In his Poetics Aristotle wrote that the theater requires the “willing suspension of disbelief”. I guess I have some problems with that. For example, when watching a TV program this evening I couldn’t help but wonder why a character who was supposed to be a middle-aged urban Southern white man was speaking with a Southern rural black dialect.
I suspect that for the grads from UCLA film school, all Southern accents sound pretty much alike. Virginia Southern sounds like Texas Southern for them. Alternatively, that was the only Southern accent the actor could reliably affect. Close is good enough. (Love accents. Moderately good at placing origins by them.)
Steve
The guy was just emulatiing Obama and Hillary, two other actors famous for their Southern black accents.
I’m still waiting for either of them to go full mush mouth, though. Maybe after Obama leaves office….
Jarring is hearing either an English C&W or Czech bluegrass band ability to shift twangs and drawls as the play list requires yet off stage is barely able to follow every day as she be spoke American.