Celebrity al pacino films

Al Pacino’s hilarious attempt at an English accent went viral again, and it has to be heard to be believed

David Harris. Updated April 15th, 2026

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There’s a long tradition of American actors trying to get to grips with different English accents and falling flat on their arses, or ‘asses’.

Since Dick Van Dyke’s notoriously mangled vowels in Mary Poppins, other notable failures include Kevin Costner’s half-hearted attempt in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Keanu Reeves‘ bafflingly monotone turn in Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Don Cheadle’s ear-melting stab at being a cockney in Ocean’s Eleven.

But this clip from 1990’s The Local Stigmatic (nope, us neither), may be the worst attempt at an English accent ever in the history of film. At least we think it’s meant to be an English accent, it’s genuinely hard to tell.

It’s even more surprising that the tortured noises are coming from the face of none other than Al Pacino, one of the finest and most acclaimed actors of American cinema.

Thanks to No Context Brits for sharing on Twitter.

What in the heck?

And so to the reactions.

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If you want to punish your ears a little longer, you can watch a five-minute clip of the film here.

Source No Context Brits Image Screengrab, Screengrab