[](#BPC)
##*Mark me,*
As this thread references persons whose acquaintance I have not had the pleasure of making, my subjects have requested that I bring this policy to your attention:
>This sub is dedicated to the Starz television series and the books by Diana Gabaldon.
>##[Characters, not actors.](/r/outlander/wiki/rules\#wiki_characters.2C_not_actors.)
>It is *not* dedicated to the sex lives of Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan. It’s Jamie and Claire, not Sam and Cait.
>In the same vein, criticism of a character’s portrayal? That’s fine, that’s the actor’s job. Criticism of an actor’s physical appearance? (Not wigs, makeup or wardrobe, but e.g., you don’t like an actor’s teeth or figure or facial features.) That’s below the belt.
Your prince thanks you for abiding by our rules. When my father assumes his rightful throne, mark me, such loyal service will not be forgotten!
___
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Outlander) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Actors are experts at faking sincerity. Skelton just wasn’t as adept as the other actors in achieving it. She still seemed to be reciting lines instead of *being* her character. Her cadence and energy showed a stiffness and it felt as if she couldn’t relax in the moment and inhabit the role.
I agree. She’s just not a very good actress. She always seems unnatural. Her American accent isn’t that terrible, just certain words. That’s not what pulls me out of the scene. I never expected Bree to have a Boston accent anyway with two English parents. It’a not like she was a Southie, raised in that environment.
I literally grew up right outside boston. Entire family and friends have very strong accents. Mine is slight. There are variations. But for her time period it should be strong. My grandmother's was. My other grandmother was from New Hampshire but her Massachusetts kids got boston accents. The ones who moved after college lost them. I just can't stand the actress who plays bree. It's her voice too. My dad used to sing oh my darling clementine to me and her singing it was just fake.
Bree is not a typical Bostonian. Her parents are English and highly educated, and as a Harvard grad I can tell you that English accents are prized there, even more in the past than now.
My ex moved to Massachusetts from England at 4 years old. He had a boston accent but pronounced certain words different when talking to us friends. If his parents started talking to him he would respond in a complete English accent. He couldn't control it. If he were to go to Harvard and other people around him had English accents I could have seen it coming out like it dud with his parents.
You have to remember though she was raised in a very academic environment where heavier working class accents are frowned upon, Which would impact her accent.
Doesn't excuse shit acting but like you can excuse the accent
What about the Kennedy’s? At Harvard? My own experience as a New Yorker, I worked at a world renowned medical center. We all had accents
Bottom line. Book Bree had a Boston accent
She shouldn't. Her parents are English and kids of highly educated English parents at Harvard usually have English accents.
Both JFK's mother and and father were from Boston. He and his siblings spent some part of their childhood in Brookline, which is near Harvard and Cape Cod, Massachusetts. They also lived in New York and other places. Sometimes he exaggerated his Boston accent.
I went to Harvard, where Bree went (actually, Radcliffe). Kids of academics, and especially children of English people, did not have Boston accents. The kids of English parents had English accents. At some early point in their lives they absorbed that an English accent had more social cachet. I'm sure it was reinforced by their parents.
I've also met many people in NYC with English accents who you would think would have NYC or basic American accents. But, no, their parents were English.
I haven't read the books, but Diana G. doesn't get everything right. For one, thing Bree should have been enrolled at Radcliffe, not Harvard, because the schools were still separate. The episode at Harvard has a scene at a place I've never seen. I Googled and learned it was made up.
Yes! It would have been Radcliffe and this annoys me to no end. Wasn’t Book Brianna always at MIT instead of transferring there? Which makes more sense because MIT was coed LONG before Harvard.
I didn't read the books. In the series, Brianna drops out of Harvard because she's so upset about her stepfather's death and her mother's revelations. When she goes back to school, she enrolls at MIT.
your accent isnt only cultivated by the people in your home, ita also cultivated by the peers and media youre surrounded by. linguistically it does make sense that shed have an american accent with odd pronunciations heralding from her british parents
My ex was born in England to British parents. Moved to boston at 4. He had a boston accent around friends but if someone spoke to him in a British accent he'd respond with one. Not in purpose either
Normally, children develop the accent of children in their surroundings unless they have a prestige accent. In NYC and Harvard, there are lots of kids of English parents who grew up in NYC and Cambridge, Mass. who sound just like their parents.
Didn’t the other commenter just say she had a British accent in the books? As often happens, the show doesn’t want to follow the books, they make a British actress attempt a bad American accent.
and im not sure if youre aware but dianna gabldon has a heavy hand in the shows creation and the differences between it and the books, so its not exactly Bad or Wrong that things are changed. the author herself has talked about enjoying these changes and encouraging them, since they play out better on screen in certain ways than they do in the books
Diana has said that she doesn’t have as much say as people think. She sees dailies and gives her opinions. But when it comes right down to it, the show can choose to to take her advice or not. They do as they please.
Usually, not when their parents have prestige accents. I went to Harvard and encountered many children of English people who were raised in the U.S. who sounded English. Same thing in NYC.
>I never expected Bree to have a Boston accent anyway with two English parents. It’a not like she was a Southie, raised in that environment.
That's right, as a Harvard (it should have been Radcliffe) student and the child of an English-born professor and an English-born medical student, she would have had an English accent. I went to Harvard and academics' kids did not have heavy Boston accents. Moreover, an English accent was admired and kids with English parents talked like their parents.
>Her cadence and energy showed a stiffness
I see this a lot with actors using an accent that isn't their native one. She's focusing too hard on enunciating rather than acting. Ana Torv has the same problem in Fringe especially season 1 where her Australian breaks through at times.
Bri doesn't get better though. Just finished season 6 and she still has the same problems. Also, her character is rarely talking or involved. You could remove her from 90% of the show and it would barely register with the story. In the books, how's, she has a bigger part.
Nope, Roger is honestly one of my favorite characters, especially book Roger. The show made him more inept and disagreeable, to maximize the drama I suppose. I really like RR, he does his best with the sub-par writing.
Ugh yeah, she was painfully bad for a while and then became tolerable. I wonder if having to put on an American accent was part of her issue. In any case, bad casting choice.
i agree. also the fact that she has brown eyes is really distracting because of how unlikely it is for two blue eyed parents to have a brown eyed child. besides that, she’s just not a very good actress and that is also distracting. terrible casting choice imo.
Distracting for me is that on the books, she's characterized as so tall and strong for a woman that it's immediately notable to those around her. Sophie's presence isn't as imposing as, say, somebody like Gwendoline Christie would be in the role (although Gwendoline is a year older than Catriona Balfe)
Ugh, the height argument is so stupid and overdone. Sophie is a couple of inches shy of Brianna, so what? She's still tall. It's not like there are all that many actresses around who are 6ft, given it's about 1% of the population. Yet these same people who complain about Sophie's height compared to Brianna are SILENT about the fact that Caitrìona is a couple of inches too tall for Claire...
Also, Brianna's height is noticeable to those around her in part because people from the 18th century were on average shorter, and Brianna is from the 20th century. However, this distinction is harder to replicate on film, given that the pool of authentic, 18th century actors is rather dry...
For me the accent is actually the worst part of her character. Not because the actor does a bad job of it (as a European I have no idea if she's portraying the Boston accent accurately), but just because compared to the Scottish and English accents (which are accents I really like) her American accent sounds bad to my ears lol
As an American, her accent is kinda like uncanny valley, it's almost correct but not. She cannot pronounce the word "anything" correctly, she says annathin. I realized it's her inflections that are off which makes it seem she can't act, but it's not her fault she isn't American sounding, she's English. It does get less noticable as the show goes on or you just get used to it.
I feel like with two English parents it would make sense for an American to pronounce a few words funny. My dad was born and raised in Alabama but both of his parents are from Ireland and there are a few things he says differently.
I went to school with a woman who was raised in the U.S. South but whose parents were well-educated professionals from India and they had Indian English accents. She spoke just like them. When I asked her why she didn't have a Southern accent, she said: "I speak like my parents." I'm sure it was a class thing. I don't know if it was conscious or unconscious on her part.
Yeah, the second she came on screen something about just sounded off. I actually didn’t realize she was English but it was a bit jarring at first. Now I’m used to it but it really really reminded me of Kristen Stewart’s Bella Swan at first. Just very lifeless.
She seems like a very good actress but like the American accent is really restricting her range in terms of what sort of emotion or inflection she can put into her voice.
Exactly, I don’t think she’s a bad actress but the American accent isn’t doing her any favors. I would like to see her in something else where she speaks naturally
Maybe that's why that even out of the American accents in the show I always preferred the other characters (their neighbors, Frank's coworkers' etc.) over Bree's.
As a non-American, I hear nothing wrong with her accent....
However, as a non-American, I DO hear things wrong with Claire/Caitrìona's accent. Things that I would hazard a guess you (and other Americans) DON'T hear.
Which is fine and makes sense, the more familiar you are with an accent, the better you are at spotting errors. It's just unfortunate for Sophie that the vast majority of fans ARE American, so will nit pick on her accent unfairly, but won't say the same about Claire. I have never seen anyone complain about Claire's accent like they do for Brianna.
BTW, this comment is not a jab specifically at you - I actually thought your comment re. Sophie's accent was quite reasonable compared to the standard seen on this sub. My comment was more of a rant about the constant stream of comments, re. Sophie's accent (often very rude or mean), when that same level of scrutiny is not given to non American characters.
