Robert Pattinson’s Accent Was Perfect for His Role in ‘The King’s Speech’

If you’ve seen the movie The King’s Speech then you know it’s a pretty intense role for an actor. And for someone who has such an accent, it must have been incredibly challenging to nail that role, both on and off camera.

But as it turns out, Robert Pattinson did an amazing job portraying King George VI, the British monarch who was determined to be frank and honest with himself and those around him. And it wasn’t just his convincing accent that made it seem like he was born and raised in a manor house, it was everything. From his walk to his dialogue to his fashion sense, Robert Pattinson nailed it.

Here, we’ll go over Robert Pattinson’s extraordinary acting career and how he nailed it in The King’s Speech. Also, we’ll give you some tips on how to sound like a king (or a prince).

Robert Pattinson: Early Years

If you’re old enough to have watched Harry Potter and The Twilight Saga, then you know that Robert Pattinson was already a big Hollywood star in his own right when he took on the role of Edward Cullen in The Twilight Saga.

Pattinson’s breakout role was in the fantasy series Harry Potter, particularly the part where he plays Harry’s best friend, Ron Weasley. In 2007, Potter won the Academy Award for Best Picture and it was the second time that Pattinson had won an award for his acting. In 2010, he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his performance in Twilight.

Pattinson decided to forego going to university to focus on his acting career and got a special dispensation from the university to be able to graduate early. He started his acting career in commercials before moving on to film and TV shows. He also took some time off to write and publish a book, Trust Me, About Life, Love & Money.

The King’s Speech: Movie Review

The movie The King’s Speech opens with a brilliant monologue by Charlie Chaplin. In it, the famous comedian mocks the very idea that someone could “become” a king or a queen. He calls it “The American Dream,” and then lists all of its trappings: cars, dollars, and women. When the movie The King’s Speech was first released, in 2011, it received mixed reviews. On one hand, it was praised for its honest and sometimes brutal portrayal of the difficulties faced by a new royal. On the other, those who saw the film attributed its success to the fact that it was an ‘Emmett Cullen’ film (for those of you who are unfamiliar, that’s the name of The Twilight Saga’s wolf father).

The plot follows the story of King George VI, who ascended to the throne of England at the age of 25. Due to poor health, he was forced to abdicate the throne a few years later, passing the reign on to his son, Edward, the Prince of Wales, who then became King Edward VIII. At the time, Edward VIII was still married to American Duke of Cumberland, though they had agreed to end the engagement a few months earlier. The former king’s mental and physical health was in decline, and his life revolved around alcohol and morphine addiction. When his health deteriorated to the point where he was unable to carry out his duties as king, he was compelled to seek medical aid. This is where the story of The King’s Speech begins.

Robert Pattinson: The Role of King George VI

To get into the mind of King George VI, the movie The King’s Speech uses a brilliant technique: it edits scenes from the actual White House Correspondents’ Dinner, which was one of the ways that the former king was able to escape the pressure of his position. This was an event that Winston Churchill organized as a way to give the British press the opportunity to laugh at the famous ‘Waugh’ voice of Churchill himself, rather than just hear it on the radio or read it in the newspaper. But it was also a seriously important event, during which the kings and queens of Great Britain and their U.S. counterparts would socialize and network. Because of this, it was an obligatory event for any Englishman or American to attend. The fact that George VI was forced to leave the event early due to ill health makes his role in The King’s Speech all the more convincing. 

Even from the very beginning of the movie, we see that King George VI was a very different person from the one-dimensional caricature who appears in most American films. The character of King George VI is introduced to us during a speech that he gives at the Royal Academy of Art. As he speaks, we see flashes of his speech as he struggles to keep his mind in the moment. And it’s not just his speech that we get to see, but the entire character of King George VI. For instance, in one scene, we see the King struggling to put on his overcoat, as the butler helps him. The way that the King twists and turns as he puts the coat on is very realistic and shows us that he was a very active man who engaged with his responsibilities eagerly, and sometimes playfully. That’s the kind of energy that you need to have if you’re going to play the role of King George VI.

How to Sound Like a King: Some Tips From the Set

While The King’s Speech dramatized the real-life struggles of King George VI, it still took some time for the world to see how brilliantly Robert Pattinson played the titular role. Even now, people who haven’t seen the film may not know how amazing Pattinson was in it. And that’s a great thing, because it means that there are still people out there who don’t know how to sound like a king. Here are some tips from the set that will help you nail it (even if it’s just for fun).

First off, don’t be afraid to overuse the “S” sound. One of the things that makes Alfred Langton, the speech therapist who helped King George VI overcome his stammer, famous is that he would often emphasize the S sound in the name of the treatment. So next time you’re talking, try and put a lot of the emphasis on the S sound, especially in the beginning. It will make you sound more authoritative. 

Another great thing about the S sound is that it’s one of the most difficult sounds to mimic. So it’ll be very challenging to pull off, even for someone who sounds like a professional. Just make sure that you throw in a few bluffs now and then to make it sound more genuine.

One of the things that makes King George VI sound so great is how he blends inorganic and organic sounds. So if you’re ever unsure of how to pronounce a word, don’t be shy to ask the person next to you to help you out. Or better yet, put your trust in a thesaurus and look up the definitions of tricky words. You’ll be surprised how many words you can come up with that way. For example, if you don’t know what hobo means, simply look it up in your thesaurus and you’ll find that it’s an acronym for “Handsomely Bummed Out Biker.” So in that case, your hunchback Hobo will be thanking you for helping him find his way.

Final Takeaway

In closing, it’s important to remember that The King’s Speech is a fictional account of the life of King George VI. And while there are certainly some factual aspects to it, it is still an unverified account of the former king’s life. Nevertheless, we as an audience accept it as truth because it’s based on solid research and we as movie goers already have an established relationship with the character of King George VI, having watched him grow and change as the story progresses. So in that sense, it feels more like watching the biography of a real-life person rather than a made-up character. And for the most part, that’s exactly what we get: a glimpse into the private life of King George VI, a man whose courage and tenacity inspired both his allies and his enemies, and who refused to be defined by the tragedies of his life. In the end, that’s all we really need to know about King George VI.