Why is Leonardo DiCaprio’s Blood Diamond accent so divisive? The actor played Danny Archer in the 2006 political thriller, starring opposite Djimon Hounsou and Jennifer Connelly. His character was from Rhodesia or modern-day Zimbabwe, and although DiCaprio scored an Oscar nomination for the role, viewers have had mixed reactions to his South African accent in the film.
Blood Diamond is set during the Sierra Leone Civil War, which took place from 1991-2002. During this time, the country was torn apart by the conflict between insurgent forces and government loyalists. The title refers to the diamonds mined in these war zones, which served to finance some of Africa’s worst wars. Archer was a smuggler and mercenary who was on the hunt for an enormous diamond.
So, why was Leonardo DiCaprio’s Blood Diamond accent so divisive among viewers and critics? The Daily Show host Trevor Noah - who is from South Africa - did slam the actor’s accent, stating he sounded like "a drunk Australian." Screen Rant's own list of DiCaprio’s best performances praises his rendering of the notoriously tricky accent in Blood Diamond - though that same performance has landed him on various “worst accents” lists over the years. For a brief sequence where Danny speaks in a West African creole - as opposed to his native Rhodesian/Zimbabwean accent - dialect coach Erik Singer (via Wired) states that while his rendition is “marred by some West Indian intonation,” the actor does a creditable job with the accent.
Leonardo DiCaprio told Time he worked tirelessly with his dialect coach on Blood Diamond Tim Monich, torturing the man by making him record various sentences in different ways so the actor could listen to them over and over again. In another interview, the actor revealed he spent a lot of time with real guys from the area, just drinking and talking, trying to pick up the accent. DiCaprio also stated he really made an effort to “immerse myself in the culture there." Apparently, the actor was quite intent on getting it right and according to some, he definitely did, yet his accent would remain a source of derision in some reviews.
There seems to be plenty of debate on both sides as to the authenticity of Leonardo DiCaprio’s Blood Diamond accent. What is clear is that he took his role very seriously and made every effort to get the accent just right. Unfortunately for him, not everyone was a fan of the result.