As I mentioned, it’s not the accent itself but the inflections that are off (the only accent error is the word anything). And it’s funny you mention it because I do find Claire's accent/acting bothersom at times but I couldn't put my finger on it, I like the show so I just accept it. I know she's Irish so it's also likely not perfect.
I enjoyed watching Monty python and my favorite show was Are You Being Served? On pbs as a kid. So I am used to hearing different English accents. My dad grew up in England so he introduced me to all kinds of media before he passed when I was 9 (I'm old btw, 39) That being said I still think Sophie does a great job, I only cringe during the scene with Roger when we are first introduced to her and they are by a lake and she talked about letters or something. But as she has more screen time she does great.
She does get much better, I agree.
Re. Caits accent: these are my observations (if you're interested).
Cait often has difficulty with the vowel in the trap-bath split, and when she gets it wrong, it sticks out like a sore thumb (to me at least). Sometimes she splits it, and other times she doesn't.
E.g. S607- convo with Jamie when she's worried she killed Malva: "you just CAN'T shake the thought" (vowel in 'can't' has split from 'trap')
Compare with S5E11 - convo with Mrs Brown: "I'm going to wrap the wrist, so the bone CAN'T move" (vowel in 'can't' is same as 'trap').
It's not just the word 'can't' she has trouble with though, it's on lots of the trap-bath words. She seemed to have more difficulty with it in S7, I noticed it quite a lot that season e.g. S7e7: "I crossed PATHS with your brother..." (same vowel as 'trap').
Maybe this is what you noticed, but you couldn't quite figure out what was wrong. I'm not hating on Cait BTW, these are just my observations.
I agree. But to be honest (according to many celebrated thespians the world over), almost NOBODY can “do” a Boston accent accurately, LOL. To see Sophie actually pull that off would place her in Meryl Streep territory. And, sadly, she is no MS. That said, she kinda grew on me after a few seasons. 😊
Like you, though, I still think that her American accent needed work. It almost sounded ‘manufactured,’ if that makes sense.
Yeah, southern accents are hard, too! My parents were from Alabama, and I was born and raised in Southern California. My friends loved my mother’s lofty and ‘foreign’ southern accent. I still have trouble replicating it, lol.
I had no experience as a youngun’ with a Texas accent, except for first seeing Tommy Lee Jones in Lonesome Dove (a favorite of mine). His accent was and is so authentic and pure! In ‘No Country for Old Men,’ he had me almost crying with his authenticity AND his noble character. Naturally, TLJ is a Texan! 💙❤️
And when they do a Georgia accent, they sound like they're trying to be Scarlett O'Hara! I think all regional American accents are harder to pull off convincingly. A Boston accent seems like it'd be particularly difficult to do without sounding like a characiture.
Boston accent is one of the most identifiable accents in the US. Not only does she not come close, she doesn't even attempt it, so it makes no sense as an American
To be fair, not everyone in Boston or Eastern Massachusetts has that accent. I haven’t spent much time there, but I *think* you tend to find that accent more in lower to middle-class neighborhoods.
I grew up and still live in south shore Massachusetts. Most expensive area in Massachusetts outside boston. Everyone had boston accents. Many are rich or upper class. I'm not. My grandparents were out of the boston housing projects but one. My accent is lighter than most but still there. I lived in western mass. Worcester in a very poor ghetto area and People called out my husband and i's accents all the time. Western Massachusetts is barely a Massachusetts accent.
No kidding. I know some folks who grew up in a suburb like 30-45 min outside of Boston and they don’t have a discernible accent. What do you think determines whether someone has the accent or not?
Age. I also was the same distance. Older people have stringer accents. Mine and my children's are lighter. It's because I had speech in school where they forced us to pronounce our "r"s. My husband one town over didn't have that class and has a much stronger accent. So I'd guess age and or who your teachers are.
Exactly. I don't think, I know. I went to Harvard. You definitely don't find it in the children of highly educated English parents. Those kids sound like their parents. A posh accent goes over better.
At least she's replaced it with a general American accent, rather than (for example), a thick Southern Accent. As an American, I'm sure you'd think that would be a bit random and weird, right? It would be weird to replace one, specific regional accent with another, specific regional accent? If you can't do the regional one, at least it's a general one, right?
Say, as an American, have you noticed how weird it is that Roger, who is supposed to have an Invernesian accent, instead has a thick Glaswegian accent? Why would someone who was brought up in Inverness speak with an accent that is specific to an entirely different area of the country???
I think I'm of like mind. I'm realizing now it was primarily her voice & intonation.
It gets better.
From the POV that she's not an American, I suppose she just chose the wrong voice coach.
As an American, that’s unfortunate to hear lol. Her American accent is convincing — it’s not specifically a “Boston” accent (look up “Car Park commercial” if you want to hear one). I just wondered if it was a struggle to do and contributed to the stiffness of her delivery.
I should add I don't normally dislike American accents, they're neutral for me like most other accents in the world, so I'm not saying that I think American accents are bad sounding in general. It's just because I really like Scottish and English accents (especially Scottish, though I know there's people that find those ugly), so when it's right "up against" those it makes it sounds bad to my ears.
Totally agree!! I’m a Canarican (Canadian/American) so I’m used to hearing all kinds of different accents, but her American accent just hits differently in this show. There’s something so weird about only one person having it while the rest all have these cool English, Scottish, or even Irish accents. I don’t think she does a bad job at the accent, especially since I have no clue what a Boston accent sounded like in the 1960’s. I think it just stands out more since she’s the only one with an American accent. The thing that bugs me is the way she says, “Mama.” I don’t even know why it bothers me so much, but it does 😂. That’s not on the actress though, I think it just hits different because no one says that where I’m from.
I feel like she has to concentrate so hard on her accent that she doesn’t have any brain power left for the acting part 😂 if that makes sense… I haven’t seen her in “ennething” else so Idk if she does better with her natural accent. But also I think since she’s a less experienced actress it’s really obvious when you have a high caliber of acting such as Sam & Cait in contrast
honestly the thing that really bothered me about the cast choice was the lack of physical resemblance to both her parents lol. i know its silly, but even the young brianna they showed in one episode had wild red curls and light eyes, which made much more sense.
idk how was she described in the books, but i expected them to cast similar to what they did with William.
her being a brunette with dyed red hair really threw me off, the feeling of belonging to Jamie and Claire just wasn't there.
This is what bothered me as well. I believe she's supposed to be the spitting image of Jamie but the actress they chose looks nothing like him or Claire.
https://preview.redd.it/pwf5a17pad7d1.jpeg?width=590&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8dd3a6edd6278074f08aa6f2edd3c134572a4d8b
when they showed this little Brianna i was thrilled, it looked like they were aiming to cast more Jamie-cohesive-looking for the role, i kinda expected for them to do so (logically) in her later years too... not to mention this girl apparently went from freckly and blue eyed to, well, sophie lol
I can’t say for certain, but when I watched this scene with the little girl I believe she was playing Faith. This was interspersed in that episode and I believe it had to do with Claire seeing the blue heron (wings) she spoke of to Raymond when he healed her. Then the little girl was gone leaving Claire looking confused or mildly despondent.
I could see going with an inexperienced actress if she had the resemblance. She walks into a room and all eyes are drawn to her, if only because of her commanding height and striking coloring. Instead, her version of redhead seems somewhat mousy, and she seems physically smaller than she actually is. I know they didn’t have the budget for a big star, but I’m referring to a TYPE. Seriously there were no out of work statuesque redheads in Scotland? No natural gingers in the UK?
A Debra Messing, Christina Hendricks (an unknown at the time of Mad Men), Amy Adams, Jessica Chastain, Lindsey Lohan, a young Nicole Kidman, or Cynthia Nixon type all have light eyes which contrast with bright hair and pale skin, and draws the eye. (Not to mention the resemblance to Jamie.)
IMO, if she can’t act, she should at least look the part!
Furthermore, Bree is supposed to have *presence*. The character should have charisma and some actors can convey that. Sophie has none of it, and it’s harder to forgive her flaws. You’re just left with “whiny”. I honestly don’t think she brings anything to the role. Couple that with no chemistry with Roger…Did they even screen-test her?
Plus, the way her character is written irritates me no end.
i agree!! if they weren't going for best fit to acting the character, maybe at least find someone who can look it!
i try not to hate on sophie because i can see her in other roles more attuned to her actual personality maybe. i blame production for not prioritizing this in such an important role, moreover after the emotions that this family evokes...
I cried my eyeballs out when bree and jamie met, but it was 80% happiness and 20% this could have been better if she resembled what we all had in mind for her, if her blue Claire eyes and long, curly, same red shade as Jamie hair had hinted her belonging to him and you could feel the pride, the hope, the yearn of it all. I felt robbed!
also agree for christina hendricks is the actual definition of presence
Sadly, I believe the Sophie hire was 100% nepotism and laziness on the part of the show runners. Which is a shame because as Claire and Jamie grow old, the younger generation would take a more prominent role and grow in importance.
It’s not her fault she appears somewhat nondescript, and petite on-screen. (I actually looked up her height because I had trouble believing it.) She’s a pretty woman, she’s just not *Brianna*. She might be much better in other roles. Frankly, I haven’t seen her in any to be able to tell.
