For Josh Hartnett, becoming a Newfoundland fisherman in Netflix’s Below meant learning more than how to handle a boat or tie fishing nets. One of the most demanding parts of the role was learning the rhythm of Newfoundland speech. In a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, Hartnett explained that hearing the accent’s cadence was especially challenging. He listened to a local radio program every day and worked with a dialect coach alongside his castmates to make the Penney family sound as if they truly came from the same place.
The distinction matters because a regional accent is not simply a collection of unusual vowels. It carries its own pace, musicality, vocabulary, and social cues. Hartnett’s account suggests that the toughest task was not memorizing a sound, but learning to hear how local people shape an entire sentence.
What Josh Hartnett said was hardest about the Newfoundland accent
Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, Hartnett said the most difficult part was hearing the rhythm of the Newfoundland accent. He built his ear for it by listening to The Broadcast, a long-running local radio program that features conversations about life and work on the island. The program gave him repeated exposure to different speakers and to the way the accent changes naturally from one person to another.
That daily listening was paired with formal coaching. Hartnett said the cast gathered with their dialect coach so the actors playing members of the same family could develop a shared sound. The goal was not to make every character identical. It was to create the sense that they had grown up in the same community and had spent years speaking to one another.
Why Newfoundland speech can be difficult for actors to learn
Newfoundland and Labrador contains a range of regional speech patterns shaped by geography, community history, and generations of settlement. Netflix Tudum notes that the province’s English varieties have strong Irish and southwestern English roots, reflecting migration connected to the cod fisheries in the 18th and 19th centuries. Those roots help explain some of the accent’s distinctive sounds, but they do not make it a simple copy of Irish or English speech.
As with any living dialect, pronunciation and rhythm vary by speaker and location. An actor who learns a handful of recognizable phrases can still sound unconvincing if the timing is wrong or the delivery feels rehearsed. Hartnett’s approach—listening to local voices regularly, then practicing with a coach—gave him a way to work on both sound and cadence.
How The Broadcast helped Hartnett prepare
The Broadcast gave Hartnett more than pronunciation practice. Because its conversations covered the island and the fishing industry, listening also helped him understand the concerns and experiences that shape everyday conversations in Newfoundland. In Netflix’s official behind-the-scenes coverage, Hartnett describes listening to the program daily and then working with a dialect coach.
That research connected to the character he plays. Calvin Penney is a fisherman whose community is threatened by an unexplained creature and by changes that put a traditional way of life under pressure. The series draws on Newfoundland’s fishing heritage, so the dialogue needs to feel connected to the place rather than like a generic television version of a small coastal town.
Charlie Heaton and the cast worked on the accent together
Hartnett was not the only actor trying to get the dialect right. Charlie Heaton, who plays Calvin’s son Wade, told the Los Angeles Times that the cast worked together with voice coach Alison Kelly. Heaton said it took time to understand the accent’s rules and even to hear them clearly at first. Local performers and extras also offered a useful point of reference during filming.
That shared process is particularly important in a family drama. If one character sounds as though they grew up somewhere else, the illusion can break even when the individual performance is strong. A common coaching process helped the actors build a more consistent family voice while allowing each character to retain a distinct personality.
Why getting the accent right matters to Below
Below is a supernatural thriller, but its emotional stakes depend on the community feeling real. Calvin is not just a fisherman confronting a monster; he is a father trying to protect his children and a neighbor fighting for a town with a long memory. The more naturally the characters speak, the easier it is for viewers to believe that their loyalties, arguments, and jokes grew out of a shared history.
Authenticity does not mean every line has to be packed with local expressions. In fact, overloading dialogue with conspicuous slang can make a performance feel less natural. Hartnett’s emphasis on rhythm points to a subtler solution: listen closely, understand how people speak to one another, and let the dialect support the character rather than turn into a showy effect.
Watch the official Below trailer
The official trailer offers a look at Hartnett’s Calvin Penney and the rugged coastal world the cast worked to bring to life.
Frequently asked questions
What was the hardest part of the Newfoundland accent for Josh Hartnett?
Hartnett told the Los Angeles Times that the most difficult part was hearing the rhythm of the accent. He listened daily to the local radio program The Broadcast and worked with a dialect coach.
What radio show did Josh Hartnett listen to for Below?
He listened to The Broadcast, a long-running Newfoundland radio program that features discussions about the island and its fishing industry.
Did Charlie Heaton also work on the Newfoundland accent?
Yes. Heaton and the other cast members worked with dialect coach Alison Kelly, and local performers helped them hear how people in the region speak.
Where can I watch Below?
Below is streaming on Netflix’s official series page. The six-episode thriller stars Josh Hartnett, Mackenzie Davis, and Charlie Heaton.
Sources
- Los Angeles Times: Josh Hartnett and Charlie Heaton on creating a father-son bond in Below
- Netflix Tudum: Below trailer, cast, Newfoundland accent and filming details
- Netflix Tudum: Josh Hartnett interview
- Netflix: Below official series page
By Shivam Das
