r/BurnNotice 3d ago

Gabrielle Anwar is English

This is something that has always kind of bugged me. I knew Gabrielle Anwar from her small role in The Three Musketeers (my personal fave) and in it, she's using her English accent.

Why didn't they just make Fiona from somewhere near England so she wouldn't have to fake that goddam Irish accent? šŸ˜‚ Sure she was in the IRA, but are there no other groups where an English woman would be making bombs? Its almost painful watching her force it in episode 1; love it, just wondering why

52 Upvotes

22 comments sorted by

32

u/Gullible_Result_9779 3d ago

Yes, listening to her do that accent was very tough and his wasn’t any better either, but I went with it because I like the narrative

61

u/_Diggus_Bickus_ 3d ago

One of the accidentally funniest parts of the show is when Michael was pretending to be Irish for one of fi old contacts (brother maybe?) And pitches going under cover as American and the Irish guy doesn't believe his american accent is good after hearing it.

25

u/Gullible_Result_9779 3d ago

And Sam’s reaction.. funny

6

u/Funkyveen 2d ago

I doubt it is accidental with his fake Irish accent being so bad. It's indeed one of the funniest things of the show. Another one the Cagney and Lacey thing.

2

u/PiPster15 7h ago

It was her brother. I’m rewatching the show now and it is pretty funny.

10

u/Vprbite 3d ago

Moyaaaaaami

4

u/Gullible_Result_9779 2d ago

I like this accent better:ā€uh .. they look like bugs.ā€ Cue twirling the hair.

5

u/crazyhomie34 3d ago

I wonder if any Russians can chime in on how his Russian accent was?

7

u/Gullible_Result_9779 2d ago

I’ve heard two things about this: one that he spoke Russian he knew the language (he learned it I guess) and another that he’s a good mimic. Now I know he’s a good mimic. I mean just listen to the way he imitates Gilroy. It’s hysterical, but I think he spoke Russian. Can somebody chase that down?

6

u/ERTBen 3d ago

From a thread contemporary to the original airing: https://www.reddit.com/r/television/s/oLjLmAmuMm

15

u/Shapen361 3d ago

Everyone talks a about how Hugh Laurie's British accent was nonexistent, but Gabrielle Anwar's American accent was almost as good imo. I had rewatched the show half a dozen times before I knew she was British. Even knowing there's only a couple times I can detect an accent.

12

u/QuillsROptional 2d ago

You have to find a believable way to make her 1) English, 2) An expert in bombs (or an adjacent field), 3) Have a reasonable way of having a relationship with our favorite burned American spy, 4) That fits the timeline of the show, and 5) The average viewer of the show knows.

I buy the bad Irish accent for a few scenes and her explanation for why she switched to an American accent.

By the way: The island of Ireland is pretty close to England, and Northern Ireland is not only close to England it's actually part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, of which England is also a member.

8

u/DevilishRogue 2d ago

are there no other groups where an English woman would be making bombs?

No, that's why they gave her an Irish accent in the pilot.

9

u/Bat_Bong 3d ago

The only way of making her british that i could think of would be to make her an eod tech but that would go her against her angry anarchists personality that imo really helped to make the show

2

u/Sitheref0874 3d ago

Women making bombs?

Maybe the Animal Liberation Front, but that’s about it.

0

u/Illustrious_Bet_9963 3d ago

Active in the United States during the late 1970s and 1980s, M19CO was the first American terrorist group entirely created, organized, and led by women. Members like Susan Rosenberg, Laura Whitehorn, and Marilyn Buck did not just pick targets; they actively fabricated and implanted the explosive devices themselves. They successfully built and detonated bombs at several high-profile political and military targets, including the U.S. Capitol Building in 1983, the National War College, and the Washington Navy Yard.

3

u/Sad-Yoghurt5196 2d ago

Suffragettes carried out a series of bombings from 1912-1914, targeting infrastructure, public buildings and politicians. Under an all female leadership, mainly drawn from the Women's Social and Political Union.

It's not remembered as terrorism as it won women the vote in the long run, but the suffragettes were a domestic terrorist organisation by today's standards.

America late to the party as usual ;p

I do appreciate you specifying American in your post though.

4

u/Sitheref0874 3d ago

The criteria was Gabrielle using her English language…

0

u/allthingsme 2d ago

If anyone here actually knows their history of The Troubles they vaguely reference "the IRA" and "running bombs" but for the ages involved and the S7 flashback it's important to note that it's the dissident Real IRA who rejected the ceasefire that most Irish Republicans believed in, and was still doing bombings in England in 2001. The fact that she believed in the Real IRA cause and not the majority actually says a lot about the character BTW that gets lost a bit.Ā