Sumith Prasad
A prequel to ‘Yellowstone,’ Paramount+’s Western series ‘1923’ revolves around Jacob Dutton and Cara Dutton, the patriarch and matriarch of the Dutton family in the 1920s. The premiere episode of the show introduces the viewers to the lives and ways of the couple and their relationships with the other Duttons. While Jacob is a typical Dutton patriarch with a dominant demeanor and unparalleled courage, Cara is a heart-warming presence who can pull the trigger unflinchingly if necessary. Another characteristic that makes Cara a unique Dutton is her accent. Since Helen Mirren’s accent must be almost unrecognizable for some, here’s everything you need to know about it! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Cara Dutton’s Irish Accent
Helen Mirren uses an Irish accent to play Cara Dutton in ‘1923.’ Although the Duttons arrived in Montana from Texas, Cara isn’t a Texan. According to the actress, Cara belongs to a group that has bas been an integral part of American society and its social structure for years. “I see Cara as an immigrant,” Mirren told Vanity Fair. Thus, the actress was adamant about speaking with an Irish accent to do justice to her character’s backstory. “One of the things I very strongly wanted was that she would speak with an Irish accent, not with an American accent,” she added.
Mirren wanted to speak with an Irish accent as Cara in the show also to ensure that the characteristics of immigrants are fairly represented in the Western drama. “It’s always slightly annoyed me with Westerns that you have all these people speaking with modern American accents when in fact so many of them were fairly recent immigrants,” Mirren said in the same Vanity Fair interview. It isn’t a surprise that her wish was materialized in the show since the ‘Yellowstone’ universe emphasizes the significance of cultures, especially considering the representation of Native Americans.
Cara’s Irish history and accent do possess unignorable significance considering how the show tries to raise the voice of the unheard. “The big Irish immigration to America, because of the potato famine, was in the late 19th century. That absolutely chronologically works for Cara. She’s now in her late 60s, we imagine. So she would’ve come, I think, as a young woman from Ireland. I think that’s one of the extraordinary elements of America. The people who arrived, and are still arriving, are people with enormous resilience and enormous courage and independence,” Mirren added, explaining the history of Cara.
‘1883’ and ‘1923’ are shows that revolve around people who left their homes in search of better living conditions and ways for survival, specifically considering the Duttons’ move from Texas to Montana. Cara is also someone who left her house in search of better ways to live. Her accent is a reminder of her incredible and inspiring past.
Read More: Who is the Narrator of 1923? Is Isabel May’s Elsa in 1923?
