'True Blood' Accents: True to Form or Bloody Bad?
Admit it: You think True Blood is as addictive as a drop of "V." You've stayed at home most every Sunday and you're upset about
the Alexander Skarsgard/Evan Rachel Wood rumors (though you have never said or written the word "ASkars"). But there's still one little problem: certain actors make you cringe. Not sassy Nelsan Ellis (Lafayette), of course. And certainly not William "and my other brother Darryl" Sanderson (Sheriff Dearborn), though he had more to do on 'Deadwood.' New Orleans native Sam Trammell (Sam Merlotte) speaks in his own accent well enough, even if he might be one of those actors who won't answer if his character does not have the same name as him.
No, the problem starts with Bill and ends with Sookie.
Hear Audio Proof After the Jump.
Now, one could make the case that Stephen Moyer and Anna Paquin are simply giving the performance that creator Alan Ball desires. Charmless monotone? Incredulous Louisiana accents? Under-emoting in a death battle with over-emoting? All part of the show's comic booky, melodramatic, R-rated soap opera charm.
Besides, there is a simpler explanation: it's because they're foreigners. And Meryl Streep they're not.
Nearly every foreign actor on TV, from Hugh Laurie to Anna Torv, talks American in something much like the "Mel Gibson voice" - flattened, cool and clenched, like they are biting on a tongue depressor, or perhaps in need of some Immodium. What, you thought Stephen Moyer was so pale and wooden 'cause he plays a creature of the night? He's straining so hard to hide his British accent he's got nothing left to give to the performance!
The Swedish Skarsgard, who comes from solid thespic stock, fares a whole lot better, especially since flatness really is meant to be part of the vampire speech pattern, while New Zealander Paquin and Australian Ryan Kwanten (Jason Stackhouse) get to hide behind their outsized drawls, Kwanten with the most success. In fact, he just might give the best performance on the show, and I don't mean with his pecs - his Jason is the male equivalent of Anna Faris's work in
The House Bunny.
So, as you prepare for Sunday's Season Two finale, watch these clips of the four
True Blood actors talking in their actual voices, and perhaps you'll feel like cutting them some slack. Or not.
Hear Their 'Blood' Accents Compared to Their Pre-'Blood' Talk
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finally someone who can explain why the acting is so terrible on that show! well.. except for 'Jason'. that boy is AMAZING! lol. but yes... for the sake of a better show, Sookie needs to leave her shirt on, Bill can be written out after his coupe with the Queen is revealed already and please god! someone do SOMETHING with that Tara girl. then the show would be watchable and not just an hour long cringe worthy joke.
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I love True Blood and the show is just amazing. The actors can act. Anna Paquin doesn't need to leave her shirt on that's why its HBO and not to sound lesbo here but she's very beautiful. Bill Compton, Ryan Kwanten, and Alex Skarsgard are just so SEXY. I did like it when they had Godric on. I actually cried when he commited himself to the sun. Michelle Forbes is just great as Mary-Anne. I can't wait to see what happens with Eric/Sookie its getting interesting and I can't wait for Season 3. BRING ON THE BLOOD!
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I completely agree!!!
Well said. I agree. I love this show. I was sad to see Godric go.
I love the show. Most Americans have no proper language skills and we have no room to knock them. I love the show and if people can't find anything better than knocking a successful show where the actors are paid well to be in our country instead of their own while they intertain us then let them watch stupid reality tv so they are with other people without taste! AOL needs to put something up there to read so pick on successful shows. Die reality TV.
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** Most Americans have no proper language skills and we have no room to knock them...intertain **
Case in point!
Well said. True Blood is a fantastic show, all the actors are amazingly talented not to mention so sexy. Give us more Blood!
the show's great !
it's heightened reality people !
I've been all over the east coast, and as a yankee living in the south, I have definitely noticed that accents are all subtly different...
to mysublimeruin- you're crazy buddy. :) I don't care what happens in the book. the program producers know, I'm sure, that this is Bill & Sookie's show !
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Bill is supposed to sound different...he is 170 year old Civil War veteran...he speaks in an old world, old fashioned southern voice.... they all have voice coaches, and there is a different dialect depending on what are of the south you live in.
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Apparently viewers could care less about "accent" authenticity; episode ratings prove that.
I find it hilarious that people who have read the book first seem to hate the show the most. You are not the target audience. The numbers show that "bookies" only make up 5% of the viewer ratings. So change the channel and wait for the next Charlaine Harris book to hit the shelves. Which would NOT being doing as well as they are on the NY Times best seller list without True Blood.
Write off Bill? What would we have to entertain us? Jason riding around in his big ol' truck.
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Write off Bill?
Harris did - mostly. And what did she fill it with?
Eric for one. And the were-tiger, Quinn.
Not to mention the werewolves, the were-panthers of Hot Shot, the fairies (Claude and Claudine), Bubba (the vampire from Memphis), and the Kings and Queens of the other states. In other words, the characters Alan Ball has written out or not gotten to yet.
Bill is a minor character in the rest of the books. Harris says she would have killed him off already had it not been for fan -- fans of the books, mind you -- appeals for him to "live".
Remember, there were seven books out before the show came out. That's pretty damned popular. There have been only two new books released post-tv. Maybe there are more sales now because of the series, but fans of the tv series are going to be disappointed in the books.
And vice versa. Ball has combined elements from books two and three, changing vital items (Lafayette), and altering the time line from the book series. I miss Bubba the most.
Oh well. We'll see. The third season is nearly a year away.
you know you are wrong. I have read all the books and I LOVE the series. Love the books and love the series. Some of us readers happen to understand that movie/tv versions are gonna be different. The books sold just fine before HBO brought out TB and it will do fine after TB is gone..and here is hoping that TB lasts as many seasons as the book series has books! Love Eric, Love Jason and Love Lafayette!
Since I'm from Louisiana and live about 30 minutes from where this fictional town is supposed to be, I can tell you the accepts are SOOOO bad. The only one who does a half way passable one is the actor who plays Jason.
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I, also, am from Louisiana, and couldn't agree with you more in regards to their accents!! Don't get me wrong, I love the show, but if you're going to make demographics an essential part of the show, then please make sure your actors are able to speak in the accent of the region and hired role. Don't they make millions for this...IDK...something about it being their JOB!!!!!
True Blood is the best show on tv ,If you don't think so your just a fang banger.
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o i love this show. i couldn't wait until the 2nd season came on and now i can't wait for season 3 i wished it only went off for like a month. lol i love each and every character the way the are. but i don't like the way they have sookie and eric linked i don't like that but o well bring it on i am ready for sunday and next season. ps im ready for mary ann to carry her a$$ ;o
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True Blood has become one of my favourite shows, which is a rather amazing feat. I generally dislike the vampire fad (especially Twilight), but something about True Blood just captured my attention. I've only gotten through season 1 so far, and I am anxiously awaiting being able to rent the season 2 DVDs.
The accents aren't THAT horrible. They don't really sound like Louisiana accents, granted, but most of them do pretty passable "general" southern accents. Sookie's accent sounds more like one from Georgia or Alabama, in my opinion.
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Don't forget that Bill's accent should actually reflect the accents from the Civil War period, which we can't actually compare. Therefore, his accent is just fine.
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If you don't like the show... I want to do real bad things with you!!!
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I love True Blood but have to agree. Sookie's accent is over the top and Bill sounds like he's constipated all the time. Jason and Eric are great and so easy on the eyes, but my fave character is Lafayette. He's awesome!
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