What Accent Do the Characters Have in Below?

The Netflix thriller show ‘Below’ transports the viewers to Snook’s Arm, a fishing town in Newfoundland, Canada, that has become an unwilling harbor for a havoc-wrecking sea creature. The protagonist, Calvin Penney, is a native resident of the coastal town, which is a resettlement of a nearby island, Little Pot Rock. While two of his children, Mary and Jay, left the island in their adulthood, he and his son, Wade, have remained permanent residents for a long time. Even so, the family remains tied together closely, kindred through the Penney name and the heavy accent that assimilates them into the small town. This accent, which can be heard around the community in the speech of various folks, including Ruth, Biles, Officer Noseworthy, and more, creates a distinct audible identity for Snook’s Arm, grounding the fictional town in its real Canadian setting.

The Characters in Below Have Distinct Newfoundland Accents

‘Below’ takes place in the fictionalized town of Snook’s Arm. Yet, while the community itself is fictitious, its geographical setting remains rooted in reality. The on-screen fishing town is supposed to be a part of Newfoundland and Labrador, a province in Canada. In the show, the resettlement program that unfolded in the province in the 1980s plays a significant narrative role. Thus, the Penney family’s identity as generational residents of Newfoundland, whom this program has impacted, becomes a key aspect of their characterization. For the same reason, the central family, much like their fellow townsfolk, sports a unique Newfoundland accent. Much of the main cast, including Josh Hartnett and Charlie Heaton, who play Calvin and Wade, respectively, don’t naturally have this specific Canadian accent.

As a result, the cast reportedly worked with dialect coach Alison Kelly. Additionally, since the show was filmed on location in Newfoundland, Canada, it employed many of the local residents as cast members. On the set, these Newfoundland cast members became a valuable resource for the central cast, who could often run things by them during shooting. In a conversation with the Toronto Star, Heaton, who naturally has an English accent, spoke about his experience with learning and perfecting his character’s speech.

“I’m still finding the character; an accent to me is not just putting on a silly voice. How do I describe this without sounding really pretentious?” Heaton said. “You can learn the sounds, but really, what you learn in an accent — when you immerse yourself in the culture, and you hear not just the sounds — is the way people communicate. It was the way they’re sharp, and they’re witty, and the way they fire back at each other, back and forth. So then it’s having the confidence to be like, “OK, I can do the voice, but now I’ve got to be confident with it.”

Alternatively, Hartnett tried his best to immerse himself in the everyday life of Newfoundland in preparation for the role. The actor has shared that he would visit local restaurants in town during filming and hang out with his fellow actors who were locals to the area. He also listened to ‘The Broadcast,’ a local radio show which helped him study the variety of dialects that can be found in Newfoundland. Ultimately, this decision to become familiar with the culture of the locality allowed the actor and his fellow castmates to bring their characters to the screen in an authentic manner.

Read More: Below: Are Calvin Penney and Fonda Howander Based on Real People?