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Appearance differences between British actors and American actors?

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jerry113

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After delving into some BBC comedies and dramas recently (the it crowd, doctor who, sherlock, luther, wallander, eastenders, skins) I've come to notice that it seems that British channels employ actors who look more "normal" than many American channels (think CW as the epitome) who like to display model-esque looking actors with perfectly manicured features.

Is this a real thing - do UK casting directors put more emphasis on acting ability and less on appearance - or am I just crazy?
 
Probably, but there's also the fact that UK and US populations actually have a very distinct "look" to them. I can tell whether someone's British or American based purely on looks. It's right more often than not, dunno why.
 
I wouldn't want to guess as to the reasons, but I'd say there's definitely a long history of unusual-looking personalities in British pop-culture.

I'd say quirky people (both in terms of looks and personality) are more generally popular with the Brits than they would be in the US.
 
I didn't notice. But these things are probably there and are cultural. Like what is perceived as ( cool, attractive, normal, presentable, TV world, etc.) and what is aimed for. The two cultures are different. In fact, very different I would add.

P.S. I keep getting surprised by American actors in interviews and at awards that turn out to be British. They nail the US accent (as well as Aussies/Kiwis).

Bleepey said:
It's the shitty teeth innit?
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Fun fact: Brits have the best teeth in the world- thanks in part to their health system. I learned that from QI.
 
3487683-7898180002-t17.j.jpg
 
It is true if you compare American mainstream TV like CW to British TV but something more ambitious like HBO or AMC dramas will sometimes go for real over model looks.

Sopranos, Breaking Bad, to some degree Mad Men, are a few examples.
 
I think each area has slightly different concepts of masculinity and it's represented in male actors on TV. Here in the US we still have plenty who idolize the whole physical strength thing. UK seems to value more wit and charm in their men, so a lot of actors aren't as bulky and typically better dressed and rely on their charisma. Just my cursory observation though, I very well could be completely incorrect.
 
NoblesseOblige said:
I think each area has slightly different concepts of masculinity and it's represented in male actors on TV. Here in the US we still have plenty who idolize the whole physical strength thing. UK seems to value more wit and charm in their men, so a lot of actors aren't as bulky and more well dressed and rely on their charisma. Just my cursory observation though, I very well could be completely incorrect.
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I agree with that. In fact, is there any other English speaking culture that 'worships' muscled guies and over-sized boobed women (as the US does in overall popculture shows, commercials and music)? I think British TV is more mature.
 
Dennis said:
It is true if you compare American mainstream TV like CW to British TV but something more ambitious like HBO or AMC dramas will sometimes go for real over model looks.

Sopranos, Breaking Bad, to some degree Mad Men, are a few examples.
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Yeah BBC and CW aren't comparable in my book. CW is aimed at teens and younger adults. BBC is more comparable to HBO, Showtime, and those type of cable companies.
 
It's not just you; I've felt the same way. I think the CW is an extreme case though.

NoblesseOblige said:
I think each area has slightly different concepts of masculinity and it's represented in male actors on TV. Here in the US we still have plenty who idolize the whole physical strength thing. UK seems to value more wit and charm in their men, so a lot of actors aren't as bulky and typically better dressed and rely on their charisma. Just my cursory observation though, I very well could be completely incorrect.
Click to expand...

RiverBed said:
I agree with that. In fact, is there any other English speaking culture that 'worships' muscled guies and over-sized boobed women (as the US does in overall popculture shows, commercials and music)? I think British TV is more mature.
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These are fascinating points which ring true for me as well.

I've also noticed that British media seem to be less ... self-conscious? ... about race than American media. (For instance, often times it seems as if American crews will only cast minorities if the script specifically calls for it, whereas British crews have no such qualms. John Boyega's character in TFA is one notable exception to this "rule.") I suspect this is because race has been a much more significant fault line in American society. Of course, that's all just my perception (==I have no data to support this), and maybe my yankee eyes/ears are not "tuned into" the methods British writers and directors use to address race.
 
