Jim Casey's accent

I want to ensure that I perfect my accent in time for when we perform Grapes of Wrath in November, I feel that this will be easier when i know all of my lines by heart as it allows me to focus much more on my character.

Because I have quite a deep voice normally I find it quite easy to achieve the southern drawl however i feel that in order to perfect my accent that i must refine my pronunciation of words in the right way and a ensure that the pitch of my syllables go up and down accordingly(something i believe needs to be rather subtle)

In order to get the accent i want, I though that it would be a good idea to find an accent that I liked done by another actor, then build around it and with it to make it my own. Making the accent my own is something i feel is completely key as I believe that the accent should reflect a persons life experiences and way of being for example a person who is a with schizophrenia may talk in a very quick, almost hysterical voice, whereas a philosopher may talk slower in a more calming and though out way.

I feel that Casey is a very self assured and enlightened man and doesn't tend to speak fast and higher pitched because he likes to convey his points of view so they affect people and because Casey knows that people will listen to him and what he has to say, the preacher isn't in a rush to get his words out.

I would like the basis of my characters voice to be  similar to that of tom Hardy's voice in lawless as I feel that it fits very well With both characters generally mellow and wise way of being http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOl0wRIIsWc