Summary

• Moira Rose's accent, expertly portrayed by Catherine O'Hara, steals the show and makes her a comedic icon in Schitt's Creek.
• Moira's exaggerated accent highlights her out-of-place nature in the small town and makes her a memorable television creation.
• O'Hara had a lot of say in the development of Moira, including the creation of her accent, which adds depth and meaning to the character's backstory.

In Schitt's Creek, Moira Rose's accent is a hilarious aspect of the character that allows her to steal the show. Brought to life by the legendary Catherine O'Hara, Moira was the family matriarch throughout all six seasons of the Canadian sitcom. The character was created by Eugene Levy and Dan Levy, who also starred as the on-screen father and son pair Johnny Rose and David Rose. However, it is O'Hara's performance that made Moira a comedic icon and the actor won an Emmy for the hilarious tour-de-force performance.

Schitt's Creek follows the affluent Rose family as they lose their fortune and are forced to move to a small rural town to start again. While each of the family members struggles with the fish-out-of-water scenario, Moira seems to be the one who has the hardest time and the least interest in fitting in. Her hilarious and exaggerated accent is a wonderful way of showing how out of place she is in this town while also making the character stand out as a truly memorable television creation.

Watch on Hulu

Catherine O'Hara Developed Moira's Accent Herself

O'Hara Drew Inspiration From A Real-Life Person

The character of Moira Rose was first developed by Eugene and Daniel Levy, who thought O'Hara was perfect for the role. Due to her history working with Eugene Levy, O'Hara was quick to come on board. Moira's outward appearance was inspired by notable socialite Daphne Guinness, with the black and white muted color tone highlighting her over-the-top style.

Crucially, O'Hara also had a lot of say in the development of Moira. Not only was she allowed to pick out Moira's variety of wigs, but she also concocted the odd way Moira talks. The character memorably had an undefinable dialect that was highlighted further by antiquated vocabulary. The Moire Rose accent, however, also had a deeper meaning connected to her past.

The Deeper Meaning Of Moira's Accent Explained

According to O'Hara (via Variety), she didn't immediately know what she wanted Moira Rose's accent to be at the beginning. She then considered Moira as "someone who is learning a different word every day and tries to slip them into conversations as much as possible." That notion then greatly evolved with the aspect of Moira and Johnny's past spent traveling the world, leading O'Hara to believe it would cause her character to pick up certain dialects.

As a reminder of her old lifestyle before the Rose family lost their fortune, Moira combined the cultures she encountered through her speech in what O'Hara described as "oral mementos of her world travels." Moira certainly wasn't one to forgo reminding her peers about her past privileges, and her accent was a layered way to hold onto the past.

Aside from viewers of Schitt's Creek, dialect coaches have been intrigued by Moira's unique way of speech. Though some had considered the accent somewhat of a Mid-Atlantic hybrid, others like Samara Bay (via Elle) have pointed out that there's a mix of British, Canadian, and old Hollywood in Moira's speech.

Some of that was most likely due to Catherine O'Hara's own dialect as a Canadian citizen, but she made it her own by enunciating certain vowels or syllables and incorporating old-fashioned vocabulary. Schitt's Creek might be over, but the Moira Rose accent will always be remembered as one of the most entertaining aspects of the series thanks to O'Hara.

How Moira's Accent Makes Schitt's Creek Better

The Schitt's Creek characters greatly depended on its actors delivering memorable and hilarious performances in order to succeed. While all of the Rose family members have notable quirks, such as David's fashion sense or Alexis's frightening stories, Moira Rose's accent stands out as one of the most specific, quotable, and fascinating aspects of Schitt's Creek.

O'Hara's award-winning performance incorporates many humorous elements and running gags, but the fact that so much attention was paid to crafting Moira's accent in particular (and in a manner that effectively incorporates her backstory and personality) speaks to how adept she is at the type of comedy Schitt's Creek requires. Without elements like O'Hara's considerable comic talents, the show wouldn't have anything like the enduring popularity that it still enjoys today.

• 

  Schitt's Creek

  Summary:

  Schitt's Creek is a sitcom series created by and starring Dan and Eugene Levy. When the Rose family's business manager embezzles funds from their fortune, they discover that all of their money is gone except for one last piece of property - a small town called Schitt's Creek that they purchased for fun years ago. Now forced to acclimate to an average, borderline impoverished life, the Rose family will attempt to make due with what they have while trying to revitalize the town.

  Release Date:

  2015-01-13

  Cast:

  Catherine O'Hara, Dan Levy, Noah Reid, Emily Hampshire, Tim Rozon, Dustin Milligan, Eugene Levy, Jennifer Robertson, Chris Elliott, Annie Murphy

  Genres:

  Comedy

  Rating:

  TV-14

  Seasons:

  6

  Writers:

  Dan Levy, Eugene Levy, David West Read

  Streaming Service(s):

  Netflix

  Showrunner:

  Dan Levy, Eugene Levy