HBO Rome - The Shocking SECRET

[@Quadratic77]

hehe I love the way she says "All the time!"

[@Concatenate]

I totally had a thing for her during the show, then I heard her talk in her real voice and it sent me over the edge. Can't get her out of my mind! Good luck with everything Kerry. :-)

[@Viorica8957]

The character I'm pretty sure you're talking about is very much with us (well, as much as they can be for someone who "lived" during Caesar's rule) The series creator's said that this character would feature in a movie version of the series, if one was ever made.

[@homoproteus]

Another possible explanation (I'm just speculating here) might be the contact between Brits and French in the early American colonies, where the powerplay was balanced towards the Brits, forcing the French to speak English with their accent, if they integrated into British settlements. Certainly elements of the New York/New Jersey accent sees certain Irish vowels cropping up.

[@piro6220]

it is around 70 years post Actium that claudius becomes emperor and it would be a good laught to see Claudius proclaim emperor after being found by the praetorian guard according to suetonius. yes the series does end in the right place, i remember the boredom my augustus modual during the end of this period where nothing amazing happens for about ten years.

[@mendelsohn88]

Anyone lucky enough to see Kerry Condon in the play Lieutenant of Inishmore, heard her natural Irish voice. She's very talented.

[@homoproteus]

R.P. (Received Pronunciation) could even be considered a British Commonewealth thing. I've often heard even S. Africans, but also New Zealanders boast of speaking with "Queen's English" (i.e. R.P.). In the theatre, it is regarded as transcending place (because it has no locality in the British Isles) and is regarded as an ideal, neutral pronunciation of English. R.P. even changes through time. (1930s R.P has some very different vowel pronunciations.)

[@funkyfru]

She doesn't have the most flattering Irish accent, does she? I was shocked when I first heard her talk in an interview.

[@zoznack]

No, N. Americans don't tend toward a "Mid-Atlantic" or Bostonian accent. Some of that stuff still goes through the private high schools, but in the USA a "refined" accent as a hallmark of "class" is not as "valued" as it is in the UK. We don't have such a stratified class system, although, ironically, distribution of income is becoming more and more inequitable. You'll find that even American billionaires speak in the heavy regional dialects of their childhood, and do so quite proudly.

[@timiexperience]

You should hear her voice in Unleashed/Danny the Dog! An amazing American accent.

[@RODERICKMOLASAR]

And all this time I thought the "terrible secret" was Caesar's epilepsy. Go Figure.

[@homoproteus]

But you're right, the US accent is very distinct from any British regional accent of today, and is far more nasal than any of them. (Although the Australian accent is quite nasal.) America though is the earliest of British colonies, and it is supposed that whereas British accents have developed since the colonisation of America (perhaps moving more to the throat than the nose), and that the US accent is a relic. The Quebecoise accent is similarly a relic accent that died out in France.

[@piro6220]

i claudius happened 70 after the battle of Actium and in the augustan period it is the only major drama is the question of augustus' successor.

[@zoznack]

I know there are regional variations of the British accent-as there are for an American accent. For example, you have the practically indeciperable Yorkshire accent ( still a "British" accent), and we have the even more indecipherable Georgia accent (an American Southern accent). And BBC newsreaders speak in a neutral Brit accent or "BBC English" while American newsreaders speak in an accent that lacks regional characteristics. I suppose it's all semantics at this point, though...

[@MsGunsBaby]

0:58 which episode is it?

[@rsnvodka]

yeah, i love the way she says pleasure,lol!!!

[@papasitoman]

PCoderch, First of all I am a professor and I have no idea where you got that idea from; Rome was an EMPIRE that stretched from Africa, part of what is now on the Asia/Eastern Europe border to Northern Europe. There was no "race". Yes the central well-known political leaders were mostly from Italy and surrounding areas but after so many years a "roman" was unmistakable from anyone else.

[@novomitra]

es necesario considerar q el formato e el q fue grabada la serie es distinto del usado para el detrás de camaras

[@zoznack]

It probably is relatively recent. I think the notion of an "upper crust" accent-and the desire to acquire one-pretty much disappeared with the end of WW II and the entry of millions of military veterans into college via the G.I. Bill. The middle class took off and making money-not SOUNDING like you had money-became the #1 priority for the nation. I know many "yuppies", but no one I know thinks consciously about "flattening out" their regional accent. But sometimes it just happens.

[@epdug]

Yea thats cuz shes Irish, like me!, check her out on IMDB, shes from Tipperary.

