Ever wonder how foreign actors pick up American accents for roles? Irish actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers says part of it's growing up with American TV shows.

"It's almost subconscious," Meyers told Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa on 'Live With Regis & Kelly' (weekdays, syndicated) this morning on watching shows like 'Miami Vice,' '21 Jump Street,' and 'Dallas' when he was a kid. "Because this is constantly being filtered into your living room, and you're hearing it through the tube the whole time, it's so much easier when you're an adult to be able to go to that accent."

As Ripa reminded him, though, "Well, you're a gifted actor!" Yeah, that definitely has something to do with it.

Watch the video after the jump.

Attention, TV Squad readers, my friends and fellow television fans, it's time to announce the winner for The Excellence in Outsourcing Award, that is, the foreign actor who possesses the best American accent. There were many worthy nominees, but the overwhelming winner was House, MD himself, actor Hugh Laurie. That Englishman, one of her majesty's loyal subjects, has been making us all believe that he's just a Jersey boy. As Dr. Gregory House of Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, he sounds like he was born in south Jersey, spent his summers in Asbury Park, and is as much a Garden Stater as Bruce Springsteen and Tony Soprano.
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It's a trend that you might not realize is happening. It's never been easy for American actors to get steady gigs on popular television shows. Once they get in the door, they may be golden ... or the show might be canceled after a few episodes. Then there's the plethora of reality shows, game shows, and other unscripted television fare which all take away available work for actors.

Oh, that new trend? Talent from abroad is coming here, getting cast on television shows, and adopting American accents. My personal favorite Baltimore's Finest is Domenic West playing Jimmy McNulty on The Wire. He was born and raised in England, went to college in Dublin. In an episode during the second season, he had to speak with a British accent. It sounded fake because I'm used to his American accent.