Talk the Talk
Here is James on his accent, his favorite words spoken as "an Englishman," and which accent he has in real life.
British or American?
Q: Does every interview with you begin with the words, 'I didn't know you weren't English?' James: "Oh, yeah. I'm a big faker, man. People in England actually think I'm English, which I think is very cool. I thought I'd be able to fool Americans but I didn't dream I could fool the English."
Q: How long did it take for you to master the English accent? It had a lot of people I know fooled for a very long time. James: "It's still not right. I get to practice my lines over and over for the show. Tony Head corrects me. He's saved me so many times - otherwise I'd be making a fool out of myself! He constantly gives me tips. There's always a few words I don't know. For instance, in the script the other day there was the word 'arse', and he was like 'James, we don't say arse, we say ass like the rest of the world.' He's very nice about it, but he probably doesn't want to be embarrassed by his cohorts back in England. In the beginning I came to him quite often, actually. There was a lot to learn in the beginning, but usually just nips and tucks."
Q: That accent of yours is pretty darn convincing. Are you sure you're American? James: I never get tired of fooling people. The acid test was when people in Britain thought I was British. But my accent has improved since I was first on the show. In the beginning, I had all the sounds right, but not the rhythm, which was too slow. I'm learning that the British flick off their sentences very quickly.
Well, Monty Python first of all growing up, and then theater school. But specifically I was lucky -- the accent that they wanted was supposed to be like the Sex Pistols, who are from north London. And I was lucky to be doing a play with a guy from north London at the time. So I cornered him and made him read the lines for me. He wanted to know what the audition was and I told him to go blow off."
Q: How did you become such a good faker?- Watching Monty Python as a kid -- seriously. And my training at Julliard. And Anthony Head has been really helpful. In real life, he sounds pretty much like Spike. The plummy accent he uses on the show is as fake as mine.
Q: Where did you learn you great British accent? by James - Monty Python as a kid. Plus stage training. I can do most of the accents that I might be hired for. Like Russian. Russian, Irish, French. I don't do Chinese accents. I was doing a production of the Tempest with a guy from North London. And Tony Head gives me pointers all the time.
Q: Was it hard to do a fake English accent doing a fake Midwestern accent when you were pretending to be Xander's friend in "Good-bye, Iowa"? James -:"Do you know who I went to? Tony Head has a great American accent. I said 'What would one of your friends sound like if he had a bad American accent?'. He said, 'I don't know. I suppose you would go crazy with the letter r.'"
Q: Are there any Brit words or phrases that you really enjoy? James - "Sodding git."
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