Following the exploits of its titular FBI agent after the events of The Silence of the Lambs, CBS' upcoming Clarice series has released its official trailer. While the trailer showcases some truly gruesome mysteries and compelling drama (as well as a haunting cover of Country Roads), the highlight of the footage is a fix the series makes to one egregious aspect of the original movie: Clarice's accent.
Clarice was played by Jodie Foster in the original The Silence of the Lambs. Although her performance won her an Academy Award and Clarice is often considered one of the greatest heroines in film history, Foster's West Virginian accent was pretty poor. Clarice's Appalachian history is integral to her character, defining the childhood that led to her becoming a criminologist, and realizing that past with a good accent is critical to her character.
The Silence of the Lambs drew attention to Foster's accent in an improvised moment when she and Hannibal Lecter first meet. In the scene, Hannibal actor Anthony Hopkins mocked her southern accent, drawing a horrified reaction from Foster who felt attacked by the critique. While this made for an impactful and genuinely emotional scene, it also gave voice to the frustrations of Appalachians everywhere who have been poorly represented in Hollywood with regularity.
Clarice gives CBS a chance to right the wrongs of Foster's accent. Actor Rebecca Breeds has taken on the titular role, bringing a new voice and accent to the character. While Breeds herself is Australian, her few lines in the trailer suggest that the show and actor have focused on providing a better West Virginian voice. Focusing on an authentic West Virginian accent is an important move for Clarice, as the show brings her back home to Appalachia, providing ample opportunity for comparison.
Better Appalachian representation is even more important given certain recent egregious mistakes. Ron Howard's Hillbilly Elegy was widely derided as a terrible portrayal of Appalachia, with many residents rightfully angered that when they aren't ignored by Hollywood, they're stereotyped and belittled. While more recent films and TV series, like Amazon Prime's Normal for Now, have done a better job of portraying the range of characters and problems found in Appalachia, it's important to continue to strive for more accurate representation.
Clarice gives CBS and the media in general a chance to do better for West Virginian representation. While an actual Appalachian actor in the title role would have been preferable, focusing on a more accurate portrayal of West Virginian people is the very least that CBS could do. Clarice has projected a more accurate and sympathetic understanding of Clarice's West Virginian origins through its attention to her accent. While there's still a chance for this new Clarice's accent to fall flat once audiences have experienced full episodes of the show, the trailer gives some hope.
Clarice stars Rebecca Breeds as Clarice Starling, Michael Cudlitz as Paul Krendler, Lucca de Oliveira as Tomas Esquivel, Kal Penn as Shaan Tripathi, Nick Sandow as Agent Clarke, Devyn Tyler as Ardelia Mapp and Marnee Carpenter as Catherine Martin. The series premieres Feb. 11, 2021 at 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT on CBS and CBS All Access.