Quote Originally Posted by Johanna
I really don't understand why the Hollywood film industry with all its' money can't find a decent Russian actress to play a role like that. I always think this type of casting is distracting in a film.
Actually I can understand why they do it. Who wants to see some unknown Russian guy/girl as a lead in a blockbuster? Seriously. And casting actors basing on their language skills and not the talent does not seem wise either..

The possible solution is inviting native speakers to dub/voice-over phrases, that famous actors say in other language(s). The voices should be alike, of course. Or inviting good tutors and making sure, that actors are at least moderately good.
And, frankly speaking, bad turn of phrase and extremely weird wording can spoil the mood more, than an accent. How hard is it to find an expert on Russian in a country full of immigrants? It just shows film crew's lack of trying. Sad.
"Accidents" like this are both hilarious and frustrating (this is Jason Bourne's passport):

Come on, people, Russians watch your movies too!