Actors' US popularity 'down to accents'. Stephen Fry has come out with an interesting idea that British actors might be getting undue praise for their talents simply due to their accent, suggesting that an English lilt could be fooling US critics.



The celebrated actor maintains that the success of British stars in the US could be down to their tone of voice rather than acting ability, arguing that the accent is often automatically seen as a mark of quality.

Not to suggest that the likes of Judi Dench and Helen Mirren are not fine actors in their own right, Fry questions the extent to which US critics are blinkered by the sound of an arched English accent.

"I mean, would they notice if Jeremy Irons or Judi Dench gave a bad performance?" he asked in an interview with Radio Times.

"Not that those two paragons ever would, but it's worth considering."

Fry's former comic partner Hugh Laurie recently won an accolade at the Golden Globe awards in January for his portrayal of a medical consultant in US drama House.

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