Accent on U.S. Stars

There is a pattern going on in Hollywood that has as much to say about America as it does about the movie industry. Where are the beautiful and talented actresses who have foreign accents?

One way to stardom in movies is to create a sensation--get noticed in a really “showy” role.

Persis Khambatta (“Star Trek--The Motion Picture”), Marthe Keller (“Bobby Deerfield”), Sonia Braga (“Kiss of the Spider Woman”), Nastassja Kinski (“Tess”) and others have done that.

But their careers in the United States did not skyrocket. Despite the legends, Greta Garbo and Sophia Loren, American audiences still are reticent to embrace performers with accents, and Hollywood doesn’t want to make the effort to sell it to them. Why won’t U.S. audiences accept subtitles? Why are not only foreign-language films marginalized in “art houses,” but also most English-language films from Britain and Australia as well?

What does this say about us? Many Americans grew (grow) up with parents or grandparents who are immigrants, who speak with an accent, yet they reject them on the screen. It would be sobering to hear what these actresses have to say about Hollywood.

MICHAEL STEIN

West Hollywood