Erik_Singer

Not sure I can pick one, and I certainly haven't seen every performance that's out there, but some of the best ones I can think of made it into the video. Idris Elba in the Wire, Meryl Streep and Sophie's Choice. Man, so many others. I'm always particularly blown away when someone nails an idiolect (the accent of one particular real individual). Streep's Thatcher in The Iron Lady is extraordinary, as was her Julia Child.

Thanks!

The commenters who pointed that out are absolutely correct. I had actually always thought/known it was a Traveler accent, but a bit of hasty research before we shot turned up a piece written by Pitt's dialect coach on the film, Brendan Gunn, in which he wrote about how they started off with Belfast. Pitt came to stay with Gunn in Belfast as they worked on it. The piece does mention, glancingly, that they shifted to Traveler speak. There are some similarities, but obviously it's not the same accent. I should have known better, and totally my fault.

Not often! I'll sometimes answer the phone in a weird accent though My wife hates that.

Sometimes. Depends. I love conlangs. I find the whole process fascinating, from design through execution with the actors.

Shout out to friend and colleague Jan Haydn Rowles, who does GoT, including all the Valyrian and Dothraki. She's brilliant.

I think it's mostly exposure. So much depends on the individual, though.