Bill Burr's Response To Fans Who Say They Have Never Heard Of A Boston Accent In Outer Space
"How about C-3PO's English accent? Was that ok?" Bill Burr said to Jimmy Fallon, defending his character in The Mandalorian.
On January 11, 2021, Bill Burr had a virtual interview on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon for his upcoming film The King of Staten Island. Fallon and Burr began talking about his work on the film, yet Fallon could not hold himself from bringing up Burr’s work on Disney+ Star Wars series The Mandalorian. Fallon congratulated Burr for bringing outstanding humor to such a heavy storyline, to which Burr gave all the credit to Jon Faverau, creator of The Mandalorian, and his amazing team of writers.
While complimenting Burr's amazing work on the series, Jimmy Fallon also asked him about a debate going around social media regarding Burr's Boston accent heard in his character Migs Mayfeld. Burr's response was:
"I never heard a Boston accent in outer space, is what they say."
"What about English? ' Isn't that a little weird, if you're in a galaxy far, far away, and you get off, and somebody's like, 'Hey how's it going?' And you totally understand them?"
Burr made it clear on why fans don't question characters who speak in perfect English to an alien creature from another world, and why they question his character's Boston accent. This of course was only the beginning of Burr's hilarious rant; he even pointed out Anthony Daniels' character C-3PO and his use of an English accent. Other characters such as Grand Moff Tarkin and Obi-Wan Kenobi also used an English accent throughout the original trilogy.
"How about C-3PO's English accent? That was okay?"
Burr then concluded his argument, adding a laugh:
"Eff those nerdy, nitpicking nerds."
Burr's Boston accent brought a fun, yet new personality to his character Mayfeld. People often forget the fact that, many of the aliens who speak English within the Star Wars universe have many accents from all over the world. From Nute Gunray and Watto's accents in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, to the priestess' Nigerian accent in the Vader Immortal VR series.
The point Bill Burr is trying to make is that it does not matter what type of accent a character speaks. What matters, rather, is what that character brings to the story, and the impact that specific character creates. Burr strongly proves this as his character Mayfeld was introduces as a cocky, funny, and troublesome character in "Chapter 6: The Prisoner" from The Mandalorian season 1. We all saw him as a stupendous antagonist, until we got to learn more about his past in "Chapter 15: The Believer" from season 2, and his involvement with the Empire and the sinister mission known as Operation Cinder, which first appeared in the Shattered Empire comic book miniseries released in 2015. These plot points not only brought character development to Burr's character, but also a sense of humanity to the coldblooded killer whom we first saw back in season one.
Lots of the fans who argue about Burr’s accent in The Mandalorian have forgotten about all the characters throughout animated shows and video games, which count as part of the current Star Wars canon timeline. They also tend to forget that the Star Wars universe is extremely diverse, and having characters with different accents is not only a wonderful way to show the creativity of the writers, but also to show representation of the many cultures in our world, within the genres of sci-fi and fantasy.
At the end of the day, it does not matter what type of accent Burr used for his character. What truly matters his what Migs Mayfeld and the many characters have brought to the series, and what they can bring in the future.
Source(s): Boston.com