On the nose or over the top? British actor Jason Isaacs adopted a distinctive Southern drawl for his role as shifty financier Timothy Ratliff in season 3 of HBO’s The White Lotus. But he’s received criticism from those who feel his attempt at the Durham accent is way off the mark. However, the actor insists he got it right, telling the CBS Mornings hosts that he worked with a dialect coach to perfect his character’s unique manner of speaking. 

Jason Isaacs says his ‘White Lotus’ accent is ‘controversial’

Isaacs — best known to many people for playing Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies — stopped by the morning show on March 14 to discuss his role in The White Lotus (via YouTube). He acknowledged that not everyone was a fan of his take on Tim Ratliff’s accent. 

“The accent has been a controversial thing. A lot of people on the internet are saying, ‘This sounds Australian. This is the worst accent I’ve ever heard.’ And the people from Durham are going, ‘He sounds like my dad, you idiot.’”

Isaacs went on to explain how he mastered his character’s voice. 

“You listen to people from Durham, you go to a brilliant dialect coach, Liz Himelstein, who does a lot of the top Hollywood actors. And then you practice it,” he said. 

He added that being from the U.K. gave him an edge in understanding the subtle regional variations in speech. 

“I’m from England. So you have to understand, when you open your mouth in England, everybody knows not just where you’re from, but where you’re from socioeconomically, and how you’re aspiring to be perceived,” he said. “We are fascists about the minutiae of dialect. So it’s a tool we learn [to use].”

‘Southern Charm’ also inspired Isaacs

In addition to working with a dialect coach and listening to people from the Durham area, Isaacs may have had another tool he used when developing his character: Bravo’s soapy, Charleston-set reality series Southern Charm. 

Sam Nivola, who plays Timothy Ratliff’s youngest son, Lochlan, said The White Lotus creator Mike White told him and Isaacs to watch the show, which follows a messy group of Southern socialites, to get a better handle on their wealthy but clueless characters. 

“Mike told us to go watch Southern Charm,” Nivola told People. “In fact, Jason Isaacs, who played our dad, kind of modeled his whole accent and character off of [that cast].”

The White Lotus airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO. Episodes also stream on Max. 

For more news and exclusive interviews, follow Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s Instagram.