In 2021, Mare of Easttown, became a sensation not just for the story and the twists. It was also where Kate Winslet’s performance was anchored by her Philly accent (more specifically, her Delco accent).
Now, it’s time for another cast of stars, including Mark Ruffalo and Tom Pelphry, to try their hand at one. Brad Ingelsby, the writer, creator and executive producer of Task and Mare of Easttown, is from Pennsylvania, so he knows the show has to feel authentic.
“I live in Chester County, right next to Delaware County. My wife’s family lives in Delaware County!” Ingelsby told Parade. “Mare is a character that resonates with people, especially where I live, in a lot of meaningful ways.”
The accents had to be flawless, and for Emilia Jones (CODA, Locke & Key), the pressure was real. “Everyone was so good at it in Mare of Easttown,” she said. Determined to live up to that standard, Jones trained for five months with dialect coach Suzanne Selby and even immersed herself in Delco life before filming.
“I flew out to Philly two weeks early and was bar hopping in Delaware County, talking to the locals and making friends,” she explained. “I made a lot of Delco friends who I still text to this day. They really took a Brit like me under their wing to become Delco. It’s also not just an accent, it’s an energy.”
Relative newcomer Silvia Dionicio (New Amsterdam, Chicago P.D.) was quick to praise her co-star: “That Delco accent. Go off, Queen. You ate that. Fantastic.”
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Many of the cast credited Selby with making the accent possible. Fabien Frankel (House of the Dragon) called her “absolutely incredible,” recalling how “every single word” was scrutinized. As a Brit, he had his own learning curve: “As a foreigner, you always think New York and Philly are the same thing, but they’re not! Suzanne quickly told me I sounded like I was from the Bronx.”
Some of the cast, on the other hand, opted not to go for the Philly accent. Emmy winner Martha Plimpton (The Good Wife, Raising Hope) joked, “I just decided I wasn’t from Philly.” Thuso Mbedu followed suit: “They established very early that she didn’t need to have a Philly accent. So I just did a general American accent, which was still a struggle because it was so far removed from my South African accent.” Plimpton added, “The accent is notoriously difficult. You can’t ever get lazy with it or take it for granted. There are sounds that come out of nowhere.”
For Dionicio, English being her second language meant long days on set that left her exhausted. “At the end of long shoot days, English just didn’t make sense,” she admitted. Instead of adopting the Philly accent, she worked with Selby to shape her delivery so it felt natural and consistent on screen.
In the end, the cast of Task treated the Delco accent as more than just a technical exercise. It also became a window into the culture and character of the region. Dionicio said it best, “Delco is its own character in the show.”
Whether fully embracing the challenge like Jones or choosing a different path like Plimpton and Mbedu, each actor found a way to ground their performance in the authenticity of Philly. For Ingelsby, that commitment ensures his Pennsylvania stories ring true, proving once again that how these characters speak is just as vital as what they have to say.
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This story was originally reported by Parade on Sep 10, 2025, where it first appeared in the TV section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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