The Worst Scottish Accents in Movie History

The dodgy foreign accent is a time-honoured tradition in the world of cinema. Keanu Reeves’ infamous posh English twang in Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Jared Leto’s Mario-esque cartoon interpretation of Italian in The House of Gucci. Tom Cruise’s sing-song stereotype caricature version of Irish in Far and Away.

Unfortunately, the Scottish accent has not been immune to this particular Hollywood ailment. From Glasgow to Gretna, many actors have attempted to put on their best Caledonian vocal imitation, with some having more success than others. Here is a list of the top 5 worst Scottish accents in cinema history.

Number 5 – Gerard Butler in 300 (2006)

Perhaps a controversial choice for this list as Gerard Butler is actually Scottish and is not guilty of a poor attempt at a Scottish accent. His Scottish accent is just fine, very natural. The issue is that in 300, he is supposed to be King Leonidas, the Greek leader of Sparta, and he sounds like he’s just stepped off the plane in Heraklion on a lad’s holiday from Prestwick Airport. He makes no attempt to feign even a vaguely foreign accent, which is admirable or despicable depending on your outlook I suppose, instead opting to go all in on his natural dialect.

Number 4 – Cary Elwes in A Castle for Christmas (2021)

Netflix have gained a reputation for producing genuinely quality pieces of cinema in the last few years, working with the likes of Martin Scorsese and Jane Campion and making films that have wooed critics and audiences alike. A Castle for Christmas has not done Netflix’s reputation any favours among the people of Scotland, or among anyone who is vaguely familiar with what Scottish people sound like. Cary Elwes, best known for his portrayal of Robin Hood, absolutely butchers the Scottish accent, delivering a performance so terrible that people petitioned for the film to be removed from the streaming service.

Number 3 – Mel Gibson in Braveheart (1995)

This Mel Gibson historical Scottish epic was a big hit with the critics, winning five Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director for Gibson. There is not, to my knowledge anyway, an Academy Award for Best Accent. If there was, Mel Gibson certainly would not have won it. His William Wallace sports a bizarre, almost American version of a Scottish accent, his famous “they may take our lives” speech bordering on sounding like the words of a keynote speaker at a Republican Party Conference. It’s so bad you’re almost happy when he gets his head stuck on a pike at the end.

Number 2 – James Doohan in Star Trek (1966-1994)

Star Trek is one of my dad’s favourite shows of all times, and as a result, I was often subjected to it when I was growing up. James Doohan played the Enterprises’ Scottish engineer, cleverly named, Scotty. Doohan helped pioneer the Groundskeeper Willy style of Scottish accent, ensuring that generations of people would assume that we all sound like idiots. Don’t beam me up Scotty, not with that accent.

Number 1 – Christopher Lambert in Highlander (1989).

Highlander is an over-the-top, ridiculous, peak 80s action movie, telling the story of the immortal Highland warrior, Connor MacLeod. The problem is, instead of casting a Scotsman, or someone capable of pretending to be a Scotsman, or someone who could point out Scotland on a map and give their worst impression of an “Och aye the noo” Scottish accent, they chose to go with Christopher Lambert, a French American actor who spent the majority of his adolescence in Geneva and Paris, hardly strongholds of the Scottish diaspora. In a film where Sean Connery plays an immortal Ancient Egyptian called Juan Sanchez-Villalobos Ramirez and speaks in his natural Scottish twang with a complete straight face, Lambert still manages to outshine him in the dodgy accent department. Which is quite the accomplishment. Witness it in all its glory.