Steven Prusakowski
Those coming into season five of Fargo expecting star, Juno Temple, to play a variation on her Ted Lasso character, Keeley Jones, were in for quite the surprise. The English actress toned down the popular character’s fashionista flare to play Dot Lyon, a housewife whose somewhat frumpy attire and Minnesota nice accent make her seem harmless as a kitten. Even more surprising to both Dot’s viscous attackers and to fans of Temple’s previous work was that behind this unthreatening exterior was a tiger ready to pounce whenever her family was in peril.
Season five of Fargo is receiving praise from critics and fans alike (including yours truly) who are calling it possibly the best, season of the anthology series yet. If you have seen the previous seasons of the Noah Hawley created series, you understand this is no small compliment. As always, the fifth season delivers a twisty, darkly comic tale which Hawley describes as ‘a tragedy with a happy ending.’ Through brilliant writing and an inspired performances Fargo subverts expectations over and over, right up to the universally lauded closing scene, which instantly cemented itself as one of the best scenes of the year and well beyond.
Juno Temple sat down with Awards Radar to discuss her work on the series, a conversation which became quite moving as it went on. One thing show creator and producer made clear was he wanted Dot to be the opposite of her beloved Ted Lasso character and with good reason. Our conversation started with discussing conquering that famous accent and her chameleon-like transformation into Dot.
“The Minnesota nice makes a lot of these moments have humor. And so it’s a really important element of each installment of Fargo,” explained Temple. “Nailing that was important initially, which took a minute, but once you get it, it’s something that actually becomes quite hard to let go of. It’s such a brilliant accent.” An accent Temple pulls off brilliantly, especially when you learn that she had to master while simultaneously delivering a very different accent while shooting Ted Lasso across the globe.
“It was about making her be a kind of wallflower. Then you see that in her past, she was less of a wallflower with the blonde hair,” said Temple. “So it’s this transformation that she’s done to be somewhat more invisible so she can just be a mom, be a housewife and cook and love her family and be loved by them.” The accent and the physical characteristics may seem like surface level qualities, but in reality they serve a crucial role in the presenting the disarming nature of Dot.
“I think it was important that people thought she wasn’t capable of fighting the way she can fight, and that she couldn’t get out of a situation that you think is impossible…. and then she can,” said Temple. “The element of her being able to surprise people on a constant basis – including Munch (Sam Spruell) – going from being the housewife that you think she is initially to being the tiger she is at the end was a really important surprise to keep kind of peeling back every once in a while.”
Taking on the role of Dot consists of much more for Temple than mastering that famous accent and even prepping for the intense fight scenes in which she is involved. At the core of her character is a tragic history of abuse, one that drives Dot to extremes in order to protect herself and her family. Bringing Dot’s horrific backstory of domestic abuse to life on the screen left a lasting impact on Temple.
“To nurture is a big thing in my life. I love loving people. I think her ability to have survived the domestic abuse she went through is heroic and inspirational. I feel the same way about anyone that has survived domestic abuse. I truly think that they are a hero,” expressed Temple. “And, I think being able to go through something as horrific as that and come through it and want to love people is something that will forever make me proud that I got to play Dot and I got to go through all of that. I hope I go forth for the rest of my life with that kind of love in my heart. I really do.”
Through it all the pain and hostility Dot hides much more beneath the surface including her unwavering kindness, even to those who have wronged her, explained the actress “That is actually her secret weapon – her kindness.” In a series full of surprises, that kindness is seems to have most resonated with viewers – that longed for happy ending.
Watch the full interview with Juno (below) where we dive into her performance, working with John Hamm, and also touches upon how the care used when respectfully tackling the very serious topic of domestic abuse on set. It is a subject which Temple never took lightly which you can see in her powerful responses.
Season five of Fargo is currently streaming exclusively on Hulu. Joined by Temple is another stellar Fargo cast including Hamm, Spruell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Joe Keery, Lamorne Morris, David Foley, Richa Moorjani, and more. If you have not watch this is a truly brilliant season. At the request of the readers, the details have been excluded from this piece.
In addition there’s actor David Rysdahl who plays Dot’s meek and supportive husband, Wayne. You can listen to my full interview with him on the latest episode of TV Topics where he discusses working with Juno to develop their characters’ backstory which includes how they met, their wedding day and more. If you were impressed by Juno’s Fargo performance before, both her interview (above) and Rysdahl’s will amplify that appreciation.
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