Changing accents?

[The Saucepan Man]

Originally Posted by Evisse the Blue

I did notice it with Sean Astin. He is trying so hard to speak with a British accent, but most of the times it comes out wrong, somehow forced. Elijah does a much better job of it.

As an Englishman myself, I thought that Sean did a better job than Elijah. Although Sean had the more difficult job, being as he was required to put on a "regional" English accent.

Originally Posted by Neferchoirwen

I thought that Sam used the Yorkshire accent after I read the books and seen the films.

Actually, it was more West Country than Yorkshire.

And while we're on accents, while I thought that Billy Boyd gave a great performance, I just can't get used to Pippin having a Scottish accent. Merry's West Country burr seems to me to be much more appropriate for a Hobbit. And it would make more sense if their accents were similar (although there is, I suppose, scope for regional variations within the Shire). Apparently Billy was orginally supposed to have the same accent as Merry but he couldn't maintain it with sufficient consistency, so they let him carry on with his natural accent.