Southern Perspective: Cinematic Southern accents need work
Linda A. B. Davis
News Journal correspondent
We Southerners are known for our accents nationwide, and sometimes even farther. It's not something we affect or try to emulate as an exercise. It's just how the words come out.
I admit to being rather fascinated by the fact that actors in movies take dialect and elocution lessons in order to sound authentic in movie settings. I suppose it's a bonus if a production company can hire a native Southerner to play a Southerner, but that doesn't happen all the time.
For instance, Nicolas Cage was cast for the main role of Cameron Poe in "Con Air," which hit the theaters in 1997. He had dialect training for an Alabama accent before filming, and according to all opinions I found on the subject, still flubbed it horribly. The general consensus was that his laid-on, thick rendition took effort to overlook in order to enjoy the story. I noticed the accent when I saw "Con Air," but shrugged it off, eager to maintain that state of disbelief so necessary to enjoy a story.
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I can't imagine it's easy to adopt an accent for an audio performance. Granted, if you're going to make a living at acting or voice overs, it's your job to conquer the pesky accent issue. Some people are naturally good at it, and some people aren't. Hopefully, if you aren't, you're good enough at other parts of your job to compensate. For instance, Cage is still a popular actor and continues to command leading roles in movies. He's got enough of the other stuff for his fans to forgive that career hiccup.
In my opinion, one of the best Southern accents performed by a non-Southerner was Susan Sarandon's portrayal of Annie Savoy in "Bull Durham." Sarandon was born in New York and raised in New Jersey, so a Southern accent doesn't come naturally to her. I'm no accent wizard, so I can't be certain it was accurate, but I thought it was beautiful to hear.
Of course, the perfect solution is for movie companies to hire Southerners for those roles.
Who could criticize Matthew McConaughey (Texas), Morgan Freeman (Tennessee), Reese Witherspoon (Louisiana) or Sandra Bullock (Virginia) for how they sound? Even so, Bullock still went to great lengths to get personal coaching from Leigh Anne Tuohy — the real-life inspiration for "The Blind Side," who was raised in Memphis, Tennessee — in order to play her. Bullock knew it wasn't a one-accent-fits-all situation down here.
So, come on, Hollywood producers. Even if you can't get a real Southerner for your movies, then at least make sure your pretend Southerner sounds Southern. All of us who don't pretend would appreciate it.