MovieChat Forums > 101 Dalmatians (1996) Discussion > Roger an American living and working in ...

Roger an American living and working in England?

posted 18 years ago by cadams-5
16 replies | jump to latest

I have thought about this for a little while, but is Roger an American working in England or did Dinsey not want him to get an English accent thinking it might be like Mary Poppins with Bert? I just thought it was interesting that he is no where close to being British in this film and I just wanted hear other people's thoughts of why he was living in England. Maybe he want to college there and stayed on an extended visa? Not sure, but I would love to hear other people's thoughts.

[–] lotrfan18 18 years ago

Well the one reason I can think of is that he was American in the animated film and they wanted him to be basically the same. I think he just moved there because he thought he had a better chance of making it big there. . . though I could be wrong.

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[–] kidavis3 18 years ago

i don't think roger was an american in the 1961 animated film

[–] radioguyreturns 18 years ago

Jeff Danniels is a NAME.
Glenn Close is a NAME.
Joely Richardson SHOULD be a name, but wasn't. (Well, moreso now, but still not as big)

As a yank, I feel ashamed when british films, or films that ought to have 100% british casts, are consistently ruined like that.

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[–] caseyrook 12 years ago

Paging John Goodman in The Borrowers! He was really the only American in that flick, although he was a really good villain.

And he's from my hometown.

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[–] finnbarius 18 years ago

Simple answer - the original book it is based upon is set in England.

Roger is American only in the film, presumably in an attempt to keep the interest of the American film-going public.

[–] Big_W 18 years ago

And bear in mind that something like 30% of people living in London are not English. And that the fifth most common nationality of an immigrant to England is American.

[–] Oh_Don_Piano 18 years ago

Hugh Grant was offered the part of Roger so I guess they did try 2 keep it British - Can't get more 'Mary Poppins' than Hugh Grant!!

[–] MyMovieTVRomance 10 years ago

Hugh Grant was offered the part of Roger so I guess they did try 2 keep it British

Really? Well, then what a crime shame that he didn't take the part! He matches the role much better than Jeff Danials, in my opinion.

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[–] Isaac5855 18 years ago

I believe Roger was an American in the animated film, wasn't he? And yes, the inevitable Dick Van Dyke analogy crosseed my mind too. I'm glad Daniels chose not to attempt an accent. Van Dyke's was very inconsistent in MARY POPPINS and I think it distracted from his performance.

[–] cantremember 18 years ago

im pretty sure roger was english in the animation especially since the actor voicing him was english and was known for his accents..

and in response to radioguyreturns dont even start about american actors in british films. every movie hollywood churns out has a british or australian actor in it. not that it matters but you dont have room to complain

and how, isaac, are you seriously evaluating van dyke's performance in mary poppins? it was fun and light hearted. take some ritalin if youre that easily distracted

[–] Isaac5855 18 years ago

Don't get me wrong, MARY POPPINS is still my absolute favorite movie EVER and I love Dick Van Dyke in it...but you have to admit his cockney accent went in and out throughout the film.

[–] drxcreatures 15 years ago

My ONLY guess is that he moved to London, to seek his fortune. maybe he was promised great rewards, there. I wished they could have explained his background by one sentence (at least). It was a bit dumb.

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[–] lotsofwordz 13 years ago

"every movie hollywood churns out has a british or australian actor in it."

Oh, dear. On which planet?
And when they do have a Brit, half the time he is a villain and most of the rest are gay characters.

[–] drxcreatures 15 years ago

Roger was not an American, in the animated film.

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[–] katrina-disneyfanatic 18 years ago

In a read-along book I have of this movie, they say that Roger is American. My theory: he's American-born, but later in life moved to London. People do it all the time.
However, in both the book and the original movie, Roger is English.

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[–] jajceboy 10 years ago

Why is this even an issue?
England is not only English people. People come there to work and live all the time.
I believe Roger is American that came to England to live and work and just stayed there. Nothing unusual actually!
A lot of Americans live in England and London.