Playing Brona in Penny Dreadful brought a few challenges for softly spoken, plummy-toned Billie – not least learning the much harsher Northern Irish accent. Shooting the show in Dublin didn’t help, as she found the variations confusing at times. Billie said: “I had a hardcore dialect coach. It’s Northern Irish but it was hard being in Dublin with loads of Dubliners on the set.
“It’s really unhelpful because lots of us are doing different accents, so she was a permanent fixture. Sometimes, I’d practise round the house and we’d listen to a lot of it in my car. My kids would find it really funny. We’d all do it together in my car to a CD and, yes, they loved it.”
In fact, Billie got so good at the harsh Northern Irish accent, she had to tone it down for fear viewers wouldn’t understand her. “Because it’s a very strong accent, as you know, and a hard accent as in how it sounds, it’s sometimes hard to understand. I think we had to be very mindful of it being too Belfast. It was that battle of making everything you say heard but also being true to the accent. Everyone can judge it, now they can see it. God!”
Screencaps of last night’s episode have been uploaded. (Billie only had one scene, sadly.)
WARNING: They do contain explicit content, and may not be suitable for young fans.
Synopsis of Playhouse Presents Foxtrot which airs on Thursday 29th May on Sky Arts:
‘Former stripper Badger (played by Billie Piper) and her accomplice Fox are holed up in a hotel with the man they have just kidnapped, but a phone call from their cold, calculating boss Mrs Dalloway reveals they have abducted the twin of their intended target. Their victim has learning difficulties and struggles to communicate with them, but while Badger wants to ditch him and run, Fox’s conscience gets the better of her.’
We’ve added screencaps of Billie’s debute in ‘Penny Dreadful’. Wasn’t she amazing as always? Loving her irish accent!
WARNING; They contain explicit content and may not be suitable for younger fans.
