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Amid all of the conversation about Netflix’s new retelling of One Day, many of us might well be reminiscing about the 2011 film adaptation of the much-loved book.
While this new TV series has received mostly glowing reviews, the 2011 movie was a little more on the divisive side, thanks in no small part to Anne Hathaway’s attempts to speak in a Leeds accent while playing Emma.
Now, Ambika Mod has revealed how she managed to nail the Yorkshire twang for her portrayal of Emma in Netflix’s new version.
In an interview with British Vogue, Ambika explained: “I had a dialect coach for One Day for my Yorkshire accent for it – I spent a long time learning it because when I auditioned I couldn’t do it at all.”
But as well as meeting her dialect coach, Ambika had a trick up her sleeve – watching an iconic UK TV show.
“I had to meet my dialect coach on a Saturday night and I spent the whole day watching Educating Yorkshire.”
The warm and humorous documentary exploring what it’s like to grow up or work in a secondary school in the heart of a diverse northern community aired all the way back in 2013 on Channel 4.
You’ll probably remember Mushy from the show – the schoolchild, full name Musharaf Asghar, won over the nation, as he powered through his English speaking exam, despite struggling with a speech impediment.
For those who’ve already seen One Day, you’ll know that Ambika did make it in the end.
Speaking of her time with dialect coach Natalie Grady, Ambika told HuffPost UK: “We were militant – we met, like, three times a week, hour-and-a-half sessions, we went through every single sound.
@huffpostuk Leo Woodall and Ambika Mod discuss One Day the film and Anne Hathaway’s divisive accent #fy#fyp#viral#oneday#onedaynetflix#netflix#leowoodall#annehathaway
“I learned a really, really strong, authentic Leeds accent, and then we pared it down and found an accent that felt really truthful to Emma and where she was in episode one, and then we tapered it from then on.
“But yeah, it took a village, for sure. I definitely didn’t just do it on my own. But I’m very glad that people think it’s OK.”
One Day is now streaming on Netflix.
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