Should Accents Come First?

Should actors learn the accent and then develop the character, or vice versa? This is a question we hear a lot!

For accents to ring true, the best approach is to start accent work as early as possible. In an ideal world that means that an actor who already has plenty of fully integrated and authentic accent skills under their belt will need four to six weeks at minimum to select the most effective accent for their character and to learn, integrate and rehearse with the accent.