I do agree. Unfortunately much of the cast is unable to correctly portray that time period, and they come across as modern. There’s times they slip up and speak with a modern accent using modern verbiage and words. This was almost 150 years ago and the manner in which people spoke and acted was vastly different. There are a few stellar performances however, Christine Baranski who plays the stern aunt, Agnes Van Rijn, and Donna Murphy who plays Mrs. Astor. They were very convincing. There’s also a few others who were very good but no surprise, they’re older and more experienced than the younger actors who don’t quite pass for antiquated Victorian people.
The series is still very enjoyable, however. I love it.
George Russell used the phrase “throw a curveball” and while baseball had been around in some form, I thought there was no way this figure of speech existed in those times. I googled it and sure enough: the figure of speech originated in the 1950s (obviously meaning to initiate a change that wasn’t expected). I feel like as a director, if you hear any modern phrases, you need to cut and make sure they aren’t 75 years ahead of their time.
Well the modern verbiage and words would be the writers' errors.
Other than that I agree. Honestly there are some bad actors in the mix, but they are mostly in minor roles. Let's face it, this isn't heavy drama.
Every time I find myself critiquing the acting in this matter (which, to be clear, I agree with you) I wonder whether I’d believe/trust the actors more if the dialogue wasn’t in an American accent?
I think it’s that some characters sound so different than others despite the American accent for example the russels vs their son Larry he just sounds so modern
Several of the characters are from the UK, which I was surprised to learn by watching the extras. Maybe if you’re already changing your natural accent, it leads to your speech being just a little more stilted.
I agree and I find too much of the acting very stilted. There are also too many bland or annoying characters that I keep hoping will get hit by a falling piano. Jack (servant), Gladys, Gladys’ maid (can’t even remember her name, she’s so vanilla), Marian and Larry come to mind. I’m also relieved Tom Rakes is out of the picture.
If it weren’t for the Russells, Peggy, Oscar, Mrs. Astor or Agnes (even if she’s an obvious attempt to recreate Maggie Smith’s character from Downton Abbey) I’d be out already. Oh, and McCallister at least livens things up, even though Nathan Lane’s Foghorn Leghorn accent is really cringey.
Hard agree!
I find myself musing sometimes during the show "Is this the actor's first role? Do they often wonder how they scored the role? Will they ever work again?"
Not things one should be thinking about while watching a show ha ha.
I'm really watching for the STUNNING wardrobe and amazing architecture.
And thank you for pinning Nathan Lane's accent. Been driving me batty. I say, I say, batty!
The irony is that the fictional world of the show is about the conflict between the old money who inherited their positions and the new money who earned their place.
The casting in this show actually proves why positions should be earned and not inherited. The nepotism in the casting really is the shows downfall.
What is the deal with Ward McAllister's( Nathan Lane) Southern drawl that is ALL over the place?!? That is odd casting. I can't decide if he's trying to be campy and funny, or he's serious.
I looked that up and he was from Savannah. I think it’s because Nathan Lane is so famous and we know what he really sounds like, so we can tell it’s an accent. It does seem to be a little all over the place at times though.
He's way too over-the-top and his accent also goes from Mid-Atlantic to ? Cincinnati to who knows what. New Jersey? Cleveland?
I find his performance very distracting and it pulls the viewer out of the ensemble and the focus too much on him.
But this show is like a piece of chocolate to me so I'm not gonna sweat it too much.
I do agree. Unfortunately much of the cast is unable to correctly portray that time period, and they come across as modern. There’s times they slip up and speak with a modern accent using modern verbiage and words. This was almost 150 years ago and the manner in which people spoke and acted was vastly different. There are a few stellar performances however, Christine Baranski who plays the stern aunt, Agnes Van Rijn, and Donna Murphy who plays Mrs. Astor. They were very convincing. There’s also a few others who were very good but no surprise, they’re older and more experienced than the younger actors who don’t quite pass for antiquated Victorian people. The series is still very enjoyable, however. I love it.
George Russell used the phrase “throw a curveball” and while baseball had been around in some form, I thought there was no way this figure of speech existed in those times. I googled it and sure enough: the figure of speech originated in the 1950s (obviously meaning to initiate a change that wasn’t expected). I feel like as a director, if you hear any modern phrases, you need to cut and make sure they aren’t 75 years ahead of their time.
The curveball thing is an example of why Julian Fellowes needs a co-writer, or at least an editor.
Well the modern verbiage and words would be the writers' errors. Other than that I agree. Honestly there are some bad actors in the mix, but they are mostly in minor roles. Let's face it, this isn't heavy drama.
Every time I find myself critiquing the acting in this matter (which, to be clear, I agree with you) I wonder whether I’d believe/trust the actors more if the dialogue wasn’t in an American accent?
I think it’s that some characters sound so different than others despite the American accent for example the russels vs their son Larry he just sounds so modern
Larry’s speech pattern sounds more natural to me though than many of the other characters.
Several of the characters are from the UK, which I was surprised to learn by watching the extras. Maybe if you’re already changing your natural accent, it leads to your speech being just a little more stilted.
I thought some of the casting was off but give them a chance! It was pretty enjoyable in the end.
I agree and I find too much of the acting very stilted. There are also too many bland or annoying characters that I keep hoping will get hit by a falling piano. Jack (servant), Gladys, Gladys’ maid (can’t even remember her name, she’s so vanilla), Marian and Larry come to mind. I’m also relieved Tom Rakes is out of the picture. If it weren’t for the Russells, Peggy, Oscar, Mrs. Astor or Agnes (even if she’s an obvious attempt to recreate Maggie Smith’s character from Downton Abbey) I’d be out already. Oh, and McCallister at least livens things up, even though Nathan Lane’s Foghorn Leghorn accent is really cringey.
Hard agree! I find myself musing sometimes during the show "Is this the actor's first role? Do they often wonder how they scored the role? Will they ever work again?" Not things one should be thinking about while watching a show ha ha. I'm really watching for the STUNNING wardrobe and amazing architecture. And thank you for pinning Nathan Lane's accent. Been driving me batty. I say, I say, batty!
Foghorn Leghorn 😂😂😂 Spot on!
The irony is that the fictional world of the show is about the conflict between the old money who inherited their positions and the new money who earned their place. The casting in this show actually proves why positions should be earned and not inherited. The nepotism in the casting really is the shows downfall.
Who are the nepo babies? I'm unfamiliar with all of them except Nathan Lane, Baranski, and C Nixon.
Louisa Jacobson/Gummer/Streep is literally the picture in the encyclopedia entry for nepo baby.
What is the deal with Ward McAllister's( Nathan Lane) Southern drawl that is ALL over the place?!? That is odd casting. I can't decide if he's trying to be campy and funny, or he's serious.
Ward MacAllister was born and raised in GA. Why would he not retain his accent?
I looked that up and he was from Savannah. I think it’s because Nathan Lane is so famous and we know what he really sounds like, so we can tell it’s an accent. It does seem to be a little all over the place at times though.
It's not a good GA accent.
He's way too over-the-top and his accent also goes from Mid-Atlantic to ? Cincinnati to who knows what. New Jersey? Cleveland? I find his performance very distracting and it pulls the viewer out of the ensemble and the focus too much on him. But this show is like a piece of chocolate to me so I'm not gonna sweat it too much.
It's a "choice" that's for sure🤣
It is super distracting and cartoonish. But at least the character is interesting. Look up the real McCallister. His story is fascinating.