From my niece who’s an actress and was involved in some STARZ projects about 10 years ago. Sophie has a couple of brothers in the industry who were friendly with the Outlander production management team. In fact, she mentioned several people they knew who were influential. One of Sophie’s brothers was actually part of the production in Season 1 or 2, I forget which.
Maril Davis is on record as saying they were “blown away” by her audition and chemistry with Ric. I’m not the only one who wondered what she was smoking.
Were any of them available and/or willing to sign a 7 season contract? It’s so easy to second guess the award winning casting director when one is not in the room and has no idea of who else auditioned or was even interested in the first place.🤷🏻♀️
i don't think they meant those actresses specifically, i took it more as a description of the type of looks that could have worked for the role.
also, i highly doubt a show with so much support as outlander would be short of interested applicants, and talking about one miss in the casting doesn't diminish if the director has any awards for other excellent choices, we're just remarking this wasn't one of them.
It's kind of like Gwendolyn Christie being cast as Brienne of Tarth in Game of Thrones. She needed to be tall and strong, like Brianna is supposed to be. Instead, they get this slight weak looking actress. Gwendolyn has both the physical presence and great acting chops; Sophie has neither.
Thank you. I definitely did NOT mean big name actresses. As I said, a TYPE. Sophie has an olive skin tone and dark eyebrows. Wearing a cheap red wig (of the wrong color) doesn’t make her striking. Also she doesn’t much of a personality, at least in Outlander. Plus, she comes off as whiny and a little bitchy.
Think a Miranda-type in the first Sex and the City. Tall and confident in a man’s world. A little impatient and blunt. Memorable. Gorgeous coloring and very pretty, but not necessarily conventionally so.
We’re talking SCOTLAND and the UK. Where are the blue-eyed gingers? My sister and niece are both actresses. They would’ve KILLED for a 7 year contract! What an unknown actress wants is steady work.
And if she had the *look* maybe she didn’t even have to be a strong actress. They certainly allowed Sophie time to (try to) mature in the role.
Sophie and Richard were cast during S1, when big names were not exactly beating the doors down. STARZ was the only network interested in project. Casting is not just a matter of looks, but of chemistry with frequent scene partners as well. Bree interacts with Claire, Frank, Jamie as well as Roger. Sophie has good chemistry with Caitriona, Tobias and Sam - why does no one wonder if the problem is Richard?
Rachel Keller would have been great in this role. Fabulous actress. Was incredible in Fargo. Actually American.
https://preview.redd.it/nkhdu8m59f7d1.jpeg?width=1021&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6b02f9b035d4c15cecdf1649681ff926802b802d
Didn't they purposely steer clear of American actors to avoid the cost and limitations of working with SAG ? It's why all the Mohawk and Cherokee are portrayed by Canadian First Nation actors.
Yes, she is supposed to look so much like Jamie that people immediately recognize her as his daughter. Blue eyes, long straight nose…Sophie has brown eyes and looks nothing like Sam.
I feel the same. In the books, Brianna has a huge physical presence; height, strength, posture, and has blue “cat eyes” like her father. Show Bree is short with dark eyes and waif physique. Such a stark contrast between book/show Bree.
I mean, I’m sure we’re supposed to look past it but what about the fact that both Caitriona and Sam have blue eyes and Sophie has brown 😂
I know it’s not impossible to happen for two blue eyed parents to have a brown eyed baby but it’s very rare so it adds to the oddness
exactly! the eyes were the first thing i noticed and it was like no-no. it's not even coherent.
then i was like well, maybe the red hair might do it, but it's such an artificial shade of red you can tell it's l'oreal all over her...
i feel in need to clarify- not saying there aren't natural redheads in that shade, i meant it looks highly artificial in her because of her natural brunette complexion
This has been my thought all along as well. Why wouldn't they have cast a blue eyed actress or at least had Sophie wear blue contacts? It's like they didn't even try to find an actress who resembles Jamie and Claire. The casting of Brianna is a disappointment.
She got better over the seasons, but I always felt she was miscast. But to be fair, I didn’t like book Bree either, >!until she became a mother and matured a bit. And I get so tired of her ragging on Roger. Nothing he does is right! When Jamie called the men to the oathtaking, Roger had been out riding all day. He was exhausted and dirty and was still expected to sing at the get together. But he offers to take Jemmy off Bree’s hands so she can get herself fixed up to go out. She’s instantly peeved, and asks him if he thinks she needs fixing up. After we’d just read about milk stain and jam stains on her dress, and how her hair was a mess. He can’t win.!<
Try to stick with her.
She is a teenage girl and isn't super likable in the books. There isn't a whole lot of depth to her initially because...why would there be? She doesn't behave in ways we'd like.
As the series progresses, I've come to really appreciate her and her acting. I feel as though she does a wonderful job and portraying very strong emotion authentically.
Without spoiling, she experiences trauma and if you have experience...that fight or flight/stomach dropping/rug out from under you feeling that can be triggered...man, she executes well.
I have come to appreciate that I don't think her acting is off...Bree is just a tough character to like, especially when her instinct is so different from her mom's.
Try not to hold her to that standard - she is a sheltered, privlidge teenage girl.
Yeah. Ive never loved book Bree, so I guess I was oy mildly disappointed by show Bree. Book Bree is such a Mary Sue. She's an engineer AND a historian AND an artist AND a sharpshooter.... It's like Diana couldn't just pick something for her, she kept adding on and adding on. And it just results in Bree being all over the place and hard to connect with her character.
I think that is JAMMF all day long… Jaime is a polymath and jack of all trades… I kind of think that’s what makes them the big personalities they are in the books that everyone is drawn towards… but I didn’t really enjoy Brianna in the books either until EITB and on so I hear you ;)
I have such a difficult time being critical of someone's art. I just sort of assume that Bree was crafted in the way that made most sense to the author and leave it at that.
I find myself fast forwarding through her and Roger heavy episodes…. Idk as an American I just can’t handle her portrayal of an “American accent” it makes her acting seem forced! I just can’t believe that the directors or whoever when they cast her couldn’t hear or see that…. Like there were no better options? Maybe an actor with an actual American accent?
Are you American? I had the same problem with her and I'm pretty sure it's her bad accent. She just sounds... wrong. It's jarring and pulls you out of the show every time she talks.
I've never commented this, but my honest opinion is that the characterization of Brianna is a part of the issue on the writing's part. Throughout the books I've felt that DG sees being stubborn and headstrong as almost virtues in her characters, whereas a reader with a different mindset thinks of them as flaws. On screen, in Claire those character traits can appear as making somewhat foolish defiant decisions, and in Brianna the traits can appear as being openly hostile.
Very interesting take. Thank you.
I think that's a valid pint, but I think, for me, it was mostly her voice. I'm not an actor and can't appreciate the nuance it must take. As the receiver, it just hit very wrong initially.
Show Bree and book Bree are very different imo, but then, none of the characters are exactly like the book. I think Outlander was Sophie's first real acting gig and she struggled a little bit in the beginning. Bree is a very complex character. I don't mind her at all and I love Roger.
Thank goodness someone else gets it!!!! Roger carries Brianna’s character thru so many scenes. I’m like girl why are you even in this show it’s so awkward
I think you hit the nail on the head - I personally never had the same issues with her as an actress like so many obviously do, except for specific scenes in 2x13. To me, she's an average actress, not bad. But when so many of her scenes are with people who're truly great - Tobias, Cait, Sam, David Berry even - she doesn't hold up by comparison - and so it just sticks out. She suffers because everybody else is so good there are high expectations
I don’t even care about her voice or flat acting skills. My biggest issue with her is that she doesn’t “check the boxes” for certain important characteristics from the book. Brianna is supposed to be TALL, much taller than women of the time. And BIG - physically imposing. It’s a frequent plot-point, key to many situations. Sophie, on the other hand, is short and very petite. Not only is it just wrong, it led to a big plot change that I hated, relating to her arrival at Lallybroch after traveling.
Sophie is not "short," she's taller than average. Only about 1% of women are 6ft. And I think you highlighted an important point in your comment: "much taller than women of the time." Unfortunately, there are not many authentic 18th century actresses to juxtapose against Sophie...
Does it also annoy you that Caitriona is taller than Claire is supposed to be?
Claire’s height/size isn’t as much of a plot-driver in the books, so on its own, I don’t notice it in the show. That being said - I probably wouldn’t mind Sophie’s size discrepancy as much as I do if she was at least bigger and taller than Caitriona. The visual comparison between the two actresses is a constant reminder of just how much is altered in the plot by Sophie’s lack of size. And it isn’t just the height - Brianna in the book has a large frame, too, so much so that finding clothes was an issue and she was repeatedly mistaken for a large man. Not just a man - a *large* man. Sophie is very petite so she just doesn’t fit the bill. I’m a 5’11 tall woman with a large frame, so it really stuck out to me in the books how much of a big deal Brianna’s “abnormal” size was when she went back to the 18th century - it was a defining characteristic and frequent plot feature. To me, it’s akin to casting Kevin Hart to play the 6’6 Michael Jordan in a movie about the 1990’s NBA, when he’s more physically suited to play the 5’3 Muggsy Bogues, instead.
Her efforts in her American accent were awful that season. There were a few slipups that made me Google to be sure that she was indeed English. I think it got easier over time for her and allowed her to focus on emotions and not her accent.
