The Big Picture

Apple TV+’s
Franklin
documents the Founding Father’s overseas role during the Revolutionary War, which played a crucial part in America’s fight for independence.
Michael Douglas brings professionalism and dedication to his role as Benjamin Franklin, according to co-star Noah Jupe.
Jupe steps into the shoes of Temple Franklin, navigating a foreign political landscape alongside his grandfather.

Benjamin Franklin is likely most known as one of the U.S.’s notable Founding Fathers (and the face on the front of the $100 bill), but the role he played overseas during the Revolutionary War was just as essential as his writings or his studies on electricity. Apple TV+’s Franklin, which marks the latest addition to the streamer’s roster of big-budget period dramas, shines a spotlight on the true story of the statesman’s nine-year span as the U.S. ambassador to France, where he made critical strides in securing military support and funding for America’s battle for independence from England.

Michael Douglas, who plays Benjamin Franklin in his first self-noted foray into the period drama genre, is paired opposite up-and-comer Noah Jupe (A Quiet Place) as the Founding Father’s grandson, Temple, who accompanied him as secretary during his time in France. The two men are in a position of having to navigate a particularly foreign political and social landscape when the future of America’s independence hangs in the balance. Ahead of Franklin’s premiere on Apple TV+, Collider had the opportunity to speak with Jupe about joining the miniseries. Over the course of the interview, which you can read below, the actor discusses his own research into Temple Franklin’s backstory, his takeaways from having Michael Douglas as a scene partner, what it was like to get his own “Pretty Woman sequence” in the show, growing up alongside his character, and more.

Franklin (2024) Explores the story of one of the greatest gambles of Franklin’s career. At age 70, Franklin outmaneuvered British spies and French informers while engineering the Franco-American alliance of 1778.Release Date April 12, 2024 Seasons 1 Creator(s) Kirk Ellis Writers Kirk Ellis , Howard Korder

COLLIDER: How did you first come to be involved with this project?

NOAH JUPE: I got a call from my manager, as I always do, and they’re like, “Oh, yeah, there’s just this project with Michael Douglas, and Tim Van Patten directing, and Kirk Ellis is writing it.” I was like, “Oh, I’m in. I’m in. I don’t even have to think about it.” Firstly, I had a call with just Kirk, and we spoke about it, and he gave me the pitch for the whole project. I wasn’t aware of the history of it. I’m from the UK, so the American Revolution is not something we particularly study or learn about, and he gave me a lot of information about it. We just talked through it, and it made me very excited about the project. Then I had another call with Tim, and they thought I was worthy of the role, and I thanked them for that. Then I went and did the project, which was amazing.

Noah Jupe Visited the Real Temple Franklin’s Grave Before Filming
Image via Apple TV+

Stacy Schiff’s book provides the foundation for the show, but how much of your own personal research did you do to dive into who Temple Franklin really was?

JUPE: I did a fair bit of research when I first heard about the project. There’s always a point in which, for me, you can’t let it take over you, because it’s very easy for you to get lost in the research. There was a point when there was a bunch of diary entries from Temple and I started to read a few of them. There’s a load from a specific time, and that just felt like a lot. Ultimately, you need to know things to make sure you’re faithful to the story of what was happening in France, but for me, I also wanted to bring my own sort of creativity to it. You want to bring the emotion to it and make sure that the character is believable. I did my research at the start, and I got to know Temple pretty well. There’s not a lot of stuff out there about him, so I had a lot of creative license with it,. Then I finished it off just before the project started by visiting his grave and asking him if I could play him and show him to the world.

You’re very close in age to the character that you’re playing. How did that closeness really change your perspective of what he was going through during this stage in his life?

JUPE: There were a lot of parallels to it in the sense of Temple coming to Paris as a young boy and transitioning into a man, and I was coming to Paris as a young boy and transitioning into a man myself. So, we had that similarity, which was very easy to access because it was happening to me. Ultimately, the story of Temple is that he comes to France very patriotic and very passionate about the mission that they’re on, and then slowly, because the show is set over eight years, he’s slowly got to realize, “Oh, instead of finding my country, I actually have to find myself.” That’s when he gives in to the French world, and is intoxicated by it and maybe becomes a Frenchman himself.

Noah Jupe Got His Own ‘Pretty Woman’ Sequence in ‘Franklin’
Image via Apple TV

You get your own makeover montage in this show. What was that like to film on the day, and did you feel like there was a difference walking around in those French outfits compared to Temple’s American wardrobe?

JUPE: Oh, yeah, 100%. That was a huge part of it, stepping into those costumes. The wig and the makeup and everything, you just suddenly feel [you’re] in a different world. My costumes directly translate my journey throughout the show, which I think is really cool. We called it the Pretty Woman scene for me, the Pretty Woman sequence where Temple gets this little makeover. The costumes are just fantastic, and they really helped me develop my journey.

Related Michael Douglas Calls ‘Franklin’ “The Best Production I’ve Ever Been Involved With” The storied actor also discusses the process of operating a real printing press, filming on-location in France, and more.

Speaking of the journey that Temple goes on, there’s a lot of physicality to this role. What level of familiarity did you have with things like horse riding before the show, and was there anything that you had to get a crash course in before filming?

JUPE: Going into it, I knew absolutely nothing about any of it. This is one of the reasons that I love my job is that, on everything that I do, I get to hopefully learn something new. Obviously, you’re learning things acting-wise, emotionally, but also something physical like horse riding. With this one, I learned horse riding, I learned French, I learned calligraphy with an ink pen. It was just a few months beforehand of a crash course.

Horse riding was a wild thing, and I fell in love with it. I had this horse called Pacino who was my best friend on set. He was the coolest horse. You could whistle and he would stop, which is just completely rare for a horse. He was so well-trained. Then with the French, as well, I knew no French before this. By the fourth or fifth episode, I’m meant to be fluent in French, so it was a bit of a task of trying to seem fluent. So, just having to learn that as quickly as possible, but that’s the fun of the project. That’s the mountain that I had to climb, and that’s why I love my job.

Noah Jupe Praises Michael Douglas’ “Dedication” on the ‘Franklin’ Set
Image via Apple TV+

Franklin and Temple’s relationship is such an important core of the show. What sort of takeaways did you find yourself absorbing from Michael Douglas, in terms of what he brought to your scenes together?

JUPE: Michael is an absolute legend. He’s the coolest, and I was very lucky to get the chance to work with him. The biggest thing I took away was probably his professionalism and his dedication to the job, and his politeness on set. You can tell he loves being on a set, and he’s constantly asking people about their day, finding out their names. He remembers people’s names. He’s hardworking. He’s never bored, he’s always very present, and he’s just the most professional guy. He doesn’t necessarily have to be because he’s Michael Douglas, but he was. That was one thing that I really took away from it — just aspiring to be that professional.

Franklin is available to stream on Apple TV+ in the U.S.

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