Anne Hathaway's 'One Day' Accent Causes Worry, Criticism
LONDON — Anne Hathaway felt the pressure to deliver the goods in her latest role.
The American actress brings David Nicholls' character of Emma Morely to the big screen in the adaptation of his book, "One Day."
Hathaway said as a book lover she understood the need to please fans of the best-selling novel.
"People feel so possessive over Emma and so it's not only that they want you to get her right, they really don't want you to get her wrong."
The director, Lone Scherfig – "An Education" – helped put her mind at rest, telling her that she had to concentrate on her own interpretation.
And then there is the accent. Morely is from the city of Leeds, in Yorkshire in northern England, so Brooklyn-born Hathaway had to learn a specific regional dialect for the role.
Critics have said Hathaway's attempt is distracting and unreliable.
The Oscar-nominee admitted that in preparing for the role she asked anyone she met from Yorkshire to speak to her, so she could learn the accent.
"One of the things I was struck by was that so often when people leave Yorkshire they don't hang on to the accent, the accent evens out and starts to mimic some new sounds from where they're from, so you can have 10 people from Yorkshire and they have 10 completely utterly different accents. But I worked with a dialect coach and just kind of tried my best."
Unfortunately she couldn't rely on her director for guidance: Scherfig is Danish and admits she can't pinpoint a Leeds accent.
"Yes it is a concern," she said of Hathaway's accent. "But they're actors and actors they always play things that they are not, that's part of their job."
Writer Nicholls, who adapted his novel for the screenplay, doesn't think it's an issue.
"I understand the trepidation but British actors are constantly playing American roles and it's always seen as a rather good thing and I see no reason why it shouldn't be a good thing working the other way."
The film tells the story of university friends Emma and Dexter – played by British actor Jim Sturgess – who spend the night together following their graduation.
It catches up with them on the same day of every year for 20 years to see how their lives are changing.
"One Day" opens in U.K. theaters on Wednesday.
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ZARA YOUNIS 08/23/11 04:11 PM ET Associated Press