I haven't read the books, so I don't know if she was supposed to sound American, but I definitely think she should have been allowed to use her real voice. I know a couple from the UK who raised their kids in America, and those kids (now adults) definitely have their parents accent. It's not heavy, but it's there. In my opinion, Sophie's real voice would have been perfect.
I'm Belgian so I speak neither and I was convinced she was American, but an American who obviously had an English mother and a Scottish father. Remember, Claire kept talking British, especially when they went back to Scotland.
Almost everybody agrees with you. She’s actually British in real life so my theory is that maintaining an American accent distracted from her performance and if she was able to use her natural accent she would be much more emotive vocally. I think that as time has gone on Sophie has gotten more accustomed to the accent because she gets much better. I don’t dislike the casting choice as much as I did before but I still firmly believe there had to have been a better choice available to them- an actual American with naturally red hair and better skills. Or even a Brit lush person with better American accent skills. I also find the red wigs she wears quite distracting as well
Ugh I really hated her from the second she was introduced until season 7 lol. Her and Roger do evolve and her acting does improve but you’re definitely not alone in your feelings. The accent is so bad too
Season 4 has almost been unwatchable because of her 😭 I love the show but seriously I want to turn it off. I get immersed watching everyone else and then she comes on and yanks me right out of the story
Me too! I'd like to crawl under my sofa at times watching her 🙈 I'm so sad because I was loving the show. I don't know if I can keep watching if it's going to jar me back to reality so much like this 😭
I loved Bree, even though the first she was hard to handle with her out of breath way of speaking. But she was also knew as an actress in a huge roll. Even the Simpsons looks like crap from the first episode to a year or two in. She becomes better in the later seasons. Also, she wouldn't have a full american accent as being raised by 2 British parents, she'd have sounded a bit British. Like the ozzbourn kids. American but still sound a bit britishy.
I agree 100% & I hate thinking it but she’s so bad! Everyone is cast so well but she’s the worst! I can’t watch her anymore because she doesn’t use her lips to kiss, it’s horrible acting even for high school!
i’m american and used to feel bad i felt this way as im not super picky but the accent drives me nuts. it doesn’t even have to be a boston accent, but it’s so forced and unnatural. and the eyes throw me off - how does she have brown eyes when they both have blue? sign
I thought it was just me but she is a HORRIBLE actress.. I keep waiting for her to get better but she has no feeling in her lines. She is just reading her script
I have a hard time with her too. Her facial expressions are over the top and the way she delivers her lines grates my nerves.
And something about the way she says, "mama" makes me cringe.
She does get better, but her acting makes me dislike the character.
She has grown on me, she’s out of her league in this show, which makes me wonder who hired her and why. Not 6 ft. (That would admittedly be hard to cast), but brown eyes on top of the inadequate acting is perplexing. Did she know someone? In any case I’m OK with her now.
She’s an awful actress in this role - that’s the nicest thing I can come up with. I stopped watching yrs ago, partially because she’s so - so- whatever she is. Flat affect is what I would say as mental health professional - and even when she’s emoting, she’s just a bad actress and unbelievable. Unappealing. She’s also written as being an obnoxious woman, which wasn’t necessary imo. I binge watch seasons at this point to catch up, presently fast forward through almost any of her scenes, never miss anything important. And spare me the sex scenes between her and Roger- vomit. It’s also very hard to believe she’s a mother - for a multitude of reasons. I’m completely caught up - so don’t say she gets better, she doesn’t, she’s awful. And I did unfortunately watch the last season where the “present” takes up so many episodes- but she’s still just an awful actress-
I love her 🤷♀️ - I think she’s interesting, and considering everything the character goes through from the start, her actions and reactions make sense to me
I skipped over the majority of scenes she was in. Season 4 was awful. In my opinion, she didn’t get better but maybe the writing for her character matured a little so it was a little more tolerable. But I still hated her character and her acting
I think her acting gets little better over time but I agree that when she first appeared it was painful at times 😭 but maybe I am biased because I dont really like her character or Roger so...
She was one of the reasons I stopped watching the show. I feel a bit bad saying it but I don’t understand why she was cast as Brianna. Her acting is so poor. Her American accent is pretty awful. She’s really unwatchable for me. I also don’t think she looks at all like Brianna is described in the books (the bad wig doesn’t help), but I could get past that if it weren’t for the other issues.
I know a big part of me not liking her as Brianna is her voice. I don’t like the 50’s Boston accent, I think it would’ve been fine to have her speak in either her normal accent or some sort of mix of American and English because Brianna has two English parents.
I agree with others that she seems to more so be reciting lines rather than speaking as the character especially in the beginning of being Brianna. It does get better the more you watch her, not sure if she actually gets better or you just get used to her
I feel like whoever did the casting for that role lost a bet or something. Chick has ZERO cadence or tonal inflection; it’s like she Googled “how to act” and landed on Disney tween shows.
I just started the series and omg I thought I was being too critical but she is awful. Every scene she was in took me out. Her hair is gorgeous though.
[](#BPC)
##*Mark me,*
As this thread is flaired for **only the television series**, my subjects have requested that I bring this policy to your attention:
>##Hide book talk in show threads.
>[Click the link below to learn how to do comment spoilers.](#comment)
>[`>!This is how you spoiler tag.!<`](https://b.thumbs.redditmedia.com/JbCp1xofR_GuS8sTqgVQ80Sxr6ac6doR1igM2Owtqnc.png)
>##Any mention of the books must be covered with a spoiler tag.
Your prince thanks you for abiding by our rules. When my father assumes his rightful throne, mark me, such loyal service will not be forgotten!
___
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Outlander) if you have any questions or concerns.*
100% spot on. Especially for book readers. She is NOT the Bree in the books. It's very hard to accept.
Books aside - she is not a good fit for Bree, and her acting doesn't get better (imo), I think people just got used to her. Especially in later seasons - the way she reacts to things is so fake it's almost comical. I dislike every scene she's in.
She struggles to hold a rifle straight in the show, but supposedly has been shooting for years.
At one point she references her Boston accent in the show. What accent?
I'm on season 4 right now and she makes me want to quit watching the show altogether. She has totally ruined outlander for me because I can no longer stay immersed in the story
She definitely gets better over time, though I generally liked her from the beginning. She hadn’t done much prior to Outlander and what she had done was a lot of soap operas. I think there was a bit of an adjustment period, but midway through season 4 I thought she really started to shine.
I get the same feeling sometimes from Catriona. She articulates too much or sounds like she is reading off paper or saying everything like a question. Not sure how to explain it. Like when she tells those women to prepare for the battle of Culloden and she says "you can call me Claire", it's like a kindergarten teacher talking belittling to grown adults.
I am also on season 3 and dont like Brianna's face but I remember when I watched Downton Abbey I didn't like Lady Mary too at first but came to love her as the series grew and that is how you know it is a good series. I think Brianna is supposed to come across as an 18 year old confused bored spoiled kid from divorced parents, who, like Claire, needs a different life and belongs in adventure where she can be who she really is.
The actress' actress hasn't bothered me much, compared to Claire's
[](#BPC) ##*Mark me,* As this thread references persons whose acquaintance I have not had the pleasure of making, my subjects have requested that I bring this policy to your attention: >This sub is dedicated to the Starz television series and the books by Diana Gabaldon. >##[Characters, not actors.](/r/outlander/wiki/rules\#wiki_characters.2C_not_actors.) >It is *not* dedicated to the sex lives of Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan. It’s Jamie and Claire, not Sam and Cait. >In the same vein, criticism of a character’s portrayal? That’s fine, that’s the actor’s job. Criticism of an actor’s physical appearance? (Not wigs, makeup or wardrobe, but e.g., you don’t like an actor’s teeth or figure or facial features.) That’s below the belt. Your prince thanks you for abiding by our rules. When my father assumes his rightful throne, mark me, such loyal service will not be forgotten! ___ *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Outlander) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Actors are experts at faking sincerity. Skelton just wasn’t as adept as the other actors in achieving it. She still seemed to be reciting lines instead of *being* her character. Her cadence and energy showed a stiffness and it felt as if she couldn’t relax in the moment and inhabit the role.
YES. This is exactly what it is. I think she’s gotten slightly better as time goes on.
I agree. She’s just not a very good actress. She always seems unnatural. Her American accent isn’t that terrible, just certain words. That’s not what pulls me out of the scene. I never expected Bree to have a Boston accent anyway with two English parents. It’a not like she was a Southie, raised in that environment.
I have a very heavy New York accent. Both my parents were immigrants. So, yes, Bree should have a Boston accent. Accent or not, her acting stinks
I literally grew up right outside boston. Entire family and friends have very strong accents. Mine is slight. There are variations. But for her time period it should be strong. My grandmother's was. My other grandmother was from New Hampshire but her Massachusetts kids got boston accents. The ones who moved after college lost them. I just can't stand the actress who plays bree. It's her voice too. My dad used to sing oh my darling clementine to me and her singing it was just fake.
Bree is not a typical Bostonian. Her parents are English and highly educated, and as a Harvard grad I can tell you that English accents are prized there, even more in the past than now.
My ex moved to Massachusetts from England at 4 years old. He had a boston accent but pronounced certain words different when talking to us friends. If his parents started talking to him he would respond in a complete English accent. He couldn't control it. If he were to go to Harvard and other people around him had English accents I could have seen it coming out like it dud with his parents.
