The Dead of Winter hits theaters Sept. 26, and audiences will see British actress Emma Thompson braving harsh temperatures, danger, and isolation in the Minnesota wilderness. Audiences will hear an unmistakable Midwestern accent — courtesy of a woman from Forest Lake.
Tracy Dooley, a Minnesotan with no film credits or coaching experience, was asked by her nephew and co-writer of the film, Dalton Leeb, to help the Oscar-winning actress master the local accent.
"I got involved in this film because of my nephew Dalton," said Dooley. "He wanted her to talk like me."
The film, set in rural Minnesota was filmed in Finland. So getting the accent correct was important to Leeb and Co-writer Nicholas Jacobson-Larson.
Leeb asked his aunt Dooley to send end voice clips to Thompson in pre-producti