Although Steve Martin’s French accent could be distracting — and clearly it was for most critics and audiences — it brings a funny charm to his “Pink Panther” movies, differentiating his version of Inspector Jacques Clouseau from the legendary performance of Peter Sellers.
“It would’ve been harder to imitate Peter Sellers,” Martin said in an interview with Female before the release of “The Pink Panther.” “I realized that Peter Sellers knew the character inside and out, and I figured, hmm, he could probably ad-lib all day as that character, and I thought that is the sign to me when I have it is when you can ad-lib all day as the character, and eventually that came. I first worked on the accent, and then I worked on the outfit – the physical I didn’t have any problem with at all – and, finally, when I realized, ‘Oh, I’m thinking like him now,’ I felt very comfortable, and I felt different from the great Peter Sellers.”
Martin knew his accent would be a distinct way to separate his performance from Sellers’ interpretation of the character, so nailing it was his top priority. In the same interview, he mentioned working with an accent coach who helped him dial in on his over-the-top impression, which now draws more comparisons to Elmer Fudd, who also has difficulties pronouncing R’s. While Martin has long since turned in his inspector’s badge, “Only Murders in the Building” allowed him to flex his vocal cords, bringing back the iconic French accent he worked so hard to perfect.
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