Aahana Swrup
Set in 1987, 40 years into the Cold War, ‘Mayday’ charts the story of an unlikely partnership between a US Navy pilot and a former KGB officer. While on a reconnaissance spy mission, Lieutenant Troy Kelly has the misfortune of getting shot down from the sky and landing in the Russian wilderness. There, an unexpected recluse, Nikolai Ustinov, rescues him and patches him up at his cabin. As it turns out, the latter is an ex-KGB agent who has long idolized and admired the American dream.
Therefore, when Troy extends the possibility of procuring a one-way ticket out of Russia, Nick decides to throw in his lot with the pilot and help him carry out an impossible escape plan. The film presents an intense, high-pressure situation explored through the humorous lens of a buddy-comedy narrative. As renowned actor Kenneth Branagh steps into the role of the Russian citizen, his familiar Irish accent is swapped out for a Russian drawl, paired with long, extended scenes of conversations that take place almost entirely in Russian.
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Kenneth Branagh Had Vocal Coaches to Help Him on the Set of Mayday
Sir Kenneth Branagh is a critically acclaimed and beloved creative best known for his extensive work in Shakespeare adaptations, both as an actor and director, spanning decades. Donning the garb of a Russian character in ‘Mayday’ is no exception, as he has done it several times over the years. In the 2014 film ‘Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit,’ he steps into the antagonistic role of Viktor Cherevinm, a wealthy Russian businessman. Naturally, the role demanded that the actor have a Russian accent, along with a few scenes of dialogue in a foreign language. Likewise, in the 2020 Christopher Nolan film ‘Tenet,’ Branagh once again stepped into the role of a villainous Russian oligarch, Andrei Sator.
Notably, since this project necessitated Andrei Sator going backward in time, not only did Branagh have to speak Russian, but he also had to speak it in reverse at times. Thus, the actor’s Russian accent and occasional delivery of the language aren’t something audiences will be entirely unfamiliar with. Even so, while Branagh had to interact with the language and perform certain scenes in it, the actor isn’t actually fluent in Russian. Thus, in ‘Mayday,’ the actor reportedly worked with vocal coaches to ensure authenticity and realism in his Russian accent and dialogue.
In a conversation with Entertainment Weekly, Jonathan Goldstien, co-director of the project, spoke about Branagh’s work with vocal coaches on the project. He shared, “It (Nick’s character) wasn’t an easy part in that he (Kenneth Branagh) had to do a number of scenes fully in Russian. He had to have a Russian accent for the scenes in English. So he had not one but two vocal coaches: one who would check his accent and one who would check the Russian, make sure it was right.”
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