Juno Temple Talks About the Disney Role That Got Away and Why She Understood After Seeing the Film

Juno Temple is one of the most regarded and sought after actresses in Hollywood these days. She is such a huge asset to the projects she chooses, like Ted Lasso and Fargo, shows that she absolutely shone in. But like any other A-lister, Temple has projects that she didn’t book, and she takes those letdowns in stride.

Her biggest “one that got away” role was Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, in which she hoped to audition for the lead role. She talked about the experience with fellow actor Miles Teller during a recent conversation for Interview Magazine, in which she explained:

“I was 17 when Tim Burton made Alice in Wonderland. I have a first edition copy of Alice in Wonderland that I actually sleep with on my bedside table like it’s the Bible. It was a dream role for me. I wanted to play Alice so badly.

“I remember my agent called, and the first thing he said was, ‘Are you sitting down? We just wanted to tell you that Tim Burton doesn’t think you are right for Alice, so there’s actually not going to be an audition for it.’ I was devastated.”

She went on to reveal how she was able to recover from the disappointment: “I watched the movie. And this was a really important realization for me at 17 years old– I wasn’t right for Alice. I’m the Queen of Hearts.

“When you see a final product, it always makes sense as to why you were not the fit for that role at that moment in time. I auditioned for a few of those Disney remakes. And it’s like, I’m not Cinderella.”

It turned out that there were great characters for Temple to play, they just came a little later in ways she didn’t expect. I love her, and I look forward to seeing what she does next.