If you’ve been watching Dirt lately, you’ve seen the promos for The Riches, starring Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver (premiering March 12). It’s about two poor Southerners who take on new identities and move into a mansion. I have one question about this (other than the obvious one of “Why would anybody watch this?”): Is the “Southern” thing also part of their assumed identities? Because if it’s not, who in his or her right mind would cast two Brits as American Southerners?!
It’s not so much the accent issue that worries me; I’m sure Izzard and Driver are more than capable of leaping over that little hurdle. I’m just not sure they can be believably Southern. Imagine if Cherry Jones had played Queen Elizabeth II. Even I wouldn’t approve of that, and I’d like to see Cherry Jones every morning. Er, I mean, in every movie.
And speaking of accents, every time I hear Minnie Driver’s name, I have to try to say it just like Bubble did on Absolutely Fabulous. “Minnie Driver? Minnie Driver? Is it a dwarf?”
