The British Commonwealth is exporting talent to Hollywood this season, although thanks to legions of dialect coaches, American television audiences may not necessarily know it.
Primetime this fall will be highlighted by a long list of imports — English, Australian and Scottish — fresh-faced and classically trained.
Alex O’Loughlin and Sophia Myles, an Australian and an Englishwoman, respectively, play a vampire and his love in “Moonlight,” coming this fall on CBS. Michelle Ryan of “EastEnders” is the title character in “Bionic Woman” on NBC. From Hugh Jackman, the Aussie lead of CBS’s musical drama “Viva Laughlin,” to Englishman Damian Lewis, a cop in NBC’s “Life,” to Lena Headey in the title role of Fox’s “The Sarah Connor Chronicles,” casting has favored the British empire.
“In England at the moment our government isn’t putting any money into the film business,” said Myles of “Moonlight.” “We don’t really have an industry in England anymore. And American television, especially in the last few years, it’s on a par, if not better than, I think, a lot of movies that are out there at the moment.
“As an actor, you have to travel where the work is. And so here I am.”
David Eick, executive producer of “Bionic Woman,” said he routinely uses a London-based casting director to fill pilots.
“Everyone is looking for people they haven’t seen,” Eick said. “And I also think — and Michelle knows this because we talk about it ad nauseam — the development of the accent has really kind of advanced over the last few years.
“I think that British performers have really nailed the craft of an American accent, and they are sounding effortlessly American,” he said. “And that took maybe a few years to kind of catch up with itself. And I think that’s made it easier for casting directors and producers to take that leap of faith.”
Obviously, Oxford-born Hugh Laurie of “House” is on to something. His fellow countrymen are crossing the pond in droves. (He didn’t find a dialect coach useful because of the pace of TV production. When Dr. House says, ‘encephalopathy,’ you don’t have time to reflect.)
While fans delight in the Scottish accent of late-night talker Craig Ferguson, most of the foreigners are required to play American-sounding characters in primetime. U.S. programmers still fear sounding like “Masterpiece Theatre” to average American ears.
Well-known Englishman Alan Cumming stars in “Tin Man,” (a “Wizard of Oz” allegory) coming to Sci Fi in December. Relative newcomer Anna Friel, the Irish-born star of ABC’s “Pushing Daisies,” could be a breakout star come fall.
Lewis (“Band of Brothers”) showed off his learned American accent in an interview, hitting hard R’s and flat vowels as he said, “I stay in my American accent when I’m surrounded by American people.”
He didn’t have a theory as to why the American TV scene is suddenly looking like a casting call at the BBC.
“Why are there a lot of Brits over here?” Lewis said. “Because you keep asking us. Thank you very much.”
Lewis believes the trend is being overplayed.
“I grew up and lived in a north European city (London) where it rains all year round, and it’s nice to be out here on the Pacific Ocean,” he said. “And it’s the center of the world’s film industry. I’ve fielded a few questions about the Brit invasion. I think it’s a nonstory, personally. It’s the center of the global film industry out here and you’ve had foreigners infiltrating, I’m afraid, ever since it started a hundred years ago.
“It’s where you can come and do very good work. It’s where the most talented people come, and it’s where they’re rewarded well for what they do.”
Producer David Nutter suggested that, because of HBO’s “Rome” and various BBC shows, international actors are “getting more notice” and finding more jobs on American TV.
The ultimate answer to why the U.S. networks this fall are overrun with Australian and UK actors came from Headey, a British actress born in Bermuda and most recently seen in the film “300.”
“Why? I dunno,” Headey said. “Cheap, maybe that’s it.”
TV critic Joanne Ostrow can be reached at 303-954-1830 or jostrow@denverpost.com.
