Is Dianna Agron the New 'Hilaria Baldwin?' Actress Slammed After Debuting French Accent
Dianna Agron, best known for her role as Quinn Fabray on the hit series "Glee," is at the center of an online storm after debuting what many describe as a new French or transatlantic accent during a recent Vanity Fair video.
The 39-year-old actress appeared in a "Get Ready With Me" segment ahead of a Miu Miu event at the Cannes Film Festival, where she began by speaking in French and continued the interview with noticeably different vocal inflections compared to her familiar American accent.
Fans and social media users were quick to notice and comment on the change. Comments included comparisons to "a girl who spent a semester in Paris" and jokes about "picking a new personality every morning."
Others drew direct parallels to Hilaria Baldwin, who faced her own major controversy in 2020 for allegedly faking a Spanish accent despite being from Boston.
"Babe, wake up, there's a new Hilaria," another comment read.
The comparisons to Baldwin are pointed. Baldwin, whose real name is Hilary and who was born in Boston, was accused of misrepresenting her Spanish heritage and accent, which led to widespread criticism and discussions about authenticity and cultural appropriation. Baldwin has since defended herself, saying her accent reflects her bicultural upbringing and is a form of code-switching, a phenomenon where people shift their language or accent based on their environment or social group.
"You know what it's called? Code-switching," she said. "I had to learn about it because the whole world was mean to me, and so I had to learn it. It's code-switching."
Agron has not yet addressed the sudden change in her accent publicly. However, some fans have offered possible explanations, suggesting that her relationship with Belgian artist Harold Ancart, who has a London accent, or her time living in Europe might have influenced her speech patterns.
Others pointed to similar cases, such as Madonna's accent shift during her marriage to British director Guy Ritchie, as evidence that people can unconsciously pick up new accents from their surroundings. Austin Butler faced similar scrutiny after his role in Elvis, as he continued speaking with the singer's Southern accent for months and eventually hired a dialect coach to help him return to his natural voice.
