The Truth About Juno Temple's Famous Dad
Juno Temple has made a unique name for herself as an established actress, gracing the small screen in projects like "Ted Lasso" — where she stars as Keeley — and on big screens, like her role in "Maleficent," via IMDb. The actor plays Keeley Jones in Jason Sudeikis' comedy series about an American football coach fumbling his way through coaching a British football (soccer) team. Not long after the show premiered, Temple received recognition for portraying the bubbly, earnest model-slash-businesswoman. However, it seems that fame runs in the Temple family.
Temple's father, Julien Temple, is far from your average dad. With connections throughout the British entertainment industry, Julien's career was an ideal launching pad for his daughter's voyage into acting. From directing the Sex Pistols' films to documenting music festivals and feature flicks, Julien knew a thing or two about the movie industry. It's probably safe to say his daughter, Juno, didn't mind the insider tips judging from the success she's been able to establish for herself thus far.
Julien is an experienced director
Julien Temple has been active in the entertainment industry since the 1970s, according to Rolling Stone. "I've been working on a number of music projects concerning the social, musical, and cultural history of England through various artists for a long time now, really beginning with the Sex Pistols in the late Seventies," Temple told Rolling Stone in an interview in 2020. Temple's first film was a short documentary called "Sex Pistols Number 1," per IMDb. Composed of interview clips and performances from the titular and iconic rock band, Temple crafted a film that would lay the groundwork for a decades-long career making music videos and feature-length flicks.
But not all his films were immediate hits. His 1986 movie "Absolute Beginners" failed both at the box office and with critics. "[I]t's been an albatross around my neck since I began making films," Temple told The Guardian. "It's still difficult for me to get funding because of it." The documentary director had trouble finding work in his home country because the film affected his reputation. "I had to leave the UK," he continued in his interview with the Guardian. Luckily, fellow filmmaker Martin Scorcese admired the movie and went on to help him make the most of his career. "Scorcese helped me get a green card," Temple told the Guardian.
His wife Amanda Pirie Temple works as a producer
Julien Temple isn't the only one of Juno's parents thriving in the film industry. IMDb credits his wife, Amanda Pirie Temple, for producing and helping with the post-production process of over 10 movies. Her work goes back to the 1980s, and she has even received acknowledgment for her involvement in the 1991 hit movie "Thelma and Louise." While Amanda does not share as much fame as her husband, she has proved to be a successful figure in the British film circuit.
With two parents familiar with the movie industry, Juno Temple was primed to find support amidst auditions and uncertainty. "My parents are my best friends," Juno Temple told the Independent in 2011, just around the time she was making a name for herself in the entertainment industry. "I couldn't do this without my family, they keep me so grounded," she continued.
He and his wife named their daughter after the Grand Canyon
The older Temples visited the Grand Canyon while Amanda was pregnant, and the beauty was enough to commemorate the trip forever through their child's name. The couple had seen a part of the Grand Canyon called Juno Temple, a 6,896 elevation summit on the eastern side of the canyon with stunning views of both the canyon crevices and the horizon, and opted to name their child Juno out of inspiration spurred by the trip, according to BBC America.
Having a unique name certainly helped their daughter leave an impression as she attempted to get cast for roles. Jason Sudeikis remembered Juno Temple from a karaoke night when he saw her on a list of candidates for the role of Keeley, per Variety. And it didn't hurt that her parents already had Temple locked down in the name, either.
His sister led the Communist Party of Great Britain
While Julien Temple stood behind the camera as a director, his sister Nina Temple was getting into politics. According to ABC News and The New York Times, Nina Temple was the last secretary, the first woman, and the youngest leader of the British Communist Party. In the role, Nina Temple said she wanted to "overhaul" the party to the point that it would be unrecognizable, according to the New York Times.
”My own definition of Communism is a very utopian view of how the world might be without class, racial or sexual prejudice, with respect for the natural environment and people living at a sustainable level within an egalitarian society," Temple told the New York Times. And while her famous brother and niece have pretty much stayed out of politics, Temple made a name for herself by transforming the Communist Party of Great Britain into the think tank Democratic Left, per the Sussex Research Online.
Julien Temple was his daughter's inspiration
While many people are inspired by their families, seeing Juno Temple gush about her dad's influence is overwhelmingly heartwarming. "My dad is one of my biggest inspirations ever, and he's helped with so many decisions and also with my attitude to film-making too," she told the Independent in 2011. She would love the chance to work alongside her dad, she said. "I hope I get to work with him someday and we can do a movie together, although that's not on the horizon as he's doing documentaries at the moment."
She also thanks her dad for exposing her to film classics and underground flicks, saying without that repertoire as a foundation, she doesn't think she'd be as successful today. "When you see movies like that as a child it's like your imagination coming to life dancing on the screen in front of you," she continued with the interview. Temple believes that it's vital for actors to watch all sorts of movies, and even "films that you're, like, 'I don't understand what I'm watching but my god that's extraordinary,' so that when you read scripts you know what you've liked and what you haven't. I think knowledge is the key to everything in life, you need to take in as much as you can," she said to the Independent.
But he didn't initially want her to go into acting
Though Juno Temple fawns over how supportive her parents have been throughout her dazzling, young career, they at first tried to convince her not to go into acting. In a Marie Claire interview centered around her career and "Ted Lasso," Temple recounted how her parents had initially been shocked at her decision to become an actor. "Oh no... Are you sure?" she repeated their reaction to the publication, "You're going to be told 'no' all the time."
To prove their point, Julien and Amanda Temple sent their daughter to her first audition to give her a taste of what that rejection would be like, according to Vulture. But the cards were stacked in her favor, and it was at this audition that she booked the part of Cate Blanchett's daughter in "Notes on a Scandal." Then, she auditioned for Kiera Knightly's "Atonement," which she also got. Her parents didn't have much more to worry about after that.