in everything from low-budget comedies (Victoria Wood), to the blockbuster successes (Harry Potter and Mamma Mia!). The Birmingham-born star delivered a reasonable Geordie accent in Billy Elliot back in 2000, however, in 2018’s Glasgow-set drama Wild Rose about an aspiring country music star, her Scottish accent was terrible. I’m really sorry Julie, but it overshadowed the film for me and I find it hard to listen to. 

Rating: 2/10

9. Simon Pegg in Star Trek (2009)

Zade Rosenthal/©Paramount Pictures / courtesy Everett Collection

Scotty in the original Star Trek was played by Canadian actor James Doohan, who gave a spirited, if not very believable, impression. Englishman Simon Pegg gives a slightly better go it in the reboot Star Trek film franchise. Honestly, I don’t have much more to say about this one other than it was fine. 

Rating: 5/10

10. Mike Myers in Shrek (2001)

©Paramount Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

Okay, it isn’t very good, but I am going to give an honorary mention here to Shrek. Canadian actor Mike Myers might not perform the best Scottish accent on this list, but he does it with heart, and with layers. And they even have the Proclaimers on the soundtrack. What more can any of us can ask for?! 

Rating: 6/10

11. Christopher Eccleston in Shallow Grave (1994)

Gramercy Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

The Salford-born Christopher Eccleston delivers a quietly confident performance as uptight young accountant David in Danny Boyle’s Edinburgh-set debut, Shallow Grave. It’s not showy, but definitely convincing as an Edinburgh accent. This accent stays in place, even as the life and sanity of the character begins to unravel. 

Rating: 8/10

12. Jonny Lee Miller in Trainspotting (1996)

Miramax / Courtesy Everett Collection

Another Danny Boyle find here! I must have seen Trainspotting multiple times, and its 2017 follow-up Trainspotting 2, before I found out that Jonny Lee Miller is not Scottish! The English actor, who plays Sick Boy in both films, delivers a — in my opinion — pretty convincing impression of a working-class Edinburgh accent. I certainly never questioned whether or not he was really Scottish. Well done! 

Rating: 9/10

13. Maggie Smith in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969), and the Harry Potter series (2001–2010)

20th Century Fox Film Corp. Courtesy: Everett Collection.

And finally, here we have the crème de la crème of Scottish accents by non-Scots: Maggie Smith. Essex-born Smith delivers an absolutely flawless impression of a stern Edinburgh school mistress firstly in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, and then again as Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter series. The lauded thespian gives an absolute masterclass in accents. I still cannot totally believe she wasn’t born and raised in Morningside. During an appearance on The Graham Norton Show, Smith described her process of developing the accent, and how she based it on a real, middle-class, Edinburgh woman who declared that “as far as I am concerned, I don’t have an accent!" Smith’s masterful portrayal here is one of the reasons she is one of the best loved stars globally. 

Rating: 10/10