MovieChat Forums > Maggie (2015) Discussion > Was Wade a German immigrant?

Was Wade a German immigrant?

posted 10 years ago by cnd3211
12 replies | jump to latest

Nobody really needs to rack their brains trying to figure out an answer. I watched this Tuesday night and wondered why a farmer in the American Heartland would have a German/Austrian/Bavarian accent. The movie took place in Nebraska or Kansas. Those states, along with Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin were places that Germans had migrated to during the last half of the 19th century, and the very early 20th century. That would have made Wade about 80 years late to the migration bandwagon, Lol. Other than Schwarzenegger not trying to lose his accent, he did a decent job at playing against type in a movie that is an unusual take on the Zombie genre. "Maggie" is like a more somber and intimate version of "The Walking Dead".

[–] bkliu 10 years ago

Was your grandmothers underwear blue? Is your dog from Alaska? Do you smell blueberries? Who gives a fock?

[–] MaximRecoil 10 years ago

In the mid 1990s I worked with a woman from Germany, who had a German accent, here in Maine. There was never any wave of German immigration to Maine, but, as if by magic, there she was. I'm willing to bet that you can find German immigrants in every state in the U.S.

I don't dance, tell jokes or wear my pants too tight, but I do know about a thousand songs.

[–] keithgordon 10 years ago

cnd3211,

Cut Ahnold some slack. He's only been in this country about 45 years and all the time he has been acting (as an American character) and speaking as a Governater!😂

[–] hackraytex 10 years ago

Not everything in a movie needs to be explained. IMO the accent is incidental and it is the story that is important. It was not until I watched the interviews that I got it that she got infected and went to the city to protect her family. I do wish I knew how she got infected but the rest of the story is more important. Good job everyone.

[–] cnd3211 10 years ago

Not everything in a movie needs to be explained. IMO the accent is incidental and it is the story that is important.

I was cheekily referring to the fact that Schwarzenegger did nothing to lose his Austrian accent for playing a very American character, living in America's Heartland region.

[–] pjfreels 9 years ago

I think that's a totally legit question and concern for this movie. The character becomes confusing for the audience with that accent. It's not unlike having a character with a southern drawl being from downtown Boston...it just doesn't make sense.

[–] Trent_Redfield 9 years ago

His last name is German. Vogel is German for bird.

[–] Kent_Kainer 9 years ago

But what German would name its child Wade? That's a rather unknown name here, even considering knowing many American names from tv.The parents must have an American background if he is an immigrant.Btw... Wade means calf in German (the thing on your leg, not the babycow). But it's pronounced differently. ---Lincoln Lee: I lost a partner.Peter Bishop: I lost a universe!

[–] cstocksters 9 years ago

I think Arnold's suppose to be an immigrant in all his movies, or at least most of them. He was an Austrian immigrant in Kindergarten Cop and Junior, he was a German immigrant in Collateral Damage and Escape Plan, he mentions being an immigrant in The Last Stand, his character in Eraser has a pretty german sounding name, John Krueger. His character's nickname in Predator, Dutch, might indicate his character is from Holland. And of course there is the time he played a Russian in Red Heat. They probably fit in to account for his accent.

[–] cdncritic 9 years ago

Would that really be that confusing though? Is it so unusual for someone from the south to move to Boston for work or family that seeing it in a movie would completely throw you off?

[–] Stygian6 9 years ago

Agree with earlier posts - it's no problem that the character may not be American born, the problem is his FIRST name. 'Wade' is such an all-American name, particularly going back 70 yrs ago when Arnold was born! Not saying he needed to be called Fritz or Gunther or something, but if his first name had a slight European sound it would've worked.

[–] cdncritic 9 years ago

Why is it so hard to believe that he's an immigrant? I'm sure you could easily find European immigrants all over the heartland.