Get the latest tech news

how do you 'accurately' speak English in ancient Rome?

By Chloe Veltman Friday, July 26, 2024 • 5:00 AM EDT Gladiator II doesn’t come out until November. But the recent release of the trailer has prompted a lot of online chatter about the actors’ accents — especially Denzel Washington’s.

"We simply expect to hear characters in a film set in ancient Rome speaking in RP — Received Pronunciation — that sort of Queen's or King's English accent," said dialect coach Erik Singer. Singer said he noted elements of RP in the Chilean American's most discernible line in the trailer — "Rome has so many subjects; she must feed them.” But he said Pascal's accent defied characterization overall. "This is the sort of perception trap that leads a lot of movie stars, past and present, to avoid big accent risks, as they feel they can't win — they'll be mercilessly criticized either way."

Get the Android app