"The Dead of Winter" hits theaters Sept. 26, and audiences will see British actress Emma Thompson braving harsh temperatures, danger and isolation in the Minnesota wilderness. Audiences will hear an unmistakable Midwestern accent — courtesy of a woman from Forest Lake.

Tracy Dooley, a Minnesotan with no film credits or coaching experience, was asked by her nephew and co-writer of the film, Dalton Leeb, to help the Oscar-winning actress master the local accent.

"I got involved in this film because of my nephew, Dalton," said Dooley. "He wanted her to talk like me."

The film, set in rural Minnesota, was filmed in Finland, so getting the accent correct was important to Leeb and co-writer Nicholas Jacobson-Larson.

Leeb asked his aunt, Dooley, to send end voice clips to Thompson in pre-productions, but that wasn't quite enough. 

"We Zoom called for three months and she just talked like me the whole time. It would be a couple hours at a time," said Dooley.

Dooley, flattered and a little confused, believes that her accent isn't really an accent.

"I don't feel like I have an accent," Dooley said.

While Dooley doesn't appear in the film, her influence runs through every line Thompson delivers. During those Zoom calls, they got to know each other well.

"I learned a lot about her life, where she was born," said Dooley. "We talked about everything — whatever was going on in my life at that time."

The two stay in contact even though the filming is all over.