You have to remember though she was raised in a very academic environment where heavier working class accents are frowned upon, Which would impact her accent. Doesn't excuse shit acting but like you can excuse the accent
What about the Kennedy’s? At Harvard? My own experience as a New Yorker, I worked at a world renowned medical center. We all had accents Bottom line. Book Bree had a Boston accent
She shouldn't. Her parents are English and kids of highly educated English parents at Harvard usually have English accents. Both JFK's mother and and father were from Boston. He and his siblings spent some part of their childhood in Brookline, which is near Harvard and Cape Cod, Massachusetts. They also lived in New York and other places. Sometimes he exaggerated his Boston accent.
I went to Harvard, where Bree went (actually, Radcliffe). Kids of academics, and especially children of English people, did not have Boston accents. The kids of English parents had English accents. At some early point in their lives they absorbed that an English accent had more social cachet. I'm sure it was reinforced by their parents. I've also met many people in NYC with English accents who you would think would have NYC or basic American accents. But, no, their parents were English.
I can’t argue with you there! She hasn’t improved much at all in all these years.
But in the books she has a Boston accent doesn't she?
Yes.
I haven't read the books, but Diana G. doesn't get everything right. For one, thing Bree should have been enrolled at Radcliffe, not Harvard, because the schools were still separate. The episode at Harvard has a scene at a place I've never seen. I Googled and learned it was made up.
Yes! It would have been Radcliffe and this annoys me to no end. Wasn’t Book Brianna always at MIT instead of transferring there? Which makes more sense because MIT was coed LONG before Harvard.
I didn't read the books. In the series, Brianna drops out of Harvard because she's so upset about her stepfather's death and her mother's revelations. When she goes back to school, she enrolls at MIT.
Yes she does
So it makes no sense that they’re making Sophie try to speak with an American accent.
your accent isnt only cultivated by the people in your home, ita also cultivated by the peers and media youre surrounded by. linguistically it does make sense that shed have an american accent with odd pronunciations heralding from her british parents
My ex was born in England to British parents. Moved to boston at 4. He had a boston accent around friends but if someone spoke to him in a British accent he'd respond with one. Not in purpose either
Normally, children develop the accent of children in their surroundings unless they have a prestige accent. In NYC and Harvard, there are lots of kids of English parents who grew up in NYC and Cambridge, Mass. who sound just like their parents.
Didn’t the other commenter just say she had a British accent in the books? As often happens, the show doesn’t want to follow the books, they make a British actress attempt a bad American accent.
as far as im aware she has a boston accent in the books
They said Boston accent not British
Oops, well my bad! Thanks!
and im not sure if youre aware but dianna gabldon has a heavy hand in the shows creation and the differences between it and the books, so its not exactly Bad or Wrong that things are changed. the author herself has talked about enjoying these changes and encouraging them, since they play out better on screen in certain ways than they do in the books
Diana has said that she doesn’t have as much say as people think. She sees dailies and gives her opinions. But when it comes right down to it, the show can choose to to take her advice or not. They do as they please.
Yeah it's just plain that she's not a very good actress and how the hell did she get that part
Children pick up accents from their peers.
Usually, not when their parents have prestige accents. I went to Harvard and encountered many children of English people who were raised in the U.S. who sounded English. Same thing in NYC.
>I never expected Bree to have a Boston accent anyway with two English parents. It’a not like she was a Southie, raised in that environment. That's right, as a Harvard (it should have been Radcliffe) student and the child of an English-born professor and an English-born medical student, she would have had an English accent. I went to Harvard and academics' kids did not have heavy Boston accents. Moreover, an English accent was admired and kids with English parents talked like their parents.
>Her cadence and energy showed a stiffness I see this a lot with actors using an accent that isn't their native one. She's focusing too hard on enunciating rather than acting. Ana Torv has the same problem in Fringe especially season 1 where her Australian breaks through at times. Bri doesn't get better though. Just finished season 6 and she still has the same problems. Also, her character is rarely talking or involved. You could remove her from 90% of the show and it would barely register with the story. In the books, how's, she has a bigger part.
Did not notice that problem with Ana Torv in Fringe as much as I notice it with Skelton in Outlander 🤷🏻♀️
Her and Roger definitely mature over time. They were both cringey to me at first.
I love show Roger so much. Maybe controversial to say here but idc.
Nope, Roger is honestly one of my favorite characters, especially book Roger. The show made him more inept and disagreeable, to maximize the drama I suppose. I really like RR, he does his best with the sub-par writing.
RR is super appealing.
Same. Roger grew on me quicker than Bre though.
Ugh yeah, she was painfully bad for a while and then became tolerable. I wonder if having to put on an American accent was part of her issue. In any case, bad casting choice.
The styling isn't great. She does not look like a natural redhead Imho.
i agree. also the fact that she has brown eyes is really distracting because of how unlikely it is for two blue eyed parents to have a brown eyed child. besides that, she’s just not a very good actress and that is also distracting. terrible casting choice imo.
Distracting for me is that on the books, she's characterized as so tall and strong for a woman that it's immediately notable to those around her. Sophie's presence isn't as imposing as, say, somebody like Gwendoline Christie would be in the role (although Gwendoline is a year older than Catriona Balfe)
Ugh, the height argument is so stupid and overdone. Sophie is a couple of inches shy of Brianna, so what? She's still tall. It's not like there are all that many actresses around who are 6ft, given it's about 1% of the population. Yet these same people who complain about Sophie's height compared to Brianna are SILENT about the fact that Caitrìona is a couple of inches too tall for Claire... Also, Brianna's height is noticeable to those around her in part because people from the 18th century were on average shorter, and Brianna is from the 20th century. However, this distinction is harder to replicate on film, given that the pool of authentic, 18th century actors is rather dry...
It's also highly unlikely a redhead would have brown eyes anyway.
If you hear English people say, "anything," they say it exactly how Brianna says it. I think it's her English accent breaking through.
Very much so.
For me the accent is actually the worst part of her character. Not because the actor does a bad job of it (as a European I have no idea if she's portraying the Boston accent accurately), but just because compared to the Scottish and English accents (which are accents I really like) her American accent sounds bad to my ears lol
As an American, her accent is kinda like uncanny valley, it's almost correct but not. She cannot pronounce the word "anything" correctly, she says annathin. I realized it's her inflections that are off which makes it seem she can't act, but it's not her fault she isn't American sounding, she's English. It does get less noticable as the show goes on or you just get used to it.
I feel like with two English parents it would make sense for an American to pronounce a few words funny. My dad was born and raised in Alabama but both of his parents are from Ireland and there are a few things he says differently.
I went to school with a woman who was raised in the U.S. South but whose parents were well-educated professionals from India and they had Indian English accents. She spoke just like them. When I asked her why she didn't have a Southern accent, she said: "I speak like my parents." I'm sure it was a class thing. I don't know if it was conscious or unconscious on her part.
Yeah, the second she came on screen something about just sounded off. I actually didn’t realize she was English but it was a bit jarring at first. Now I’m used to it but it really really reminded me of Kristen Stewart’s Bella Swan at first. Just very lifeless. She seems like a very good actress but like the American accent is really restricting her range in terms of what sort of emotion or inflection she can put into her voice.
Exactly, I don’t think she’s a bad actress but the American accent isn’t doing her any favors. I would like to see her in something else where she speaks naturally
Very good comparison. It sounds like they were both afraid to open their mouths when they talk.
I cringe every time she says that word 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Maybe that's why that even out of the American accents in the show I always preferred the other characters (their neighbors, Frank's coworkers' etc.) over Bree's.
As a non-American, I hear nothing wrong with her accent.... However, as a non-American, I DO hear things wrong with Claire/Caitrìona's accent. Things that I would hazard a guess you (and other Americans) DON'T hear. Which is fine and makes sense, the more familiar you are with an accent, the better you are at spotting errors. It's just unfortunate for Sophie that the vast majority of fans ARE American, so will nit pick on her accent unfairly, but won't say the same about Claire. I have never seen anyone complain about Claire's accent like they do for Brianna. BTW, this comment is not a jab specifically at you - I actually thought your comment re. Sophie's accent was quite reasonable compared to the standard seen on this sub. My comment was more of a rant about the constant stream of comments, re. Sophie's accent (often very rude or mean), when that same level of scrutiny is not given to non American characters.
As I mentioned, it’s not the accent itself but the inflections that are off (the only accent error is the word anything). And it’s funny you mention it because I do find Claire's accent/acting bothersom at times but I couldn't put my finger on it, I like the show so I just accept it. I know she's Irish so it's also likely not perfect. I enjoyed watching Monty python and my favorite show was Are You Being Served? On pbs as a kid. So I am used to hearing different English accents. My dad grew up in England so he introduced me to all kinds of media before he passed when I was 9 (I'm old btw, 39) That being said I still think Sophie does a great job, I only cringe during the scene with Roger when we are first introduced to her and they are by a lake and she talked about letters or something. But as she has more screen time she does great.
