With pink hair and a brash attitude, it’s no wonder Teeter (Jennifer Landon) became a standout character when she was introduced on “Yellowstone” Season 3. She’s a ranch hand who has no problem holding her own against bigger, burlier men. Still, her most significant character trait may be her unique, almost unintelligible accent. It may have some wondering if Landon really speaks like Teeter. For anyone who thought series creator Taylor Sheridan found Landon in the backwoods somewhere, they’ll be happy to hear she doesn’t actually speak like that in real life.
That becomes abundantly clear when listening to Landon speak in interviews. She sounds nothing like Teeter, which probably helps being an actress. As far as coming up with the accent, it was mostly Sheridan’s doing, as she explained on an episode of The Official Yellowstone Podcast. At around the 36:20 mark of the episode, Landon says, “The Frontier is Female — Kelly Reilly, Jen Landon and Kelsey Asbille. Taylor wrote [Teeter’s dialogue] phonetically, which was fantastic. I remember when I saw the sides on first glance I was like, ‘What?'”
So when Teeter says her name, it may sound like “Peter” or “Tater,” but that’s how she talks. And it’s precisely the way Sheridan envisioned. While Teeter may be indecipherable to some, Landon shared a kindred bond with the character, “She always made sense to me. I always knew exactly what she was saying.”
Teeter’s accent on Yellowstone informs her character
Teeter’s backstory on “Yellowstone” is that she hails from Texas. It’s unclear what area of Texas she’s from, and that ambiguity is likely intentional. It’s not a common accent and is probably more grounded in what a Hollywood writer believes someone from the Texas boonies would sound like. But ultimately, it’s that way of speaking that makes her such an interesting character.
She’s pretty much the sole woman around the bunkhouse, but she’s not intimidated by the other men. She spews profanities with the best of them and hits on some of her co-workers, trying to get them to give her a back rub (or, as she would call it, a “bekkrewb”). The Teeter accent shows she came from a rough, rugged upbringing. She’s not some city slicker trying to ride horses; she embodies the country spirit. There’s also depth to Teeter, as she showed off a more vulnerable side in a “Yellowstone” scene that went too far where she had to beg John Dutton (Kevin Costner) to let her keep her job.
It’s a testament to Jennifer Landon’s acting ability that she embodies the character so well. Landon, the child of actor Michael Landon, was born in Malibu, California, and then pursued a degree at New York University. It’s a far cry from Teeter’s rural roots, but Landon must’ve had a good dialect coach at some point.