I definitely think American TV uses better looking actors on average than British TV. So much so that when recently when I watched an episode of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend I was stunned at how average looking the actors were compared to most actors on American TV.
 
Langdon Alger said:
I definitely think American TV uses better looking actors on average than British TV. So much so that when recently when I watched an episode of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend I was stunned at how average looking the actors were compared to most actors on American TV.
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This kills my suspension of disbelief in movies and TV all the time. Everyone on TV looks like a model. I mean, I get it, but it's dumb.
 
I think this says more about which American and British shows you watch rather than some overriding difference in looks and talent between the two countries.
 
RiverBed said:
I agree with that. In fact, is there any other English speaking culture that 'worships' muscled guies and over-sized boobed women (as the US does in overall popculture shows, commercials and music)? I think British TV is more mature.
Click to expand...

I think England is actually more giant boob-crazy than the US.
 
RiverBed said:
Fun fact: Brits have the best teeth in the world- thanks in part to their health system. I learned that from QI.
Click to expand...
Healthy != good-looking

Even Christian Bake had to get his teeth redone in order to do American Psycho. And his bottom teeth were still all jacked up.
 
Everyone compared to CW look weird =P

When Constantine came to Arrow it looked like one of those crossovers where the diferent art styles are maintained

NBU5RAL.jpg


Marvel people are CW, Phineas and Ferb are everyone else
 
Dennis said:
It is true if you compare American mainstream TV like CW to British TV but something more ambitious like HBO or AMC dramas will sometimes go for real over model looks.

Sopranos, Breaking Bad, to some degree Mad Men, are a few examples.
Click to expand...

CW ain't really mainstream though, it's a specific niche targeting young people by specifically having super attractive people on it.

Look at CBS shows for the true mainstream, there are plenty of regular looking people there.

Not that I disagree that there is a larger percentage of attractive people in US media, but in TV specifically the gap is smaller than in film. To star in a major hollywood blockbuster you pretty much have to meet a certain standard. I should note that this is also true for British media once it reaches a certain scale, think James Bond. Could you imagine an ugly Bond or ugly Bond Girls being cast? Not really, the stakes are too high when dealing with hundreds of millions of dollars.

Basically I don't think it is a deep cultural difference(outside of niches like the CW), it is just the pressure of dealing with larger stakes leading people to make safer conservative choices.
 
News Bot said:
Probably, but there's also the fact that UK and US populations actually have a very distinct "look" to them. I can tell whether someone's British or American based purely on looks. It's right more often than not, dunno why.
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Is that why they keep casting Brits as American superheroes?
 
Drazgul said:
Whenever I see this picture (specifically, not Cumberbatch in general), this starts playing in my head.
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Somehow I knew what this was gonna be before I even clicked on it.

I don't know. It's now really something I notice that much tbh. Maybe actors in British shows look more like "everyday people" but it never really sticks out to me.
 
American actors, or people, are usually instantly recognizable to me, so, I believe for some people it's the other way around
 
You can find tons of good pictures of Cumberbatch. He's not conventionally good looking, but he's not Matt Smith either.
 
I keep looking at that picture of Cumberbatch to decide if he looks like a normal human or not. Sometimes he looks normal, but sometimes his face looks like it was stretched with photoshop.
 
Currygan said:
American actors, or people, are usually instantly recognizable to me, so, I believe for some people it's the other way around
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IDK I think once you've been around a group of people long enough you can pick them out. I can spot German or Spanish families out of a crowd of hundreds when I walk around Hollywood. I can pick up when someone is a Brit too.


Sometimes you get dudes like Henry Cavill though.
 
On the other hand, you also have stuff like Breaking Bad, The Shield, and Steve Buscemi in everything he's ever been in.

But yeah, overall america skews hello handsome
 
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