The upcoming Netflix drama series Kennedy will depict the famous political dynasty from 1931 to 1944, but the family’s signature Boston accent won’t be as prevalent.
Nick Robinson, who plays John Kennedy’s older brother, Joe Kennedy Jr., who originally served in the White House before Kennedy was killed in World War II, said: “There was an executive decision beforehand to move away from the Boston accent, so it’s subtle. And the accent has changed a little bit over the years. I feel like it started off as more of this Mid-Atlantic upper-class accent and then changed into something that modern viewers would associate with it more.” With working class Boston. ”
Preparing for the role was a history lesson for Robinson. “I knew about the Kennedy family, but I didn’t know much about Joseph Kennedy Jr., so it was really fun getting to know more about him, his life, and his legacy,” he said at the recent premiere of Netflix’s new romantic comedy Voicemail for Isabel.
Laura Donnelly, who plays matriarch Rose in the eight-episode Kennedy series, said she and Michael Fassbender, who plays patriarch Joe Sr., prepared to use the couple’s accents before filming began. “When Michael and I arrived on set, we had already decided that we were done with the accents,” Donnelly told me at the recent Season 2 premiere of Sugar in Los Angeles. “Then we found the whole vibe was towards backing out. We were a little bit like, ‘Oh, I don’t know who would do that.'”
I wasn’t asked to get rid of all my accents. “Their accents were created in a very ambitious way, so you have to draw on that,” Donnelly said. “At the same time, they had nine kids. We didn’t want the little kids to do that accent, so we needed a way to bridge that gap so that the kids would be more general-like and Michael and I would do more distinctive accents. I think that creates a kind of blend.”
The series is based on the book “JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century, 1917-1956” by Fredrik Logevall.
Donnelly also spoke about the pressure of taking on the role of the iconic matriarch. “I think it’s actually very lucky for me that I’m not American, and I didn’t feel that long-standing pressure that we know them so well,” said Donnelly, who is Irish.
She continued, “There’s such pressure that I usually try to shut out, but I feel like I’m playing a real woman.”
Donnelly’s preparation included watching footage of Rose being interviewed in later years. Rose died in 1995 at the age of 104. “I’ve come to respect her a lot,” she said. “Oh my God, with what dignity and grace she endured.”
