A bit confused

I know it shouldn't matter one iota, but I've been a bit perplexed that the 'heroes' of some TV shows I've been watching are non-Americans who have mastered a near-flawless American accent.  This seems to be more and more of a trend.  Do we do the same over there in their films?  Americans are notoriously bad with other country's accents.

Some recent spottings:

"Eli Stone"             Johnny Lee Miller, from Surrey England, playing an American lawyer
"Journeyman"       Kevin McKidd, from Scotland, playing an American journalist
"Nip/Tuck"             Julian McMahon, from New South Wales, Australia, playing an American plastic surgeon
"New Amsterdam"   Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, from Denmark, playing a 400 year old Dutch American (with generic US accent)
"Torchwood"        John Barrowman* from Scotland, playing a 51st century whatever living in the 21st century in Cardiff, with an American accent
"3:10 to Yuma"     Russell Crowe and Christian Bale playing American characters from the 1880s (or so) American West**

Most of these I had no idea were not born and raised in the US Midwest until I read their bios online.   I'm just amazed at their proficiency of mimicking accents that are not native to them!

And of course Canadians barely have to fake it at all, unless they are French Canadian.

In some of these roles, I can't imagine why it matters WHAT accent they have.

* He learned an American accent as self-defense in high school when his family was living in the states for a period of time, so his accent is valid. I've never heard him in his native Scotish yet.

** I haven't seen this one yet, but I'll assume they were faking Americanese.

A bit confused

I know it shouldn't matter one iota, but I've been a bit perplexed that the 'heroes' of some TV shows I've been watching are non-Americans who have mastered a near-flawless American accent.  This seems to be more and more of a trend.  Do we do the same over there in their films?  Americans are notoriously bad with other country's accents.

Some recent spottings:

"Eli Stone"             Johnny Lee Miller, from Surrey England, playing an American lawyer
"Journeyman"       Kevin McKidd, from Scotland, playing an American journalist
"Nip/Tuck"             Julian McMahon, from New South Wales, Australia, playing an American plastic surgeon
"New Amsterdam"   Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, from Denmark, playing a 400 year old Dutch American (with generic US accent)
"Torchwood"        John Barrowman* from Scotland, playing a 51st century whatever living in the 21st century in Cardiff, with an American accent
"3:10 to Yuma"     Russell Crowe and Christian Bale playing American characters from the 1880s (or so) American West**

Most of these I had no idea were not born and raised in the US Midwest until I read their bios online.   I'm just amazed at their proficiency of mimicking accents that are not native to them!

And of course Canadians barely have to fake it at all, unless they are French Canadian.

In some of these roles, I can't imagine why it matters WHAT accent they have.

* He learned an American accent as self-defense in high school when his family was living in the states for a period of time, so his accent is valid. I've never heard him in his native Scotish yet.

** I haven't seen this one yet, but I'll assume they were faking Americanese.