They’re paid to pretend, and they certainly fooled us.
Welcome to WatchMojo UK and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 10
actors you totally forgot were British.
For this list, we’re celebrating those talented
Brits who are regularly wrongly thought of as American or Canadian.
Best known for her role as Lydia in “Breaking Bad”, fans of the smash hit, meth-making
series may be surprised to discover that this actress is actually from Glasgow.
And for evidence of Fraser’s Scottish roots, just re-watch “A Knight’s Tale”, where
she plays the blacksmith Kate, or the celebrated drama series “Lip Service”, where she
leads as Cat MacKenzie.
And then there are crime dramas “The Missing” and “The Loch”, where her native accent
is back in full force.
This actor is arguably best known for his role as Jimmy McNulty in Baltimore-based detective
series “The Wire”, and he also starred as American novelist Noah Solloway in “The
Affair”.
So, it’s easy to see why his Britishness may have been buried deep beneath such prominent
Stateside parts.
We’re reminded of his roots with various Brit-based films, though - including “Testament
of Youth” and “Pride”.
West has a reputation as an exceptionally versatile performer, and it’s easy to see
why.
If you see Charlie Hunnam and think “Sons of Anarchy” - where he plays California’s
Jax Teller - then you’d likely never guess that this actor is actually English.
And, though Hunnam’s early career was crammed with notably British characters, he has since
worked on his fair share of Hollywood blockbusters.
That said, he did play Brit explorer Percy Fawcett in “The Lost City of Z” and the
title character in “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword” - so he hasn’t exactly hidden
his heritage!
This guy really has done it all.
From Batman to “The Big Short” - we’re more used to seeing this Oscar-nominated actor
on American soil than we are anywhere else.
But Bale was born in South-West Wales, and most closely identifies as English - after
spending large parts of his childhood in Surrey and Dorset.
His CV is packed full of Hollywood blockbusters such as “American Hustle” and “The Fighter”,
so he clearly feels at home in the States too - but he’s a Brit through and through.
Another actress whose CV offers endless US movies, one of Carey Mulligan’s most prominent
roles sees her star as Daisy Buchanan in Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of that great American
novel, “The Great Gatsby”.
What with that and her performances in “Drive”, “Shame” and “Mudbound”, she might
seem a definite American to some.
But let’s not forget she has also starred in British films like “An Education”,
she takes the lead in the BBC miniseries “Collateral”, and she’ll always be Sally Sparrow to “Doctor
Who” fans.
Star of the definitive US crime series “24”, Kiefer Sutherland was born in London and is
in fact British-Canadian.
Even so, Jack Bauer has earned his spot on the top table for twenty-first century American
TV characters.
In truth, most of Sutherland’s career has played out on the other side of the pond,
with further TV credits in hit shows like “Designated Survivor”.
And, for what’s surely a career highlight, he even brought Bauer to “ The Simpsons”
- where he was on the receiving end of one of Bart’s prank phone calls.
Spiderman has roots in Surrey; who would’ve thought it.
Garfield grabbed a worldwide fanbase for his take on the iconic Marvel superhero, and he
actually boasts dual nationality between the US and the UK.
While he was born in LA, he moved to Britain when he was three - where large parts of his
family already lived.
And, thanks to his Epsom upbringing, he also harbours a well-rounded British accent.
Those things are difficult to fake, so Garfield’s definitely the real deal!
This Brit caught global attention in the “Kick-Ass” films, where he played the title character
- a have-a-go hero from New York.
Then came star-making turns in films like “Nocturnal Animals”, where Taylor-Johnson
plays Ray Marcus who causes carnage along Texan highways, as well a memorable stint
as Quicksilver in “Avengers: Age of Ultron”.
There are some Brit films in his back-catalogue, but it’s hardly surprising that film fans
tend to forget he’s not American.
He might have stolen the show in “Love Actually” for his role as the love-struck Mark, but
it’s his part in AMC’s zombie apocalypse TV series, “The Walking Dead”, that really
sticks in our minds.
Andrew Lincoln has become so recognisable as the all-action protagonist Rick Grimes,
he’s earned his own unique spot in American TV history.
However, dig a little deeper into Lincoln’s performing past, and you’ll find that he
played Simon in “Teachers” and even starred in shows like “Holby City”.
It doesn’t get more British than that.
For lots of us, “Homeland” is still the first thing we think of whenever Damian Lewis
comes to mind.
Lewis plays US Marine Nicholas Brody in the show, who returns to America after eight years
kept in captivity, in the Middle East.
And then, for another prominent role, Lewis plays Bobby Axelrod, an American hedge fund
manager in “Billions”.
But don’t be fooled by his Stateside characters.
The actor was actually born and raised in London, and has been part of various British
productions too, including “Wolf Hall” and even “The Vicar of Dibley”.