The Challenge Of Capturing Midwest Accents On Screen

I've been waiting with excitement for Netflix's Monster: The Ed Gein Story to come out. I've watched a few episodes, and honestly, I'm not sure how this will play out. It's a different take on the Monster series, and I don't want to give any spoilers. But one thing that's hard for me to overlook is Charlie Hunnam's voicing of Ed Gein.

Charlie Hunnam As Ed Gein

I'm a fan of Charlie Hunnam. He was great in Sons of Anarchy and Pacific Rim. He was so good in Sons of Anarchy that it shocked me when I found out he's a British actor. He pulls off a California accent without a problem.

He's been under fire by some for his portrayal of Ed Gein, the Butcher of Plainfield, Wisconsin. It's specifically his high-pitched, soft, and meek voice. There is a real recording of Ed Gein, and his voice doesn't sound nearly as high as Hunnam's portrayal. His voice was lower, but soft and meek.

Where's the Wisconsin accent?

It seems most of the actors didn't even try an upper Midwest accent. Instead, it seems a lot of them just try to sound like small-town yokels. For someone born and raised in the Midwest, it's something that's really hard for me to overlook.

Hollywood has never been great with upper Midwest accents. Very few people can pull it off that are from out-of-the-region. The Fargo movie was pretty close, especially for the time period. People in Minnesota small towns do talk like that, maybe not everyone, but enough do. Fargo could be a little over the top at times, but the effort was there.

If I had to pick an actor or actress who got it right, it would be Charlie Theron in North Country. She nailed that role.

If you're going to watch Monsters: The Ed Gein Story, buckle up. It's very disturbing. Let me know what you think!