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Gracepoint Boss: David Tennant's American Accent Is Impeccable
On Fox's upcoming drama Gracepoint, David Tennant will look familiar to his fans, but he'll sound decidedly different. The former Doctor Who star plays the lead detective on the murder mystery, an American adaptation of the British series Broadchurch — which also starred Tennant, and in the same role. "We did not have to loop a single word of his American accent," executive producer Carolyn Bernstein told reporters at the Television Critics Association fall previews on Sunday. "His American accent is impeccable."
On Fox's upcoming drama Gracepoint, David Tennant will look familiar to his fans, but he'll sound decidedly different.
The former Doctor Who star plays the lead detective on the murder mystery, an American adaptation of the British series Broadchurch — which also starred Tennant, and in the same role. "We did not have to loop a single word of his American accent," executive producer Carolyn Bernstein told reporters at the Television Critics Association fall previews on Sunday. "His American accent is impeccable."
Fox at the TCA fall previews: Get the latest news
Beyond the accent, Tennant said that interacting with different actors made the role feel different from the original. "It's such an unusual situation. "It's the same character but it's not. It's the same but different. They feel very different," he said.
On Gracepoint, Det. Emmett Carver (Tennant) heads up an investigation after the body of a local boy is found in a small town, events that Broadchurch viewers will recognize as almost shot-for-shot identical. Showrunner Dan Futterman explained, "We don't screw up what works... We start to veer from the [original] story line and introduce new characters."
Although Broadchurch revealed the identity of the killer in its emotional Season 1 finale, fans of the original series will still have surprises to look forward to on Gracepoint. "I don't want you to rule anybody out as a suspect," Futterman said. "We end in a very different place, which is very exciting for a first season, and what could be a great second season as well."
Gracepoint — which also stars Anna Gunn, Michael Pena, Kevin Zegers, and Nick Nolte — premieres Thursday, Oct. 2 at 9/8c on Fox.
Want to prep for Gracepoint by watching Broadchurch? See why the show is our editor's pick for Binge Saturday:
