Can you tawk the tawk? New Yorkers, including celebrities, compete for the title of best accent

New York City on lockdown is an eerie place.

The sound of incessant traffic has been replaced with the chirping of birds. Conversations among strangers in the streets have ground to a halt. And restaurants and museums now stand as hollow reminders of a city that once never slept.

The coronavirus pandemic stripped the city of its soulful clamor.

But there’s one sound that it could never silence: the good old New York accent.

For filmmaker Nicolas Heller, it’s what he missed most — so he launched a contest to see who has the best accent.

“When the whole quarantine thing happened, I was so depressed,” Heller told CNN. “What the hell was I going to do? I can’t go outside. I can’t interact with people. How am I going to be creative?”

Before the pandemic, the filmmaker was known for finding unique New Yorkers, such as performers and comedians, and documenting their talents.

Adapting that idea for the coronavirus era, Heller invited New Yorkers to post videos on social media showcasing their accents. The filmmaker planned on compiling the submissions, have his followers vote on the best ones and then crown one lucky person as having the greatest New York accent.

Three days into the contest, things began to take off when Hollywood actor and native New Yorker Alec Baldwin submitted a video. Baldwin has famously used his voice — and accent — to play fellow New Yorker, President Trump, on “Saturday Night Live.” Since then, the contest has received more than 1,000 submissions.

Other celebrities taking part in the challenge include Kathrine Narducci, Wayne Diamond and Debi Mazar.

After narrowing the pool to 24 people with the help of fellow judges Michael Rapaport and Princess Nokia, Heller used a bracket system so his followers could choose first, second and third-place winners.

“When it came to judging, there was no such thing as the best New York accent,” Heller said. “It’s all very subjective. We voted based on our gut. It was about the accent but also the video.”

And the winner was … a New Yorker who goes by the name of Charlie da Wolf, and proclaims himself “Williamsburg’s oldest bad boy.”

Mr. da Wolf more than achieves that honorific (and the contest’s top prize) with a profanity-laden video oozing with classic New York attitude whose chief target is the contest itself.

Rob Agri placed second for his creative take on the competition by reciting a poem whose raucous rhymes roll off his New Yawk tongue. Rapper Princess Nokia and 9-year-old Sienna tied for third place.

Heller, along with Rapaport and Princess Nokia, also chose five of their favorite submissions from each of the New York boroughs. The winners received gift cards and other merchandise from sponsors as prizes.

While Heller said the goal was to spread happiness in a time of sadness and uncertainty, his challenge turned into something much more special.

“It was so much bigger than a competition,” Heller said. “It was a way to connect New Yorkers in such a crappy time. It brought the community together. People felt proud to be a New Yorker.”

In a post-pandemic world, Heller still found a way to connect with people.

“So many people have reached out to tell me how these videos are lifting their spirits and how hearing other New York voices during isolation helped them so much,” Heller said. “It’s more than a fun contest. It’s bringing back New York pride.”

Heller said he plans to launch another contest soon.

Might we suggest a contest gauging if those New Yawkers who tawk the tawk can also walk the walk?

Until then, we’ll keep enjoying them tawk the tawk.