MovieChat Forums > Evil Angels (1988) Discussion > As a New Zealander, I can safely say Mer...

As a New Zealander, I can safely say Meryl's accent was great

posted 12 years ago by breakingthewaves001
3 replies | jump to latest

People who say her AUSTRALIAN accent was poor are completely misinformed. The real Lindy Chamberlain was never Australian, she was born in New Zealand lived there into her 20s I believe. That's why Meryl doesn't sound Australian, she sounds like a true New Zealander. She is actually spot on.

People should keep in mind that the disappearance occurred of Azaria over 30 years ago, the film itself is 25 years old and Australian/New Zealand accents were a lot stronger then. Now, the 'Aussie' drawl is less obvious as the accent today is mixed due to the increasing multiculturalism of the countries.

[–] clairecoopernz 12 years ago

I agree, however, she left NZ when she was a child.

However she has a strong Accent.

[–] spookyrat1 10 years ago

... she was born in New Zealand lived there into her 20s I believe.

She left when she was an infant, later moving back for awhile much later in life. But I agree too that vestiges of the NZ accent were evident in her speech during the 80's.🐭

[–] ElxDiablo 10 years ago

I never realized that Lindy Chamberlain was a New Zealander by birth.

I do know that the "broad Australian accent" was a lot stronger in the past, and also more common in the less populated regions...so it didn't surprise me to hear the real Lindy speak the way she did on TV news broadcasts.

Admittedly, the actual event occurred a few years before I was born, but the media surrounding it cropped up enough times afterwards for me to remember what she sounded like...and Meryl Streep was spot on...both with the intonation and with her mannerisms and expressions.

To have a native US citizen pull off an accent that is so often butchered by outsiders (and even some Aussies and New Zealanders would struggle to get Lindy Chamberlain's accent that accurate), is quite a feat!

Meryl Streep really is the ultimate chameleon!