CT Why almost all the SW villains were played by British actors?

I'm with Yak Face.

Sorry, Yanksfan that's a broad assumption and clearly it can't be accurate. The men wouldn't exist if it were.

 

I figured it had to do with a straightforward link in associating the Imperialism of the Star Wars Galaxy and the Imperialism of the real world, in which case Britain was the leading imperial power, creating an Empire on which "the sun never sets."

Whether the audience be American or from elsewhere, there are many places around the globe that have directly or indirectly been touched by British imperialism, and I figured it was natural to draw such historical inspiration in the same way that the Empire also has influences of Nazis, with words like "stormtrooper."

That and there's just a stereotype that such accents represent a more cultured civilization. As an American, I can say that watching films with British characters (regardless of whether they are antagonists or protagonists), that certain accents seem to just sound more elegant. I don't think the American accent does.

So Tarkin being through the Imperial academy and being from the Galactic core where the population is dense and where the Empire is its strongest, the accent (to me anyway) makes him sound very dignified. Same with hero characters like Obi-Wan. If they had cast an American as Obi-Wan and an Englishman as Luke, it wouldn't read the same to me IMO.

 

Because the Brits can pull of a deliciously evil voice. While there are plenty of antagonists in movies with American accents, they don't have that tint of 'I will take exceeding pleasure in watching you suffer while I drink tea' that the British accents can pull off. Seriously, read the quote I typed with both an American and a British accent, and you'll see why.

I don't know how to explain it, but the American accent really can't pull that off. :/ I guess that explains why it's often the hero with the American accent. It's more naïve, more youthful? I dunno.

Though I should note, James Earl Jones, the voice of Darth Vader is American. Though I suspect he must've had to do some practice to get his accent to be as British as possible, because it does sound British to my (not so well working) ears.

EDIT: I also think it has to do with the simple fact that that since we're dealing with rebels and an Empire, Lucas wanted to make an allusion to the American Revolution by having the main cast be from America and the villains be from the UK.

 

James Earl Jones deep voice pulls it off IMO.

 

Maybe it's just me, but Palpatine doesn't sound that British to me. Ian McDiarmid is a Scottish actor, but he clearly isn't speaking with a Scottish accent. I wouldn't say he speaks with an American accent as Palpatine, but to me, it doesn't really sound British either. He certainly speaks in a way that we associate with educated Brits. He speaks in distinguished, articulate style with strong enunciation, but FDR spoke with those qualities, but he certainly wasn't speaking in British English. (I'm not saying Palpatine sounds like FDR at all, just that he's distinguished, articulate...) It's hard for me to place his accent. Maybe it's sort of mix of British and American English, or a British person trying to sound more American. I don't know.

Actually, Seagoat, can you play Henry Higgins for me? Do you think Palpatine has a British accent? And If you think he does have one, would you be able to pinpoint what kind or part of England his accent can be found -- Queen's English, BBC English, Liverpudlian, etc.?

 

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Ha ha. I meant it was all men who worked in an official capacity. No doubt some of them had women at home. The key being *they were at home*. So you know, I get the sense it was a very old-school patriarchy, with little to no diversity. Which makes sense, since they're supposed to represent an oppressive government, and we're supposed to root for their downfall.

Now meanwhile, the Rebsls have numerous alien races, and there are indeed women (could be more, but still! They're there!)

 

Yep. And most of the supporting actors in AOTC and ROTS are from Australia/New Zealand, both of which were filmed at Fox Studios in Sydney.

 

Face it, dude, you're just another brick in the wall.

 

Faced it long ago!

 

Yeah it's just part of the break they get for shooting in London (using X number of local actors)

 

Speaking of accents, did Leia speak with a British accent first, then randomly dropped it to speak with an American accent? Or am I just hearing things. Probably.

Though I always did find it weird that most of the humans (and sometimes even the aliens) spoke with either an American or a British accent. You'd think Lucas would've included all the accents from around the world to make it more diverse? 'Cause as of now it sounds like only Britain and America went on to conquer space.

 

She did have an accent in ANH and dropped it with the next two films.

 

I personally love the Brits. But, yes, there are a lot of british=villainy in the SW Universe.

The exceptions, of course, are Obi-Wan, Leia's badly attempted accent in ANH, some leaders of the Rebellion, Threepio....

 

Personally, I can't picture an Imperial officer without a British accent. I also in movies I can't picture a Roman without an English accent too.

Weren't all the rebel officers British but Lucas had their lines redubbed with Americans?

 

Christopher Malcolm (RIP) was Scottish but I think he had an American accent in TESB.

 

I think it was Kershner who made a conscious effort to make Rebels=American and Imperials=Brits in ESB. I think he mentioned that in the commentary. And it was he who had the Brit accents dubbed over.

 

Lucas also once said his style of working with actors is more common "in Europe, especially Britain". It could be he just prefers working with them. Although this might be even more true for later movies of the series where the "good guys" were also becoming more and more non-Americans.

I remember Aunt Beru was redubbed with an Amercian actress, at least. So it's quite likely they wanted to - probably loosely - use accents to distinguish between "good guys" and "bad guys".

 

I remember somebody saying that it was a conscious choice, maybe it was Kersh. I'll have to check one of the Documentaries.

 

And Ewan McGregor was Scottish

 

British accents just scream super villain, at least in my life.

 

probably because they filmed a lot of the films in England

 

It's only noticable in her scene with Tarkin. I figured she was using the accent to mock him.

 

Answer? Because Brits can play astounding baddies in any decade.

 

It's a terrible stigma though, one they don't deserve just like we Americans are not all obnoxious buffoons even though they often portray us as such in their films. Stereotypes are lame.

 

It was pretty weird hearing my own (kiwi) accent coming back at me as I was watching the PT. The Fetts, and now by extension, the Clone troopers, all talk like me (or at least like Temuera Morrison). In TCW cartoon that accent is, as usual, portrayed as a mixture of Australian and cockney! Lol.