[@adipophiliac]

Surely that's a relatively recent thing though! I bet before the 1950s, there will have been, at least amid the aspiring middle classes, a desire to seem more refined as someone's financial status increased. I also bet there will have been trends among "yuppies" towards that up as far as the 1980s/90s if it doesn't continue today!. There are always some who aspire to refine their speech. In the UK at the moment, privately educated kids try to swap the R.P. they were raised with for "Mockney."

[@burth179]

Strangespeare, I am not so sure the "pivotal character" you refer to is necessarily "not with us". If we are both talking about who I think we are talking about that is. I have watched season 2 episodes mutliple times and am still not 100% sure.

[@iMPERIALSUPPORT]

you guys dindnt know she was Irish. he lastname is condon super Irsh

[@homoproteus]

LOL yes, it doesn't seem to cross the Atlantic. North Americans have their own standards, but even they tend towards a Mid-Atlantic or Bostonian accent for a touch of class. Thinking about it though, I've definitely heard Indians talk of "Queen's English," (older ones) or actually aim towards an R.P. pronunciation, to rid themselves of their regional accent, and to elevate their status. R.P. tends to be a cure-all to get rid of a regional accent (which is particularly useful in the theatre).

[@homoproteus]

Well, America isn't part of the British Commonwealth of Nations, although Canada is, basically the Commonwealth nations always kept in close connection to British society, especially the more mobile, wealthy classes. There are some theories that the US accent is one preserved from a blend of accents of the original settlers. The Australian accent has distinct vowel patterns tying it to Cockney and Irish accents. (Which might indicate the make up of the original population sent out there.)

[@britbme]

shes the girl in danny the dog with jet li

[@piro6220]

it would be great if they continued Rome but after Actium nothing exciting other than in a historical point of view really happen other than Octavian (Now Augustus) slowly over time becoming Emperor. to make good TV than would have to do a different period of Roman History

[@lou4brew]

sorry PC, but some romans DID have red hair (Atia didn't though) Famous men with reddish hair (around this time period): marcus crassus and Sulla

[@norb1937]

Rome is a great series. It makes history interesting.Too bad its not on regular tv which has many stinko reality shows. Rome is ancient reality.

[@AxelQC]

So, she's Irish. Do you really think Romans sounded like Derek Jacobi?

[@dashiznickus]

Dr. House from HOUSE is English.

[@MultiTata80]

atia, che donna!!

[@mushroom2you]

a sexy irish bird....ooooh lovey

[@Turambar88]

I think her real accent makes her even sexier.

[@thebirdisblue]

And the guy that plays verenus is scottish...whats your beef?

[@bazzatheblue]

Aren`t present day Italians not related to the ancient Romans?I read that a lot of them are descendents of the invaders who came later,lombards,goths,huns.

[@TaienQuinn]

That's not strictly speaking "british" it's Recieved Pronunciation a form of dialect designed so that all speakers of English could understand it and you'd be hard pressed to find an English actor who doesn't at least attempt Irish.

[@TaienQuinn]

Okay it is a British thing I guess but the accents across the British Isles are incredibly varied (as they are in any country I guess) The differences between a Birmingham accent and a Manchester accent or a London Accent are HUGE! The RP dialect is a massive stereotype and actually it's kind of irritating when you hear dodgy American attempts at trying to sound "British" on TV. Hers is good though I wouldn't have guessed she was Irish If I hadn't known.

[@Johnak4715anos]

It's not really her voice, it's her accent, isn't it? -->Weird ending.

[@ELeeming]

you would though, wouldn't you?

[@zoznack]

Any decent Irish actor/actress can do a British voice. Not usually so the other way around...

[@tadge72]

there seems to be a lot of 'professors' on youtube!mmm!

[@tadge72]

im sooooooooo surprised- what a great english accent this is. I think some of the above comments are hilarious...after all the awful american historical movies we have had this is a great series- bbc actors and hbo classy production.

[@hollywoodwerewolf]

she must've taken a few vocal classes to smooth out her Irish accent.

[@hutcheybutchey]

wow

[@HitPeace]

Watch unleashed.... the voice is different again...

[@zoznack]

It sounds British to me. You wouldn't hear anyone speaking like that in N. America (unless they're poseurs).

[@bboysince1971]

ha! thats funny!

[@lawfreak333]

lmao

[@kharos82]

lol

[@aeonflux67]

Because the best actors and actresses are Anglosaxons. And BBC have a big stake in the series. What did you think has happened these last 2000 years....think Anglosaxons are still good for nothing Barbarians ;-)

[@histatimaniples]

yes its funny the real roman italians were all backup actors the people who never talked all the back ground actors was there a shortige of italian actors? no just no one wants to see short tanned dark haired -darked eyed people on tv as main characters