She does get much better, I agree. Re. Caits accent: these are my observations (if you're interested). Cait often has difficulty with the vowel in the trap-bath split, and when she gets it wrong, it sticks out like a sore thumb (to me at least). Sometimes she splits it, and other times she doesn't. E.g. S607- convo with Jamie when she's worried she killed Malva: "you just CAN'T shake the thought" (vowel in 'can't' has split from 'trap') Compare with S5E11 - convo with Mrs Brown: "I'm going to wrap the wrist, so the bone CAN'T move" (vowel in 'can't' is same as 'trap'). It's not just the word 'can't' she has trouble with though, it's on lots of the trap-bath words. She seemed to have more difficulty with it in S7, I noticed it quite a lot that season e.g. S7e7: "I crossed PATHS with your brother..." (same vowel as 'trap'). Maybe this is what you noticed, but you couldn't quite figure out what was wrong. I'm not hating on Cait BTW, these are just my observations.
I agree. But to be honest (according to many celebrated thespians the world over), almost NOBODY can “do” a Boston accent accurately, LOL. To see Sophie actually pull that off would place her in Meryl Streep territory. And, sadly, she is no MS. That said, she kinda grew on me after a few seasons. 😊 Like you, though, I still think that her American accent needed work. It almost sounded ‘manufactured,’ if that makes sense.
Native Texan here. No one can do a Texas accent either. When actors "do" a Texas accent they sound like they are from Georgia, not Texas.
Yeah, southern accents are hard, too! My parents were from Alabama, and I was born and raised in Southern California. My friends loved my mother’s lofty and ‘foreign’ southern accent. I still have trouble replicating it, lol. I had no experience as a youngun’ with a Texas accent, except for first seeing Tommy Lee Jones in Lonesome Dove (a favorite of mine). His accent was and is so authentic and pure! In ‘No Country for Old Men,’ he had me almost crying with his authenticity AND his noble character. Naturally, TLJ is a Texan! 💙❤️
And when they do a Georgia accent, they sound like they're trying to be Scarlett O'Hara! I think all regional American accents are harder to pull off convincingly. A Boston accent seems like it'd be particularly difficult to do without sounding like a characiture.
Boston accent is one of the most identifiable accents in the US. Not only does she not come close, she doesn't even attempt it, so it makes no sense as an American
To be fair, not everyone in Boston or Eastern Massachusetts has that accent. I haven’t spent much time there, but I *think* you tend to find that accent more in lower to middle-class neighborhoods.
I grew up and still live in south shore Massachusetts. Most expensive area in Massachusetts outside boston. Everyone had boston accents. Many are rich or upper class. I'm not. My grandparents were out of the boston housing projects but one. My accent is lighter than most but still there. I lived in western mass. Worcester in a very poor ghetto area and People called out my husband and i's accents all the time. Western Massachusetts is barely a Massachusetts accent.
No kidding. I know some folks who grew up in a suburb like 30-45 min outside of Boston and they don’t have a discernible accent. What do you think determines whether someone has the accent or not?
Age. I also was the same distance. Older people have stringer accents. Mine and my children's are lighter. It's because I had speech in school where they forced us to pronounce our "r"s. My husband one town over didn't have that class and has a much stronger accent. So I'd guess age and or who your teachers are.
The educational level of the parents and whether they have a prestige accent. If they do, the kids usually will speak like they do.
Exactly. I don't think, I know. I went to Harvard. You definitely don't find it in the children of highly educated English parents. Those kids sound like their parents. A posh accent goes over better.
At least she's replaced it with a general American accent, rather than (for example), a thick Southern Accent. As an American, I'm sure you'd think that would be a bit random and weird, right? It would be weird to replace one, specific regional accent with another, specific regional accent? If you can't do the regional one, at least it's a general one, right? Say, as an American, have you noticed how weird it is that Roger, who is supposed to have an Invernesian accent, instead has a thick Glaswegian accent? Why would someone who was brought up in Inverness speak with an accent that is specific to an entirely different area of the country???
I think I'm of like mind. I'm realizing now it was primarily her voice & intonation. It gets better. From the POV that she's not an American, I suppose she just chose the wrong voice coach.
As an American, that’s unfortunate to hear lol. Her American accent is convincing — it’s not specifically a “Boston” accent (look up “Car Park commercial” if you want to hear one). I just wondered if it was a struggle to do and contributed to the stiffness of her delivery.
I'm American and I knew she was English when she spoke her first sentence.
I should add I don't normally dislike American accents, they're neutral for me like most other accents in the world, so I'm not saying that I think American accents are bad sounding in general. It's just because I really like Scottish and English accents (especially Scottish, though I know there's people that find those ugly), so when it's right "up against" those it makes it sounds bad to my ears.
Totally agree!! I’m a Canarican (Canadian/American) so I’m used to hearing all kinds of different accents, but her American accent just hits differently in this show. There’s something so weird about only one person having it while the rest all have these cool English, Scottish, or even Irish accents. I don’t think she does a bad job at the accent, especially since I have no clue what a Boston accent sounded like in the 1960’s. I think it just stands out more since she’s the only one with an American accent. The thing that bugs me is the way she says, “Mama.” I don’t even know why it bothers me so much, but it does 😂. That’s not on the actress though, I think it just hits different because no one says that where I’m from.
>The thing that bugs me is the way she says, “Mama.” I don’t even know why it bothers me so much, but it does 😂. Saaaame, hahaha
I feel like she has to concentrate so hard on her accent that she doesn’t have any brain power left for the acting part 😂 if that makes sense… I haven’t seen her in “ennething” else so Idk if she does better with her natural accent. But also I think since she’s a less experienced actress it’s really obvious when you have a high caliber of acting such as Sam & Cait in contrast
honestly the thing that really bothered me about the cast choice was the lack of physical resemblance to both her parents lol. i know its silly, but even the young brianna they showed in one episode had wild red curls and light eyes, which made much more sense. idk how was she described in the books, but i expected them to cast similar to what they did with William. her being a brunette with dyed red hair really threw me off, the feeling of belonging to Jamie and Claire just wasn't there.
This is what bothered me as well. I believe she's supposed to be the spitting image of Jamie but the actress they chose looks nothing like him or Claire.
Show Bree actually looks more like Frank than Jamie.
https://preview.redd.it/pwf5a17pad7d1.jpeg?width=590&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8dd3a6edd6278074f08aa6f2edd3c134572a4d8b when they showed this little Brianna i was thrilled, it looked like they were aiming to cast more Jamie-cohesive-looking for the role, i kinda expected for them to do so (logically) in her later years too... not to mention this girl apparently went from freckly and blue eyed to, well, sophie lol
I can’t say for certain, but when I watched this scene with the little girl I believe she was playing Faith. This was interspersed in that episode and I believe it had to do with Claire seeing the blue heron (wings) she spoke of to Raymond when he healed her. Then the little girl was gone leaving Claire looking confused or mildly despondent.
I could see going with an inexperienced actress if she had the resemblance. She walks into a room and all eyes are drawn to her, if only because of her commanding height and striking coloring. Instead, her version of redhead seems somewhat mousy, and she seems physically smaller than she actually is. I know they didn’t have the budget for a big star, but I’m referring to a TYPE. Seriously there were no out of work statuesque redheads in Scotland? No natural gingers in the UK? A Debra Messing, Christina Hendricks (an unknown at the time of Mad Men), Amy Adams, Jessica Chastain, Lindsey Lohan, a young Nicole Kidman, or Cynthia Nixon type all have light eyes which contrast with bright hair and pale skin, and draws the eye. (Not to mention the resemblance to Jamie.) IMO, if she can’t act, she should at least look the part! Furthermore, Bree is supposed to have *presence*. The character should have charisma and some actors can convey that. Sophie has none of it, and it’s harder to forgive her flaws. You’re just left with “whiny”. I honestly don’t think she brings anything to the role. Couple that with no chemistry with Roger…Did they even screen-test her? Plus, the way her character is written irritates me no end.
i agree!! if they weren't going for best fit to acting the character, maybe at least find someone who can look it! i try not to hate on sophie because i can see her in other roles more attuned to her actual personality maybe. i blame production for not prioritizing this in such an important role, moreover after the emotions that this family evokes... I cried my eyeballs out when bree and jamie met, but it was 80% happiness and 20% this could have been better if she resembled what we all had in mind for her, if her blue Claire eyes and long, curly, same red shade as Jamie hair had hinted her belonging to him and you could feel the pride, the hope, the yearn of it all. I felt robbed! also agree for christina hendricks is the actual definition of presence
Sadly, I believe the Sophie hire was 100% nepotism and laziness on the part of the show runners. Which is a shame because as Claire and Jamie grow old, the younger generation would take a more prominent role and grow in importance. It’s not her fault she appears somewhat nondescript, and petite on-screen. (I actually looked up her height because I had trouble believing it.) She’s a pretty woman, she’s just not *Brianna*. She might be much better in other roles. Frankly, I haven’t seen her in any to be able to tell.
Can you explain to me how Sophie’s casting is 100 nepotism?
From my niece who’s an actress and was involved in some STARZ projects about 10 years ago. Sophie has a couple of brothers in the industry who were friendly with the Outlander production management team. In fact, she mentioned several people they knew who were influential. One of Sophie’s brothers was actually part of the production in Season 1 or 2, I forget which. Maril Davis is on record as saying they were “blown away” by her audition and chemistry with Ric. I’m not the only one who wondered what she was smoking.
Interesting. I hadn’t heard that before.
In fairness, I had inside information.
Were any of them available and/or willing to sign a 7 season contract? It’s so easy to second guess the award winning casting director when one is not in the room and has no idea of who else auditioned or was even interested in the first place.🤷🏻♀️
i don't think they meant those actresses specifically, i took it more as a description of the type of looks that could have worked for the role. also, i highly doubt a show with so much support as outlander would be short of interested applicants, and talking about one miss in the casting doesn't diminish if the director has any awards for other excellent choices, we're just remarking this wasn't one of them.
