‘Fargo’ Star Jennifer Jason Leigh Explains Lorraine’s Accent
Ya Betcha!
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When it comes to Fargo, Midwest accents are aplenty among the array of characters Noah Hawley has presented viewers with over the years. But one Year 5 performance continues to befuddle viewers as Jennifer Jason Leigh‘s accent for Lorraine Lyon strays from the usual form.
Questions from fans on social media abound around Lorraine’s somewhat Mid-Atlantic dialect, with some pondering why she’s using it and where it comes from. “Not really sure what kind of accent Jennifer Jason Leigh is aiming for Fargo…,” one fan noted. “I don’t know what accent Jennifer Jason Leigh has but she’s ready to destroy you with each syllable,” another viewer acknowledged.
(Credit: Michelle Faye/FX)
Echoing the sentiment, another viewer wrote, “I’m still really confused about what accent Jennifer Jason Leigh is supposed to have in Fargo.”
Thankfully, TV Insider has an answer for you as we caught up with the actress before Fargo Year 5’s debut. As viewers would have noticed by now, Lorraine Lyon, the Debt Queen of the Midwest, is a picture of wealth and status, something she may not have always had. The best way to deceive doubters about one’s prowess might be to cover up any unpolished past with a fancy accent, hence the one Lorraine is sporting in the show.
With Hawley’s dialogue and collaboration, the actress told TV Insider, “Noah and I talked a lot about her and where she wanted to distance herself from and what she might sound like.” Ultimately, she revealed, “[We] kind of landed on William F. Buckley. So I watched a lot of Firing Line, and it’s a really fun accent to do.”
It’s not a perfect recreation of the political commentator’s accent as Leigh noted, “It’s not exactly William F. Buckley, but that’s sort of the inspiration for it.” Either way, it certainly stands out from her costars, including Juno Temple and onscreen son David Rysdahl, who lean heavily into the folksy Minnesota twang.
Fargo, Year 5, Tuesdays, 10/9c, FX
