16. Kathy Bates talked in her Baltimore accent off set too
In Bates’ opening dialogue to Season 4, her thick Baltimore accent can be heard loud and clear and fans picked up on it straight away.
Kathy Bates as the Baltimore sounding Ethel Darling
Because the accent is so difficult to perfect, she continues to use it off set so she won’t lose it.
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To refine her new dialect, Bates, who did not use a language coach, relied on the interviews of Barbara Ann Mikulski, a U.S. senator, and a website that helps people understand and practice “Baltimorese”.
Bates apparently copied the voice of this U.S. senator
The website also has a link to ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ in Baltimorese, which hilariously, Bates sang every morning to get into character.
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However, many people online have cast aspersions on her accent in Freak Show, suggesting it is obvious that she is not a native speaker of the region.
Not everyone is a fan of her Baltimore accent though
Although personally, I think her attempt at the Baltimore intonation is decent, it wasn’t greatly received by vigilant fans. Maybe you need to keep practising, Kathy.
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