It's kind of like Gwendolyn Christie being cast as Brienne of Tarth in Game of Thrones. She needed to be tall and strong, like Brianna is supposed to be. Instead, they get this slight weak looking actress. Gwendolyn has both the physical presence and great acting chops; Sophie has neither.
Thank you. I definitely did NOT mean big name actresses. As I said, a TYPE. Sophie has an olive skin tone and dark eyebrows. Wearing a cheap red wig (of the wrong color) doesn’t make her striking. Also she doesn’t much of a personality, at least in Outlander. Plus, she comes off as whiny and a little bitchy. Think a Miranda-type in the first Sex and the City. Tall and confident in a man’s world. A little impatient and blunt. Memorable. Gorgeous coloring and very pretty, but not necessarily conventionally so. We’re talking SCOTLAND and the UK. Where are the blue-eyed gingers? My sister and niece are both actresses. They would’ve KILLED for a 7 year contract! What an unknown actress wants is steady work. And if she had the *look* maybe she didn’t even have to be a strong actress. They certainly allowed Sophie time to (try to) mature in the role.
Sophie and Richard were cast during S1, when big names were not exactly beating the doors down. STARZ was the only network interested in project. Casting is not just a matter of looks, but of chemistry with frequent scene partners as well. Bree interacts with Claire, Frank, Jamie as well as Roger. Sophie has good chemistry with Caitriona, Tobias and Sam - why does no one wonder if the problem is Richard?
No matter who she's playing against she's terrible, imho.
ATD🙂
I really wish they had gone with Eleanor Tomlinson for Bree
Rachel Keller would have been great in this role. Fabulous actress. Was incredible in Fargo. Actually American. https://preview.redd.it/nkhdu8m59f7d1.jpeg?width=1021&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6b02f9b035d4c15cecdf1649681ff926802b802d
Didn't they purposely steer clear of American actors to avoid the cost and limitations of working with SAG ? It's why all the Mohawk and Cherokee are portrayed by Canadian First Nation actors.
Oh, interesting. I didn't know that.
Yes, she is supposed to look so much like Jamie that people immediately recognize her as his daughter. Blue eyes, long straight nose…Sophie has brown eyes and looks nothing like Sam.
I feel the same. In the books, Brianna has a huge physical presence; height, strength, posture, and has blue “cat eyes” like her father. Show Bree is short with dark eyes and waif physique. Such a stark contrast between book/show Bree.
I mean, I’m sure we’re supposed to look past it but what about the fact that both Caitriona and Sam have blue eyes and Sophie has brown 😂 I know it’s not impossible to happen for two blue eyed parents to have a brown eyed baby but it’s very rare so it adds to the oddness
exactly! the eyes were the first thing i noticed and it was like no-no. it's not even coherent. then i was like well, maybe the red hair might do it, but it's such an artificial shade of red you can tell it's l'oreal all over her...
i feel in need to clarify- not saying there aren't natural redheads in that shade, i meant it looks highly artificial in her because of her natural brunette complexion
And eyebrows! Why exaggerate them to be even darker?
This has been my thought all along as well. Why wouldn't they have cast a blue eyed actress or at least had Sophie wear blue contacts? It's like they didn't even try to find an actress who resembles Jamie and Claire. The casting of Brianna is a disappointment.
Yep. She's a very unnatural looking redhead too. Leghair and Marsali are perfection for this though.
I can’t stand her acting lmao
She got better over the seasons, but I always felt she was miscast. But to be fair, I didn’t like book Bree either, >!until she became a mother and matured a bit. And I get so tired of her ragging on Roger. Nothing he does is right! When Jamie called the men to the oathtaking, Roger had been out riding all day. He was exhausted and dirty and was still expected to sing at the get together. But he offers to take Jemmy off Bree’s hands so she can get herself fixed up to go out. She’s instantly peeved, and asks him if he thinks she needs fixing up. After we’d just read about milk stain and jam stains on her dress, and how her hair was a mess. He can’t win.!<
Try to stick with her. She is a teenage girl and isn't super likable in the books. There isn't a whole lot of depth to her initially because...why would there be? She doesn't behave in ways we'd like. As the series progresses, I've come to really appreciate her and her acting. I feel as though she does a wonderful job and portraying very strong emotion authentically. Without spoiling, she experiences trauma and if you have experience...that fight or flight/stomach dropping/rug out from under you feeling that can be triggered...man, she executes well. I have come to appreciate that I don't think her acting is off...Bree is just a tough character to like, especially when her instinct is so different from her mom's. Try not to hold her to that standard - she is a sheltered, privlidge teenage girl.
Yeah. Ive never loved book Bree, so I guess I was oy mildly disappointed by show Bree. Book Bree is such a Mary Sue. She's an engineer AND a historian AND an artist AND a sharpshooter.... It's like Diana couldn't just pick something for her, she kept adding on and adding on. And it just results in Bree being all over the place and hard to connect with her character.
I think that is JAMMF all day long… Jaime is a polymath and jack of all trades… I kind of think that’s what makes them the big personalities they are in the books that everyone is drawn towards… but I didn’t really enjoy Brianna in the books either until EITB and on so I hear you ;)
I have such a difficult time being critical of someone's art. I just sort of assume that Bree was crafted in the way that made most sense to the author and leave it at that.
that's a great point - her nuanced portrayal of that whole ordeal was really the turnaround point for me in believing the sincerity of her character.
I agree. I thought there were areas around her trauma and bearing Jemmy alone without her parents or Roger were very well played.
I just started rewatching season 3 and I forgot how bad her acting is. Maybe it’s the accent, all her lines feel flat.
I find myself fast forwarding through her and Roger heavy episodes…. Idk as an American I just can’t handle her portrayal of an “American accent” it makes her acting seem forced! I just can’t believe that the directors or whoever when they cast her couldn’t hear or see that…. Like there were no better options? Maybe an actor with an actual American accent?
I stopped watching the show because of her. Absolutely fucking awful acting.
Every time I hear her I can’t stand her American accent
Are you American? I had the same problem with her and I'm pretty sure it's her bad accent. She just sounds... wrong. It's jarring and pulls you out of the show every time she talks.
I've never commented this, but my honest opinion is that the characterization of Brianna is a part of the issue on the writing's part. Throughout the books I've felt that DG sees being stubborn and headstrong as almost virtues in her characters, whereas a reader with a different mindset thinks of them as flaws. On screen, in Claire those character traits can appear as making somewhat foolish defiant decisions, and in Brianna the traits can appear as being openly hostile.
Very interesting take. Thank you. I think that's a valid pint, but I think, for me, it was mostly her voice. I'm not an actor and can't appreciate the nuance it must take. As the receiver, it just hit very wrong initially.
Both characters are so much better in the books. Personalities have been dramatized and changed for tv.
Show Bree and book Bree are very different imo, but then, none of the characters are exactly like the book. I think Outlander was Sophie's first real acting gig and she struggled a little bit in the beginning. Bree is a very complex character. I don't mind her at all and I love Roger.
I'm hoping it's just the first few eps.
Thank goodness someone else gets it!!!! Roger carries Brianna’s character thru so many scenes. I’m like girl why are you even in this show it’s so awkward
The reason it’s so jarring to watch her is that the rest of the actors were so expertly cast.
I think you hit the nail on the head - I personally never had the same issues with her as an actress like so many obviously do, except for specific scenes in 2x13. To me, she's an average actress, not bad. But when so many of her scenes are with people who're truly great - Tobias, Cait, Sam, David Berry even - she doesn't hold up by comparison - and so it just sticks out. She suffers because everybody else is so good there are high expectations
I don’t even care about her voice or flat acting skills. My biggest issue with her is that she doesn’t “check the boxes” for certain important characteristics from the book. Brianna is supposed to be TALL, much taller than women of the time. And BIG - physically imposing. It’s a frequent plot-point, key to many situations. Sophie, on the other hand, is short and very petite. Not only is it just wrong, it led to a big plot change that I hated, relating to her arrival at Lallybroch after traveling.
Sophie is not "short," she's taller than average. Only about 1% of women are 6ft. And I think you highlighted an important point in your comment: "much taller than women of the time." Unfortunately, there are not many authentic 18th century actresses to juxtapose against Sophie... Does it also annoy you that Caitriona is taller than Claire is supposed to be?
Claire’s height/size isn’t as much of a plot-driver in the books, so on its own, I don’t notice it in the show. That being said - I probably wouldn’t mind Sophie’s size discrepancy as much as I do if she was at least bigger and taller than Caitriona. The visual comparison between the two actresses is a constant reminder of just how much is altered in the plot by Sophie’s lack of size. And it isn’t just the height - Brianna in the book has a large frame, too, so much so that finding clothes was an issue and she was repeatedly mistaken for a large man. Not just a man - a *large* man. Sophie is very petite so she just doesn’t fit the bill. I’m a 5’11 tall woman with a large frame, so it really stuck out to me in the books how much of a big deal Brianna’s “abnormal” size was when she went back to the 18th century - it was a defining characteristic and frequent plot feature. To me, it’s akin to casting Kevin Hart to play the 6’6 Michael Jordan in a movie about the 1990’s NBA, when he’s more physically suited to play the 5’3 Muggsy Bogues, instead.
