One person who doesn’t have much of an opinion on Alec Baldwin’s headline-making thoughts on Gillian Anderson’s use of British and American accents is Anderson herself.
Baldwin last week announced he’d deactivated his Twitter account after commenting on Anderson’s performance as former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in “The Crown,” for which she received a Golden Globe Award. On Wednesday, he tweeted a CNN article which noted that Anderson, who was born in Chicago but spent much of her childhood in London, had “accepted the award using her American accent.”
“Switching accents? That sounds…fascinating,” Baldwin wrote. The remark was a thinly veiled reference to his wife, Hilaria Baldwin, who has recently been accused of appropriating a Spanish accent even though she was raised in Boston by American parents.
Speaking to “Entertainment Tonight” on Sunday, Anderson admitted that she wasn’t aware of the Baldwin controversy as it unfolded.
“I don’t have social media on my phone,” she explained. “A couple of people texted to say that something was going on, [but] I didn’t pay any attention to it.”
The star of “The X-Files” and “Sex Education” went on to note that she “grew up between two countries” and, as a result, “depending on who’s in my ear is which direction my accent goes.”
Upon quitting Twitter, Baldwin posted a short video to his Instagram account in which he said he was a “huge fan” of Anderson’s ― and, from the sound of it, the feeling is mutual.
As for Baldwin’s take on her bidialectalism, she quipped, “I’m sad that it caused him so much distress.”
Fortunately, the actor has more important things to focus on these days than social media dust-ups over her speaking voice.
On Sunday, she continued on her “Crown” winning streak at the 2021 Critics’ Choice Awards, where she picked up an award for best supporting actress for her performance as Thatcher.
Watch Gillian Anderson’s “Entertainment Tonight” interview below.
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