Colin Firth is just as mystified by Michael Peterson as true-crime fans.
In the HBO Max series The Staircase, Firth plays the novelist, who was accused of murdering his wife, Kathleen Peterson, in December 2001 (he entered an Alford plea to manslaughter in 2017). The British actor speaks and moves with impeccable similarity to the Southerner, a task that the actor told E! News was the easy part of the role.
To Firth, the real challenge was understanding who he was playing. "It wasn't so much, can I imitate him?" he told E! News. "It was whether the cadences, the sounds, the vocal foibles, and all these nuances could tell me something... I found it rather unfathomable."
Firth explained that he wanted to understand why Peterson spoke the way he did, as he hoped it would "take me through how he thinks or how he presents himself." But answers eluded him, despite having documentary footage and more resources.
The only way to move forward was by accepting that Peterson is an enigma. "I realized that I didn't want to depend on how I sounded, you know?" he continued. "I had to be freer than that, so very early on I said, 'Forget the voice, just deal with these extraordinary actors."
His co-star, Toni Collette, was amused by Colin's humility, saying, "You nailed it! You sound exactly like him."
Challenging as it was, Firth enjoyed it. "It was an interesting exercise," he admitted, "since I think he is quite idiosyncratic and there's an awful lot of material there."
Keep reading to learn about other stars who, like Firth, mastered the art of the accent.
Colin Firth
In the HBO Max series The Staircase, Firth masters Michael Peterson's distinct way of speaking. His co-star, Toni Collette, was even impressed, telling him in an interview with E! News, "You nailed it! You sound exactly like him."
Julia Garner
It's no surprise that Julia was able to expertly mimic Anna Delvey's unique way of speaking in the Netflix series Inventing Anna. The Emmy Award winning actress has been praised for her portrayal of Appalachian native Ruth Langmore in Ozark, an accent that is equally challenging, if not more.
Jared Leto
In the new series WeCrashed, the Oscar winner plays Adam Neumann, the charismatic Israeli businessman who speaks so powerfully that people believe whatever he says.
Amanda Seyfried
Though Elizabeth Holmes is an American like Amanda, the Theranos founder's deep voice presented a challenge for the Mamma Mia actress. "I had to work really hard to get there because I speak at such a higher level than she does naturally," she previously shared. "So even though she was deepening her voice more and more to what we all understand is for power's sake, to make an impact, I still couldn't get all the way there."
Nicole Kidman
The actress combined her Australian accent with a Russian one to portray Masha in Nine Perfect Strangers.
Kate Winslet
Born in the south of England, the Titanic actress had to work with a dialect coach to shed her prim and proper English lilt for HBO's Mare of Easttown. She told The Philadelphia Enquirer that it was "tricky" to perfect the Delco accent, but, as she put it, "I'm an actor who doesn't like to get things wrong."
Andrew Lincoln
Though fans are accustomed to hearing Rick Grimes' southern twang on The Walking Dead, Andrew actually hails from Yorkshire, England.
Martin Freeman
In the FX spinoff Fargo, the British actor tackled the Minnesotan manner of speaking, which needs to be heard to be believed.
Jodie Comer
It's no exaggeration to call the British actress a jack of all trades. In the BBC series Killing Eve, Jodie effortlessly switched from British to Russian to French accents in a matter of moments as she portrayed hitman Villanelle.
Hugh Laurie
The British actor appeared in American titles so frequently in his early career, it's easy to assume that he bleeds red, white and blue. In reality, Gregory House's accent was as fake as the procedures he performed.
Gillian Anderson
For years now, the actress has baffled viewers with her impeccable English accent, leaving some to wonder if she's British or American. The answer is both: She spent her childhood in London, but moved to Grand Rapids, Mich. when she was 12 years old. In 2013, she remarked that even she is a bit "baffled" when it comes to her identity.
KJ Apa
He currently portrays all-American boy Archie Andrews in The CW's Riverdale, but KJ is actually from New Zealand.
Peter Dinklage
For eight years, the New Jersey-born actor portrayed Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones, so it makes sense that some people are surprised to learn he's not actually British.
Anya Taylor-Joy
The actress grew up in Buenos Aires, London and more cities, making it a challenge for Anya to nail down Beth's American accent in Netflix's limited series The Queen's Gambit.