Ambika Mod Reveals How The Reaction To Anne Hathaway’s One Day Accent Affected Her Own Performance

Amid all of the conversation about Netflix’s new retelling of One Day, many of us might well be reminiscing about the 2011 film adaptation of the much-loved book.

While this new TV series has received mostly glowing reviews, the 2011 movie was a little more on the divisive side, thanks in no small part to Anne Hathaway’s attempts to speak in a Leeds accent.

And if you’re wondering – yes that meant that Ambika Mod, who plays Emma in this new version of the story, was “absolutely” feeling the pressure when she was getting ready for the role.

Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess in their version of One Day
Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess in their version of One Day

Moviestore/Shutterstock

Speaking to HuffPost UK ahead of the show’s launch, Ambika admitted she’d previously “never” managed to perfect the Northern accent required for the character.

“If you see my audition tapes, I can’t do the Yorkshire accent,” she revealed. “I couldn’t do it.”

For those who’ve already seen One Day, you’ll know that Ambika did make it in the end, which she credits to the “amazing” dialect coach Natalie Grady.

“We were militant – we met, like, three times a week, hour-and-a-half sessions, we went through every single sound,” she revealed.

“I learned a really, really strong, authentic Leeds accent, and then we pared it down and found an accent that felt really truthful to Emma and where she was in episode one, and then we tapered it from then on.

“But yeah, it took a village, for sure. I definitely didn’t just do it on my own. But I’m very glad that people think it’s OK.”

Ambika Mod at an event last month
Ambika Mod at an event last month

Dave Benett via Getty Images

Ambika also said that once she was cast as Emma, she made the decision not to revisit the film version of One Day, out of concern “it would throw me”.

“Me neither,” her co-star Leo Woodall agreed. “I watched it before the first audition, because I hadn’t read the book. But that was it.”

Before One Day began streaming, Ambika was best known for her performance in the BBC medical comedy-drama This Is Going To Hurt, as well as roles in I Hate Suzie and Trying.

Leo also had a key role in the most recent series of The White Lotus, earning himself and his co-stars a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Performance By An Ensemble In A TV Drama.

One Day is now streaming on Netflix.

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Anne Hathaway Marks Devil Wears Prada Anniversary To Call Out Overturning Of US Abortion Rights

Anne Hathaway has marked the 16th anniversary of The Devil Wears Prada to speak out about the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the abortion rights of American women.

Last Friday, five of the nine Supreme Court judges overturned Roe v Wade, the 50-year-old landmark legislation which enshrined the right to an abortion across America.

In an Instagram post shared on Thursday – the 16th anniversary of the film Anne starred in opposite Meryl Streep – Anne used it as an opportunity to comment on the ruling.

“Happy Anniversary to #TheDevilWearsPrada,” she captioned a series of stills from the 2006 film.

“Looking back on photos of this beloved film that shaped the lives and careers of so many—mine included—I am struck by the fact that the young female characters in this movie built their lives and careers in a country that honored their right to have choice over their own reproductive health.

“See you in the fight,” she added.

Anne Hathaway in The Devil Wears Prada
Anne Hathaway in The Devil Wears Prada

Barry WetcherBarry Wetcher/20th Century Fox/Kobal/Shutterstock

The actor’s latest post follows another from 24 June, in which she shared a New Yorker article titled ‘We’re Not Going Back to the Time Before Roe. We’re Going Somewhere Worse’.

Anne titled the post: “So much to say, but let’s start here.”

Anne’s posts come after a number of artists performing at last weekend’s Glastonbury spoke out about the ruling.

Performers including Megan Thee Stallion, Lorde, Kendrick Lamar and more were among those making some noise at the festival.

During her set on Saturday, US singer Olivia Rodrigo invited Lily Allen to sing with her. The pair duetted on Lily’s hit Fuck You, dedicating it to the Supreme Court.

Olivia told the crowd she was devastated that “so many women and so many girls are gonna die because of this.”

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Anne Hathaway Says She Wishes She Could ‘Erase’ See-Through Red Carpet Faux Pas: ‘It Sucked’

Anne Hathaway has recalled an incident earlier in her career in which the people around her failed to tell her that her red carpet outfit was see-through.

During a recent sit-down with Interview magazine, the Oscar-winning star was asked questions by a host of celebrities, including fashion legend Marc Jacobs.

Marc asked Anne for the “one thing you regretted wearing that you look back on and wish you could erase”.

“Marc Jacobs, I love you and I love your wickedness,” she responded, before sharing an anecdote from years earlier.

Anne explained: “There was this one time where I was very young and dressed myself for an event, and I stepped onto a red carpet and did not know my dress was see-through, and I wasn’t wearing a bra.

“It was a very long carpet, and at no point did any of the people in that wall of photographers stop to give me a heads-up or offer me a jacket.”

She continued: “I’m not naive. I don’t expect that, but it’s something I would do for another person if I saw it. And so I would erase that, just because it sucked.”

Elsewhere in the interview Mindy Kaling asked Anne about the “cancelled” public figure whose work she still enjoys (“Aziz Ansari,” she said), as well as the stars she thinks emit BDE.

Other co-stars of Anne’s to contribute to the piece included Dame Julie Andrews, Octavia Spencer, Jessica Chastain, Awkwafina and Jake Gyllenhaal.

Read the full piece on Interview’s website here.

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