Issue Date: May 18, 2008
Juno
Singer and former teenage mom Solange Knowles dishes the honest truth on the hit comedy.
The Plot
When wiseacre high school student Juno MacGuff (Oscar nominee Ellen Page) finds herself pregnant by her dorky best friend (Michael Cera), she's torn about what to do with the baby. Ultimately, she decides to give it up for adoption by a yuppie couple (Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman), who don't turn out to be as perfect as they seem.
Our Insider
Solange Knowles, 21, understands something about teen pregnancy, having given birth at 18 to a son, Daniel Julez. Knowles is a singer, an actress ("Johnson Family Vacation") and the younger sister of pop star Beyoncé, for whom she has co-written hits such as "Upgrade U." Her new CD "SoL-AngeL & the Hadley St. Dreams" is due in August.
OVERVIEW "I first saw 'Juno' on Christmas Day, before it got super popular, at a theater in Houston called the Angelika that plays a lot of indie movies. I convinced my whole family to go, including my sister, who hadn't gone to a movie in five years."
THE TALK "Telling my parents [I was pregnant] was difficult. But it was a little different than in "Juno" [in which a repentant Page awkwardly confesses her situation to her parents]. I had already made a decision about what I wanted to do. Fortunately, I had been working since I was 13, so financially, I was in a position to do it on my own. My parents may not have made funny jokes about it, but they were supportive. With any life-changing decision, that's the most important thing."
PUMP UP THE JAMZ "I thought it was hilarious that when "Juno" was picking the parents, their sense of music was one of the things she looked for. You have a vision of how you want your child to be and what influences you want in their life. I played Beethoven and Bob Marley and the Beatles for my son when he was a baby, but what he has reacted to most is Soulja Boy! It didn't matter how much I tried to drill other stuff in his head; he'd want me to turn up the radio when Soulja Boy came on."
FROM HERE TO MATERNITY "The general perception of teen pregnancy is that you're going to be irresponsible and you haven't lived long enough to know what to do with a child. For me, it was never even a question of the sacrifices I had to make. They came easily. That's why I love this movie so much. The hospital scene showing the connection "Juno" had to the baby was so important. Throughout the movie, she didn't have that connection. She made jokes about the pregnancy, and she couldn't wait to give the baby away. Then, in that last scene, that maternal connection kicks in."
-- Reed Tucker
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