‘Fargo’ Season 3 Star Ewan McGregor On Getting The Minnesota Accent Right

Ewan McGregor plays two different characters in Season 3 of “Fargo.” But the actor implied that getting the Minnesota accent right was more difficult than portraying the dual roles of siblings Ray and Emmit Stussy.

“The whole accent was very difficult altogether ‘cos I’m not familiar with it,” McGregor admitted during a recent interview with Huffington Post Australia. “Apart from the movie ‘Fargo’ from the ‘90s, I’d never heard that accent before and it’s not something you hear every day. It’s not something that’s in my ear, if you like.”

“So it was really tough, it was a difficult one,” the Scottish actor continued. “As the sounds came out of my mouth it felt alien, it felt weird. Most accents you do, you can hear if you’re getting it right or wrong. But with this one it’s very difficult to tell.”

READ: Will there be more Bridge tournaments for Ray and Nikki?

The Golden Globe-nominated actor added that he also tried to make the two brothers sound slightly different, making his job more challenging. When asked if he was able to pull off the challenge, McGregor said: “You’ll have to watch and see for yourself.”

During the show’s panel at a recent “For Your Consideration” event, McGregor said (via Variety) that he finally got the Minnesota accent right two weeks before he finished filming.

In the same interview with Huffington Post Australia, McGregor also admitted that he had never watched the previous seasons of “Fargo” until he learned from an FX producer that they were looking for an actor that will play two roles in Season 3. “He asked if I’d seen ‘Fargo,’ and I said ‘No,’” McGregor recalled. “And he said, ‘You should watch them, we’re casting the third season now and we’re looking for someone to play two brothers.’”

“I watched them out of interest and I just thought it was extraordinarily good writing and brilliant, brilliant work,” the “Trainspotting” actor continued. “I was intrigued to meet the creator Noah Hawley and when I met him, he let me read the first episode of Season 3. That was it, I was in. I loved it.”

In tonight’s Season 3, episode 5 of “Fargo,” Ray and Nikki (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) come up with an ingenious plan to get more money from Emmit. The trailer for the episode shows Ray and Nikki preparing to shoot a sex tape with Ray disguising as Emmit once again. “Let’s make a sex tape, maybe in a cowgirl or doggie scenario, nondescript,” Nikki tells her boyfriend in the preview clip.

The couple then sends a copy of the sex tape to Emmit with a message that read: “Pay us $100,000 or we show your wife.” Emmit’s wife Stella (Linda Kash) finds the CD and the message, but it looks like Emmit is done with Ray’s games and has no intention of giving his sibling anymore money.

“Pay the damn money and pray that I was satisfied!” Ray tells Emmit over the phone.

“You’re dead. Do you hear me?” Emmit replies.

“Fargo” Season 3, episode 5, titled “The House of Special Purpose,” airs on Wednesday, May 17 at 10 p.m. EDT on FX.