History Main / Fauxreigner

* ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade'' -- Indy impersonates a disgruntled Scottish collector of tapestries to gain access to an Austrian castle. When the guise doesn't work as well as hoped, Indy quickly resorts to [[TimeForPlanB Plan B]]. Guess what that is?

* In ''Film/{{Clue}}'', FrenchMaid Yvette speaks with a French accent for most of the movie, [[OohMeAccentsSlipping although it's sometimes heavier and sometimes lighter]] and seemingly being a bit of a FunnyForeigner. When she's away from everyone else however, and believes herself to be speaking with her secret employer, she drops the French accent entirely and speaks with an American accent. Miss Scarlet, who runs a brothel in Washington D.C., also confirms that Yvette used to work for her there.

* Creator/MelissaMcCarthy movie ''Film/{{Spy}}'' has Aldo, the hilariously over the top collection of Italian stereotypes, which includes fashionable dressing, [[LovableSexManiac inappropriate flirting with/sexual harassment of every woman in sight]], [[DrivesLikeCrazy driving like a complete madman]], etc. At the end of the movie he explains to the main character that his name is actually Albert, he's part of UsefulNotes/{{MI6}}, and Aldo was just a cover identity he got a little too into, apologizing for his behavior [[QuintessentialBritishGentleman like a proper British gentleman]] all the while. However, he then screws with her head a little bit by hinting that maybe he's faking being English instead, and continually switches back and forth between English and Italian accents, complete with different ways of carrying himself.

* ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail'' {{lampshade|Hanging}}s this with the French Knights. ''"Ah'm Franch! Why do you theenk ah 'ave zis OUT-ray-juice accent, you silly king?"''

* Kairi in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' fakes a heavy Japanese accent because it sells more fish that way. She speaks normally when she isn't working or teaching her students.

** ''Literature/{{Jingo}}'' also provides a complex inversion involving Vetinari and Fred Colon, who has been trying to pass himself off as a local, with about as much success as might be expected. Vetinari steps in, passing HIMSELF off as a generic “foreign stage magician” and explains that Colon is, in fact, from Ur - a Discworld region proverbial for bucolic stupidity. The crowd are happy with this, Colon is completely oblivious to what has just happened, and all go about their business..

* The Frenchman in ''Comicbook/TheBoys'' is heavily implied to be this by his [[MultipleChoicePast origin issue.]] His GratuitousFrench is often inaccurate, he's a former member of the French Foreign Legion (a group made up mostly of, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin well]], foreigners, he claims to come from the town of [[BilingualBonus Franglais, meaning "French-English,"]] and he sometimes [[OohMeAccentsSlipping slips in phrases]] like "wanker" and "mum," that would be more typical for a Brit. Of course, he's also insane, so it's hard to call.

* In the ''Series/NedsDeclassifiedSchoolSurvivalGuide'' episode "The New Kid", Cookie tries to reinvent himself as a British transfer student when entering a new class so that they will think he's exotic and special, but immediately gets called out and exposed by [[IAmOneOfThoseToo an actual British transfer student]]. [[spoiler:He later catches the "Brit" [[SeparatedByACommonLanguage using American terms instead of British ones]] and realizes that he's ''also'' a Fauxreigner, pulling the same as Cookie, for similar reasons (he's an actual transfer student, but from ''[[FlyoverCountry Ohio]]'').]]

* In an episode of ''Series/NedsDeclassifiedSchoolSurvivalGuide'', Cookie tries to reinvent himself as a British transfer student when entering a new class so that they will think he's exotic and special, but immediately gets called out and exposed by [[IAmOneOfThoseToo an actual British transfer student]]. [[spoiler:He later catches the "Brit" [[SeparatedByACommonLanguage using American terms instead of British ones]] and realizes that he's ''also'' a Fauxreigner, pulling the same trick that Cookie was for the same reason.]]

