Shrek's appeal; WHY MYERS' OGRE JUST HAD TO HAVE SCOTS ACCENT.

Byline: STUART CAMERON

SHREK actor Mike Myers cost film-maker Steven Spielberg half a million pounds - by insisting that the loveable green ogre must be Scottish.

The Austin Powers star provides the voice of Shrek in the smash-hit movies.

But when Myers made the first film, he gave the character a Canadian accent.

After doing most of the recording he decided that it should be a tough-sounding Scot - and had to re-record his lines with the switch costing Spielberg's company, Dreamworks, pounds 500,000 as they had already created most of the film.

The funnyman said: "I did the first recording of Shrek with a Canadian accent and I just didn't connect to it for some reason.

"So then I asked if I could redo Shrek Scottish, because it sounds working-class and I think ogres would be working-class."

Despite having to fork out the extra cash ET director Spielberg was delighted.

Myers added: "I got a letter from Spielberg thanking me so much for caring about the character

"And he said the Scottish accent had improved the movie."

Shrek 2 hits UK cinema screen early next month.

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FILM BUDDIES: Myers and Shrek; SHREK-ING: Mike in the studio