Time and again, Julia Garner has proved her mettle at acting and accent. She has played such memorable characters with such a distinct accent that it’s hard to guess that she’s from New York. There’s not a hint of that New York accent in any of the Southern drawls or the mix of the European German accent of Anna Delvey. No wonder she’s leading the roster of actresses that are gunning for the Emmys. But did you know Ozark wasn’t her first attempt at the southern accent? 

Julia Garner practiced her southern accent for Tomato Red before Ozark 

Ozark allowed Julia Garner to brush up on her Southern accent. Viewers had praised her for nailing the accent. However, she already had some practice beforehand. Right before Ozark came along, she had shot a movie Tomato Red: Blood Money in Missouri, Ozarks. It was a 2017 Irish Canadian crime thriller with Juanita Wilson at the helm. 

“I worked with a dialect coach a month before, and I also did a movie called Tomato Red that took place in Missouri in the Ozarks a year before. I would speak in the accent everywhere just so that I can be familiar. Now it’s just second nature,” she told Vulture in an interview.

Garner played Jammalee, one of the siblings who were trying to hit it big, in the movie. The siblings, along with another local drifter Sammy, broke into wealthy people’s places and blackmailed them. However, things took a dark turn for them when Jason died one day. 

At this rate, Garner can be called the Crime drama Queen. Although the film went under the radar, she delivered another nuanced performance here. 

The actress shot to fame with her role as Ruth Langmore. Interestingly enough, although she’s a badass foul-mouthed girl in Ozark, in real life, she’s terribly afraid of rodents. She previously won two consecutive Emmys for Ozark but has picked up a nomination for both Ozark and Inventing Anna this year. 

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