I love accents, but I don't always love them in film and TV, especially when they don't quite land. One of the most difficult accents for many actors is the one found in Minnesota, rooted in Scandinavian affectations and often delivered with a smile. Keely Wolter, an accent and dialogue coach, told The Star Tribune that despite the bright tone of the accent, it also carries a lot of tension, with firm lips and limited jaw movement."As Minnesotans, we tend to keep our jaws and lips pretty tight," she said. "It's almost like we're doing a bit of a tense smile, which I think is a nice manifestation of the Minnesota Nice idea."There's no accent like it. Plus, the Minnesotan accent you see in movies is almost always exaggerated for comedic effect. Real Minnesotans don't usually sound like caricatures, just like every Texan doesn't sound like they're rustlin' cattle, but Hollywood has never met a vowel it couldn't stretch into the next county. Most performances take "don'tcha know" to extremes. Here are the portrayals that nailed it, or at least had fun with it.Fargo (1996) and the Fargo TV Series - YouTube www.youtube.com Starting with the obvious here, but it's an icon for a reason because it put Minnesota on the map, in terms of movie accents. The Coen brothers' film immortalized Minnesota accents with its distinctive "o" sounds and singsong cadence.Frances McDormand's portrayal of pregnant police chief Marge Gunderson in the original Fargo won her an Oscar for Best...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Tuesday, 30 September