James Nesbitt has spoken about fighting to use his native Northern Irish accent on TV. The Ballymena-born actor, 61, has enjoyed a prolific career, starring in series such as Murphy’s Law and Bloodlands, while finding international fame more recently in a run of Harlan Coben adaptations on Netflix – Stay Close (2021), Missing You (2025) and Run Away (2026). In a new interview with The Times, Nesbitt pointed to the “global platform” that the streaming series provides as a reason why he advocates for the use of his own accent.
Anywhere I go now, since I did my first Harlan one, it’s extraordinary. You’re known everywhere.” Nesbitt also recalled his audition for the ITV relationship comedy Cold Feet (1997 to 2003), when he first insisted on using his own accent. I walked in and said, ‘I’m the only person that can play this and it has to be done in a Northern Irish accent.’ “And I said to the director, ‘You will be able to take credit for having a Northern Irish voice in a drama where it’s nothing to do with the Troubles for the first time.’” New subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial.
Plan auto-renews until cancelled. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. Nesbitt explained that while he holds both British and Irish passports, he very much considers himself “an Irish Protestant from the North of Ireland”.
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