‘Fargo’ Stars Juno Temple & Jennifer Jason Leigh on Going Toe-to-Toe for Year 5 (VIDEO)
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[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Fargo Year 5 Episode 1 “The Tragedy of the Commons” & Episode 2 “Trials and Tribulations.” ]
FX‘s Fargo delivers quite a catfight in its Year 5 two-handed opener as Juno Temple‘s Dot Lyon and Jennifer Jason Leigh‘s Lorraine Lyon go toe-to-toe.
As the Debt Queen of the Midwest, Lorraine is intent on protecting her billionaire status, preserving her family, and getting to the bottom of Dot’s story as she learns she doesn’t know her daughter-in-law as well as she once believed. When Dot goes missing after being kidnapped in the premiere episode, she turns up back at her Minnesota home, only to pretend that none of it happened.
Seeking some clarity, Lorraine exercises her power by showing up, unannounced, at her son Wayne (David Rysdahl) and daughter-in-law’s home, settling in the kitchen until Dot arrives with her daughter Scotty (Sienna King). Sitting down to chat with Lorraine, Dot gets aggressive, letting the Minnesota nice facade crumble: “Listen b*tch, I’ve climbed through six kinds of hell to get where I am, and no Ivy League royal wannabe is gonna run me off just ’cause she doesn’t like the way I smell.”
(Credit: Michelle Faye/FX)
“It was a pinch me moment,” Temple says of “getting to be a part of this installment of Fargo.” The actress, who most recently stole hearts with her role as Keeley Jones on Apple TV+‘s Ted Lasso, reveals that finding out Leigh was going to play Lorraine was the equivalent of finding out you’re “getting to work with one of my heroes and then getting to read scenes like that… with an extraordinary woman, an actress, and now friend.”
“It’s something that’s unforgettable and is one of the treasured moments in a career, I think, for me,” Temple says of Dot showing Lorraine her cards in that moment, above. According to Temple, the duo benefitted from getting right to work on the moment behind the scenes and learning more about one another. “Spending the time and creating the trust meant that you could really push it,” Temple gushes. “You could really create that dynamic in a way that it felt safe, but also somewhat fun. And the relationship between the two of them is a really special one. I’m excited for audiences to see the full journey throughout this installment.”
Leigh feels similarly, revealing that for her, “That scene really was the most fun to play because the turn in it is so unexpected… Obviously, I knew it was coming. I read the scene, but still…” Leigh says directly to Temple, “There’s something about Juno that no matter [the take], it’s surprising, and every time, it just feels it’s so centered and real and it feels completely unrehearsed.”
(Credit: Michelle Faye/FX)
So, how did those “shocking” moments with a “feral female friction” come together for Temple? With the help of some accent work. “Liz [Himelstein], who also worked on the original movie and has done [work on] each installment of Fargo so far,” Temple credits, “worked so hard and tirelessly with me because it took a minute. But once it clicks, then you actually start finding yourself having fun with it. And when that moment happens, and you check that you’re not messing it up because you’re just having fun with it.”
The actress also commends Noah Hawley‘s writing, saying “it helps reinforce the accent. It’s written so musically for an accent like that, especially with my dialogue, and it’s slightly different for Lorraine’s dialogue because of her accent, but it’s an important challenge because it makes you handle yourself so differently.”
As fans who tuned in may have noticed Lorraine’s accent isn’t the usual one found in the world of Fargo. Instead of conveying the notes of Midwest mindfulness, Lorraine delivers her blunt dialogue with an accent that screams money. “Noah and I talked a lot about her and where she wanted to distance herself from and what she might sound like,” Leigh explains. “[We] kind of landed on William F. Buckley. So I watched a lot of Firing Line, and it’s a really fun accent to do.”
“It’s not exactly William F. Buckley, but that’s sort of the inspiration for it,” Leigh reiterates.
“It also was magic because there were levels of how loud or how soft you would be with it, too. That was really unnerving as an actor in the room as well,” Temple says. “It felt like a power play, and it was extraordinary the way you chose to make certain things louder and certain things quieter. I mean, brilliant.”
We couldn’t agree more. Where will these women and their dynamic head next? Tune into Fargo as Year 5 continues to unfold on FX, and stay tuned for more updates and interviews with the team.
Fargo, Year 5, Tuesdays, 10/9c, FX
