The worst Scottish accents in movies over the years from Star Trek to Braveheart
The Daily Record has journeyed back in time to round up some of the most questionable Scottish accents that have ever appeared in films, from Highlander to Rob Roy.
If you ask anyone from around the world the first thing that comes to mind when talking about Scotland, there is a good chance it will be the Scottish accent.
While those of us who actually live here know that the country is home to a range of different regional accents that can sometimes sound nothing alike, there is a very generic 'Scottish accent' that most Scots will no doubt have had to hear countless torturous impressions of in their lives.
This is probably because, whenever a character in a film is supposed to be Scottish, actors and actresses tend to put on an often comically exaggerated accent. While most of the time it gets the job done and sounds close enough, there are a few very notable exceptions.
Over the years, many otherwise talented actors have fallen victim to a truly terrible Scottish accent that has haunted them ever since. The Daily Record has decided to take a look back at some of these hilarious misfires.
Read on for a roundup of the most questionable Scottish accents that have appeared in films throughout the years.
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Mel Gibson in Braveheart
Being a favourite amongst people all over the world, and a sore spot for many Scots who have issues with its historical accuracy, we couldn't not mention Braveheart here. Mel Gibson's attempt at a Scottish accent isn't the worst thing in the world — which is certainly not to say it is good — but combined with everything else the movie gets wrong, it has more than earned a spot on this list.
(Image: 20th Century-Fox/Getty Images)1 of 10Christopher Lambert in Highlander
This one kind of gets a pass because the campiness is the whole point, but we would be remiss not to at least mention French actor Christopher Lambert's hilariously poor attempt at a Scottish accent in Highlander. In his defence, the film was only his second English-speaking role. Easily crossing over into so-bad-it-is-good territory, it has provided countless laughs ever since the film's release in 1986.
(Image: Georges DE KEERLE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)2 of 10Jessica Chastain in The Huntsman: Winter’s War
Jessica Chastain is an Oscar-winning actress, so you know she's incredibly talented. Unfortunately, she was not able to pull off anything close to a believable Scottish accent in this 2016 action flick. You'd be forgiven for thinking her character was supposed to be Irish, or even French.
(Image: Michael Boardman/WireImage)3 of 10Chris Hemsworth in The Huntsman: Winter's War
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That's right, The Huntsman: Winter’s War has the honour (if you want to call it that) of being on this list twice. It is safe to say Australian actor Chris Hemsworth did not fare any better than his costar Chastain with his attempt at a Scottish accent. While appearing on The Graham Norton Show back in 2020, he even made the hilarious revelation that one reviewer called it "the worst Glaswegian accent since Fat B*****d" in Austin Powers.
(Image: Steve Granitz/WireImage)4 of 10