* In the first case of ''VisualNovel/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney'', [[spoiler:the timid waitress with a thick Russian accent Olga Orly is actually a loud-mouthed con artist]]. The singer Lamiroir from Turnabout Serenade isn't actually Borginian by birth and can speak fluent English, but she only speaks Borginese in public since her manager believed it would add to her mystery. WordOfGod also confirms that Klavier Gavin [[http://www.capcom-unity.com/zeroobjections/blog/2014/10/31/ace-attorney-trilogy---surprising-tidbits-you-never-knew isn't actually German.]]

* ''ComicBook/TheShadowHero'' has a YellowPeril Chinese villain, who turns out to be a white American petty crook in {{Yellowface}} make-up who is acting as a front man for the actual, realistically-portrayed, Chinese villain. It's implied that this was both to keep the real villain's face less well known, and for a kind of ObfuscatingStupidity with respect to white people.
* HerrDoktor Count Baron Napoleon von Strudel in the ''WesternAnimation/WallaceAndGromit'' comics is not actually German, although that's not a huge surprise given that his surname is taken from a foodstuff. He's actually English. He knew Wallace at school. His real name is Bert Maudsley

[[folder: Di Restling Proffessionario]]

* [[spoiler: Olga Orly]] in ''VisualNovel/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney''. Klavier Gavin as well, [[http://www.capcom-unity.com/zeroobjections/blog/2014/10/31/ace-attorney-trilogy---surprising-tidbits-you-never-knew according to]] WordOfGod.
** Also Lamiroir.
** Armstrong in ''Trials and Tribulations'' seems to be faking the whole "French chef" thing. The judge picks up on this when Armstrong mistakenly uses Spanish instead of French.
* ''VideoGame/{{BioShock|1}}'' did this with [[spoiler: Atlas, actually New York mobster Frank Fontaine putting on an Irish accent. It slips from time to time with certain words. Later in the game after TheReveal of his actual identity, Fontaine briefly puts on the Atlas voice again with even more exaggeration and Irish stereotyping just to mock Jack.]]

[[folder: Animaation Westelijk]]

* Although the Jamaican football team who qualfied for the 1998 World Cup were known as the Reggae Boyz, around half the squad were actually English-born to Jamaican families (including Darryl Powell, whose father actually was a reggae musician). Such players are playfully known in Jamaica as UB40s, in reference to the multiracial British reggae band.

* A significant part of the Republic of Ireland's national football side in the Eighties and Nineties, due to the qualification rules. They're still in place, and similar situations can and do happen with other national sides, extending to other sports as well...

** ''Discworld/{{Maskerade}}'' had Enrico Basilica, a trained opera singer, who realised that he'd never make it in Opera as boring old Henry Slugg, so he pretended not to speak a word of the language and demanded to be treated to exotic food. However, he came to regret being trapped in the Basilico persona; he also came to be sick of the pasta his hosts always cooked him, when what he really wanted was a good pork pie and a beer.
** This is a fairly common joke in the Discworld novels. ''Discworld/AHatFullOfSky'' mentions a pair of circus acrobat twins who used the same foreign-name ruse for the same reason.
** An example of a character playing up their identity is 71-hour Ahmed in ''Discworld/{{Jingo}}'', who finds it convenient to be a stereotypical Klatchian who stepped straight from Literature/ArabianNights, but can actually speak Morpokian with barely a trace of an accent (which he could do because he was, like so many, schooled in Ankh-Morpork as a youth), and even takes on Ankh-Morpork mannerisms when in Klatch. As he explains, "Always be a little bit foreign wherever you are, because everyone knows foreigners are a little bit stupid." Incidentally, he tipped his hand about the ObfuscatingStupidity quite early on, seeing something of a kindred spirit in Sam Vimes, yet still managed to surprise him with his mastery of the language.
** Then there's [[Discworld/TheTruth Otto von Chriek]], the mostly-harmless vampire photographer, who dresses silly and speaks with a thick accent and is generally a nice guy, even though if he wanted to he could rip your limbs out of their sockets and beat you to death with them. He explains that being so silly, no one takes a second glance...even when you're taking pictures of an anti-vampire demonstration.

