In trailers for the new true crime-based period piece Boston Strangler, it’s surreal to hear an American accent emerge from Keira Knightley’s extremely English visage. But it was almost a lot weirder. Knightley and her co-star Carrie Coon, who play real-life Boston Record American reporters Loretta McLaughlin and Jean Cole, told People at the film’s NYC premiere that Bostonian writer-director Matt Ruskin forbade the cast from taking a stab at Boston accents. Knightley says that the cast all tried to talk Ruskin into letting them do the accent, “and he was like, ‘Absolutely not.’ So we failed, but I kind of hear him, because as I found out, people are very opinionated about that accent.”

Coon, who isn’t British but is from Ohio (which is in no way, shape, or form Boston), says that she “was really looking forward to the Boston accent.” Coon got an accidental read in at Ruskin when explaining his Boston Strangler gag order, saying he’s “from Boston and very insistent that anybody who is not from Boston was not going to be doing an accent, because he claims he’s from Boston and he doesn’t have an accent. But he does.” While Knightley and Coon are disappointed they didn’t get to throw around some “wicked pissahs” while tracking down the Boston Stranglah, it’s probably for the best. Sounds like Ruskin didn’t want a Nancy Donovan situation on his hands.

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British actress Keira Knightley is known for her measured performances in period dramas like Pride & Prejudice as well as her involvement in mainstream favourites like the Pirates of the Caribbean. Her latest project will have its premiere on September 14 at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival where it will be available in digital formats and accessible through a physical screening as well.

Directed by Eric Warin and Tahir Rana, Charlotte is a brand new animated film in which Keira Knightley voices a Jewish artist who grows up during the volatile sociopolitical climate of the Second World War. The film attempts to explore life through politics and art, delineating how the two intertwine to form a fascinating commentary on human existence.

The official synopsis reads: “Charlotte is an animated drama that tells the true story of Charlotte Salomon, a young German-Jewish painter who comes of age in Berlin on the eve of the Second World War. Fiercely imaginative and deeply gifted, she dreams of becoming an artist. Her first love applauds her talent, which emboldens her resolve.”

Adding: “But the world around her is changing quickly and dangerously, limiting her options and derailing her dream. When anti-Semitic policies inspire violent mobs, she leaves Berlin for the safety of the South of France. There she begins to paint again, and finds new love. But her work is interrupted, this time by a family tragedy that reveals an even darker secret. Believing that only an extraordinary act will save her, she embarks on the monumental adventure of painting her life story.”

Discussing the project, Jen Gorton of Sierra/Affinity, said: “All of us at Sierra/Affinity are excited to work with this star-studded cast and present this unique animated film to distributors across the globe. The story of Charlotte is one that deserves to be told and we are confident that the massive talent of the cast combined with the direction of the filmmaking team will reach and touch adults worldwide.”

Producer Julia Rosenberg also commented on the importance of the project, adding: “Charlotte Salomon invented the graphic memoir when she painted her life story in over a thousand works while living as a refugee during wartime. Her vitality and stunning talent have been overlooked for too long. Charlotte is a gesture of resistance, honouring her legacy while revealing it to the world.”

Check out the brand new clip for Charlotte below.

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