There's a big difference between when I'm Tom and when I'm Conchita. Conchita uses very proper German; Tom talks in an Austrian dialect. Conchita gets mad if she is kept waiting; Tom is lazy.
I just love dialects; they're really fun.
One of the coolest ways to start building a character is the way he moves his mouth, what part of the mouth he puts his words into, how he expresses himself, and there's a certain flavor you get with a dialect.
When we started on 'Power,' I was committed to respecting the differences among Spanish dialects: Dominican, Nuyorican, Mexican, etc. I wanted the language our characters spoke to be as specific as possible, to reflect New York as it is.
I did 'Christmas Carol' off and on through my teenage years, so I always had that dialect and that sound in my ear, which was so helpful. It became second nature.
The one thing that disturbs me about Alec is that people don't realize that he's really funny.
I tell people, if you really want me to look that good, why don't you cough up about $2 million more and hire Alec or Billy? If you want me to do it, this is what you get.
Nobody likes a smart alec. Which is why it's always better for your career to be wrong and in company rather than right and on your own.
At any one time language is a kaleidoscope of styles, genres and dialects.
The one thing about internet language, people join it, and what quickly evolves is an 'internet dialect,' as it were.
