‘Task’ Stars Talk Tackling the Delco Accent for the HBO Drama (VIDEO)

It’s been nearly five years since fans were immersed in Brad Ingelsby‘s Mare of Easttown on HBO, but the Delco accents that were on display in the series remain a star in 2025 with his newest drama, Task.

The show follows FBI agent Tom Brandis (Mark Ruffalo) as he investigates a string of robberies in and around the Philadelphia suburbs, as Robbie Prendergast (Tom Pelphrey) tries to build a better life for his family. But Task is much more than that, as viewers follow the drama week to week.

While the stars put on fantastic performances, it’s their delivery of the Delco accent that’s a real triumph, especially for an ensemble with stars hailing from around the world, ranging from Ireland and England to South Africa. For those less aware, Delco stands for Delaware County, a specific area in Philly with a distinct dialect.

As for tackling the sound, Pelphrey tells TV Insider, “It was a great challenge. It was a little intimidating, but it was good. It kept me very honest,” the actor admits. “I had to work really hard at it. We had a great accent coach, Susanne Sulby… and always had access to her, which was amazing.” Pelphrey also notes that going out in the area and listening to locals helped him hone in on Robbie’s voice.

Peter Kramer / HBO

“Going out into the community was great. I made a friend that I could call, and he is Delco, and I’ll call him. We’d talk about football and stuff, and he knew I was listening for his sounds a little bit, but we were comfortable enough with each other that he wasn’t too self-conscious,” Pelphrey continues. “Because there’s part of an accent where you can get it as good as you want on paper, but there’s a part of my brain [where I] have to hear the real thing to trust that it sounds right.”

“We were so many foreigners on that job,” notes Frankel, who steps out of his House of the Dragon shoes and into task force recruit Anthony Grasso’s for this series.

Related

'Task' Star Breaks Down Robbie's Impossible Choice in Premiere Twist

Meanwhile, costar Alison Oliver, who plays Lizzie Stover, notes she worked closely with Sulby to nail her Delco sound as the Irish actress transformed for the show. “I had started to speak to her literally as soon as I was cast. I think we were speaking for about three months before I started,” Oliver muses. “Because it does feel very important to have that accent correct for the show, and because it’s so much about the place that it’s set as well as the plot and the characters.”

See what else Pelphrey, Frankel, Oliver, and costars Thuso Mbedu, Martha Plimpton, Raúl Castillo, Emilia Jones, Silvia Dionicio, Sam Keeley, and Jamie McShane had to say about finding their onscreen voices for Task in the full video interview, above.

Task, Sundays, 9/8c, HBO and HBO Max