** In ''Discworld/{{Pyramids}}'', Ptraci speaks Ephebian with a ptrace of her Djelibeybi accent, because it sounds more exotic. Pteppic understands: "An assassin is supposed to be a little bit foreign wherever he goes. [[StrangerInAFamiliarLand I'm good at that part]]".

Sometimes, this trick is done with someone who is from another country, but is actually pretty sane; they simply play it up. At other times, this trope is used to justify an actor's [[OohMeAccentsSlipping appalling accent]]. Very often overlaps with ElectiveBrokenLanguage.

* "Mao" on ''WesternAnimation/FriskyDingo'', a white dry cleaner pretending to be Chinese in order to qualify for a minority business loan.
** ''"Those loans are for non-threatening women of color!"''
** And Grace Ryan's incredibly racist "disguise" as a Chinese woman.

* A flashback at the beginning of ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'' episode "Now Museum, Now You Don't" shows Dr. Jonas Venture Sr. infiltrating Scaramantula's inner circle as the Japanese Dr. Fandragon. The disguise includes using his fingers to pull his eyelids back and a superfluous third nipple (on his chin). Scaramantula seems to notice that Fandragon isn't actually Japanese, but can't seem to put together that it's specifically Dr. Venture.

* The members of most of the rival schools in ''Anime/GirlsUndPanzer'' exhibit NationalStereotypes that are mostly in line with the theme of their schools. Subverted in that despite how stereotypical these characters may act, they still identify as Japanese. One character is an aversion as she is genuinely a foreigner who happens to be studying in the school that exhibits stereotypes of her nationality.

* Creator/MelissaMcCarthy movie ''Film/{{Spy}}'' has Aldo, the hilariously over the top collection of Italian stereotypes, which includes fashionable dressing, [[LovableSexManiac inappropriate flirting with/sexual harassment of every woman in sight]], [[DrivesLikeCrazy driving like a complete madman]], etc. At the end of the movie he explains to the main character that his name is actually Albert, he's part of {{MI6}}, and Aldo was just a cover identity he got a little too into, apologizing for his behavior [[QuintessentialBritishGentleman like a proper British gentleman]] all the while. However, he then screws with her head a little bit by hinting that maybe he's faking being English instead, and continually switches back and forth between English and Italian accents, complete with different ways of carrying himself.

* ''Fanfic/TheSevenMisfortunesOfLadyFortune'', Marinette (a half-Chinese born in France) pretends to be a native Chinese speaker.

* Kaere/Kaede Kimura of ''Manga/SayonaraZetsubouSensei'' fits into the typical ForeignFanservice image and has a type two {{Eagleland}} characterization, particularly her frequent threats to sue people. However, she falls into this because of her ridiculous claims about her (never named) home country, and a couple of episodes reference the fact she pretends to speak English, but actually barely knows a single word, and was only briefly outside of Japan. When he first meets her, Majiru [[MouthyKid Itoshiki]] actually calls her a "blond fake foreigner".

* A favorite example of some fans is the stage play ''Theatre/TheForeigner'' by Larry Shue. Charlie is actually an Englishman in backwoods Georgia, but is so shy and depressed that he doesn't want to have to talk to anyone. His friend, Froggy then sets up the premise that Charlie is a foreigner who can't speak any English and therefore should just be left alone. Well, that doesn't quite work out as planned, but HilarityEnsues and fortunately, [[AllIsWellThatEndsWell it all works out in the end]].

* ''Theatre/MyFairLady:'' At the embassy ball, Kaparthy demonstrates his ability to detect fraud by pointing out a foreign diplomat whose origins are actually English working-class, and who pretends he speaks no English because if any English person heard him speak they'd immediately realize the truth.