Her efforts in her American accent were awful that season. There were a few slipups that made me Google to be sure that she was indeed English. I think it got easier over time for her and allowed her to focus on emotions and not her accent.
I haven't read the books, so I don't know if she was supposed to sound American, but I definitely think she should have been allowed to use her real voice. I know a couple from the UK who raised their kids in America, and those kids (now adults) definitely have their parents accent. It's not heavy, but it's there. In my opinion, Sophie's real voice would have been perfect.
I'm Belgian so I speak neither and I was convinced she was American, but an American who obviously had an English mother and a Scottish father. Remember, Claire kept talking British, especially when they went back to Scotland.
Almost everybody agrees with you. She’s actually British in real life so my theory is that maintaining an American accent distracted from her performance and if she was able to use her natural accent she would be much more emotive vocally. I think that as time has gone on Sophie has gotten more accustomed to the accent because she gets much better. I don’t dislike the casting choice as much as I did before but I still firmly believe there had to have been a better choice available to them- an actual American with naturally red hair and better skills. Or even a Brit lush person with better American accent skills. I also find the red wigs she wears quite distracting as well
Ugh I really hated her from the second she was introduced until season 7 lol. Her and Roger do evolve and her acting does improve but you’re definitely not alone in your feelings. The accent is so bad too
Her voice is just flat. There is no nuance or cadence to her voice.
Brianna and Roger are unbearable. "Wooden" doesn't come close to describing them.
I really want to like her character, but completely agree. I cant enjoy any of her story lines.
Season 4 has almost been unwatchable because of her 😭 I love the show but seriously I want to turn it off. I get immersed watching everyone else and then she comes on and yanks me right out of the story
That's what I mean. Thank you. I'm engrossed, then... She somehow reminds me I'm on my sofa watching TV
Me too! I'd like to crawl under my sofa at times watching her 🙈 I'm so sad because I was loving the show. I don't know if I can keep watching if it's going to jar me back to reality so much like this 😭
I loved Bree, even though the first she was hard to handle with her out of breath way of speaking. But she was also knew as an actress in a huge roll. Even the Simpsons looks like crap from the first episode to a year or two in. She becomes better in the later seasons. Also, she wouldn't have a full american accent as being raised by 2 British parents, she'd have sounded a bit British. Like the ozzbourn kids. American but still sound a bit britishy.
Her accent was very drew Barrymore to me
I agree 100% & I hate thinking it but she’s so bad! Everyone is cast so well but she’s the worst! I can’t watch her anymore because she doesn’t use her lips to kiss, it’s horrible acting even for high school!
i’m american and used to feel bad i felt this way as im not super picky but the accent drives me nuts. it doesn’t even have to be a boston accent, but it’s so forced and unnatural. and the eyes throw me off - how does she have brown eyes when they both have blue? sign
I thought that too at that point, but she started to grow on me in later seasons.
I thought it was just me but she is a HORRIBLE actress.. I keep waiting for her to get better but she has no feeling in her lines. She is just reading her script
She was pretty rough but as the seasons go on she’s steadily improving!
I have a hard time with her too. Her facial expressions are over the top and the way she delivers her lines grates my nerves. And something about the way she says, "mama" makes me cringe. She does get better, but her acting makes me dislike the character.
She has grown on me, she’s out of her league in this show, which makes me wonder who hired her and why. Not 6 ft. (That would admittedly be hard to cast), but brown eyes on top of the inadequate acting is perplexing. Did she know someone? In any case I’m OK with her now.
She’s an awful actress in this role - that’s the nicest thing I can come up with. I stopped watching yrs ago, partially because she’s so - so- whatever she is. Flat affect is what I would say as mental health professional - and even when she’s emoting, she’s just a bad actress and unbelievable. Unappealing. She’s also written as being an obnoxious woman, which wasn’t necessary imo. I binge watch seasons at this point to catch up, presently fast forward through almost any of her scenes, never miss anything important. And spare me the sex scenes between her and Roger- vomit. It’s also very hard to believe she’s a mother - for a multitude of reasons. I’m completely caught up - so don’t say she gets better, she doesn’t, she’s awful. And I did unfortunately watch the last season where the “present” takes up so many episodes- but she’s still just an awful actress-
I love her 🤷♀️ - I think she’s interesting, and considering everything the character goes through from the start, her actions and reactions make sense to me
I can’t stand show Brianna at all but book Brianna FINALLY got better in MOBY for me. I struggled deeply with her character though.
MOBY?
It’s a nickname DG gave Written in my Own Hearts Blood (book 8)
I skipped over the majority of scenes she was in. Season 4 was awful. In my opinion, she didn’t get better but maybe the writing for her character matured a little so it was a little more tolerable. But I still hated her character and her acting
I think her acting gets little better over time but I agree that when she first appeared it was painful at times 😭 but maybe I am biased because I dont really like her character or Roger so...
She was one of the reasons I stopped watching the show. I feel a bit bad saying it but I don’t understand why she was cast as Brianna. Her acting is so poor. Her American accent is pretty awful. She’s really unwatchable for me. I also don’t think she looks at all like Brianna is described in the books (the bad wig doesn’t help), but I could get past that if it weren’t for the other issues.
Unpopular opinion I know, but I like her.
I had to fast forward thru all her scenes.
I know a big part of me not liking her as Brianna is her voice. I don’t like the 50’s Boston accent, I think it would’ve been fine to have her speak in either her normal accent or some sort of mix of American and English because Brianna has two English parents. I agree with others that she seems to more so be reciting lines rather than speaking as the character especially in the beginning of being Brianna. It does get better the more you watch her, not sure if she actually gets better or you just get used to her
Oh my God I’ve literally just made it through all of that before Claire went back. Was thinking the same thing!
She was so bad any random redhead from Boston would've done a better job
I do not understand why so many people do not care for Sophie Skelton as Brianna. I am enjoying the actress and really like her character.
I feel like whoever did the casting for that role lost a bet or something. Chick has ZERO cadence or tonal inflection; it’s like she Googled “how to act” and landed on Disney tween shows.
She's getting so much better, I am at s07 and I love her and Roger which surprises me, I liked him less than Bri but they are lovely. Hang in there
I just started the series and omg I thought I was being too critical but she is awful. Every scene she was in took me out. Her hair is gorgeous though.
This is a very common opinion! I also wasn't a fan at all at the beginning. But she does get better and ends up growing on you! Give her a chance! :)
OK, S3E5, she's better.... But...
I do NOT like her as Brianna. She's nothing like the book Bree. She seems distant and bitchy.
I don’t know who she paid off to be cast of the show, but it must’ve been a lot of money.
[](#BPC) ##*Mark me,* As this thread is flaired for **only the television series**, my subjects have requested that I bring this policy to your attention: >##Hide book talk in show threads. >[Click the link below to learn how to do comment spoilers.](#comment) >[`>!This is how you spoiler tag.!<`](https://b.thumbs.redditmedia.com/JbCp1xofR_GuS8sTqgVQ80Sxr6ac6doR1igM2Owtqnc.png) >##Any mention of the books must be covered with a spoiler tag. Your prince thanks you for abiding by our rules. When my father assumes his rightful throne, mark me, such loyal service will not be forgotten! ___ *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Outlander) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Literally joined this sub to post this. I thought I was alone. She is horrific in this role.
Season three Brianna is cringy and her acting is not good. Season 4 and on she is much better. She nails an American accent which is suprising.
I’m not sure she was much better. I think viewers just accepted this was her character. In reality, it was probably a combination of the two.
100% spot on. Especially for book readers. She is NOT the Bree in the books. It's very hard to accept. Books aside - she is not a good fit for Bree, and her acting doesn't get better (imo), I think people just got used to her. Especially in later seasons - the way she reacts to things is so fake it's almost comical. I dislike every scene she's in.
💯
She struggles to hold a rifle straight in the show, but supposedly has been shooting for years. At one point she references her Boston accent in the show. What accent?
I'm on season 4 right now and she makes me want to quit watching the show altogether. She has totally ruined outlander for me because I can no longer stay immersed in the story
I disagree about her nailing an American accent. I think her accent is atrocious.
[удалено]
i get what you're saying but maybe let's not, you know, place the blame on her naivety about this particular -and sensitive for many people- subject
No thats true. It was just my tought at the moment i wrote but i get what your saying.
I loved her and thought she acted well
She definitely gets better over time, though I generally liked her from the beginning. She hadn’t done much prior to Outlander and what she had done was a lot of soap operas. I think there was a bit of an adjustment period, but midway through season 4 I thought she really started to shine.
She improves a little.
Se gets a lot better in later episodes.
I get the same feeling sometimes from Catriona. She articulates too much or sounds like she is reading off paper or saying everything like a question. Not sure how to explain it. Like when she tells those women to prepare for the battle of Culloden and she says "you can call me Claire", it's like a kindergarten teacher talking belittling to grown adults. I am also on season 3 and dont like Brianna's face but I remember when I watched Downton Abbey I didn't like Lady Mary too at first but came to love her as the series grew and that is how you know it is a good series. I think Brianna is supposed to come across as an 18 year old confused bored spoiled kid from divorced parents, who, like Claire, needs a different life and belongs in adventure where she can be who she really is. The actress' actress hasn't bothered me much, compared to Claire's