Out of one's element

Mrs. Hobson was particularly out of her element in New York, which she regarded as the most sinful of cities, and seldom ventured out of the apartment for any length of time.

In this varied, often mountainous terrain, the Mongols were out of their element, and they relied on local mercenaries for support.

Unfortunately, Alba appears out of her element in both roles, particularly with respect to her attempt to proximate believable accents for her characters.