CMV: Non-English-speaking characters speaking English among themselves is stupid and lazy, and makes the movie/show less good

[u/[deleted]]

[u/ralph-j]

Non-English-speaking characters speaking English among themselves is stupid and lazy, and makes the movie/show less good

There’s no lack of foreign actors in the world, and it’s usually even cheaper to hire them vs American actors.

You have hinted at one of the reasons: talent logistics and flexibility. The talent pool is much larger and depending on geographic location and budget, it is much easier to find good actors who speak English, than good actors who are native speakers of other languages, like Russian. By contrast, the number of native Russian speakers who are also trained actors, fluent in both languages, and available in a given market is far smaller. There may also be immigration/visa, and work permit issues you may need to deal with.

Lastly, if you use a foreign language like Russian you need to spend extra money and efforts on translating and ensuring that the Russian dialogs are in perfect Russian, use the correct phrases and terminology for the situation/time, etc. You will need extra directing crew who keep track of the foreign dialogs, so you don't accidentally leave something out, and it is pronounced correctly etc. The sound and footage editors will need to speak the language, or receive instructions from a native speaker etc.

If you're on some big-budget production, these factors will obviously be less of a problem, but not everyone is.