{"id":133958,"date":"2025-05-19T14:45:49","date_gmt":"2025-05-19T14:45:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/june-squibb-discusses-scarlett-johansson-eleanor-the-great-and-her-career\/"},"modified":"2025-05-19T14:45:49","modified_gmt":"2025-05-19T14:45:49","slug":"june-squibb-discusses-scarlett-johansson-eleanor-the-great-and-her-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/june-squibb-discusses-scarlett-johansson-eleanor-the-great-and-her-career\/","title":{"rendered":"June Squibb Discusses Scarlett Johansson, Eleanor the Great, and Her Career"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Remarkable Journey of June Squibb<\/h2>\n
\n

\u201cIf I\u2019m called \u2018**icon**\u2019 one more time, I\u2019m going to scream,\u201d laughs June Squibb from her Los Angeles home.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been a big year for the **95-year-old** actress. **Thelma**, Squibb\u2019s first leading feature film role, became one of the biggest success stories at the specialty box office last year, earning over **$12 million** at the global box office. This film has also become the **highest-grossing movie** ever for distributor Magnolia over its two-decade history. She also voices a character in **Inside Out 2**, which has achieved the distinction of being the **highest-grossing animated film** of all time. This kind of run is something anyone would dream of, especially for someone in their **seventh decade** in entertainment.<\/p>\n

While flattered by the attention that comes with being Hollywood\u2019s favorite **nonagenarian**, Squibb sometimes finds the fawning a little ridiculous. \u201cA 70-year-old will say, \u2018I want to be you when I grow up!\u2019\u201d she explains, reminding everyone that she has simply been doing the same job she\u2019s always enjoyed, from off-Broadway shows and **cabarets** to collaborations with iconic filmmakers like **Martin Scorsese** and **Alexander Payne**.<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, the hits continue as Squibb prepares for the **Cannes Film Festival** premiere of her latest movie, **Eleanor the Great**. This film marks the directorial debut of **Scarlett Johansson**. \u201cWhen I called June to tell her, \u2018Oh my God, June, we\u2019re going to Cannes,\u2019 she said, \u2018Well, that\u2019s marvelous,\u2019\u201d recalls Johansson. \u201cBut then she added, \u2018I was there about 10 years ago [for Payne\u2019s Nebraska], so I know the drill.\u2019 I just said, \u2018June, you\u2019re the best.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

In **Eleanor the Great**, which will be released by **Sony Picture Classics** post-festival, Squibb portrays the titular character\u2014a woman who returns from Florida to her native **New York** after the death of her best friend and roommate, seeking to build a new life close to her daughter.<\/p>\n

For Squibb, embodying a character returning to New York City after years away was not a leap. “I lived there for **65 years**,\u201d states the actress, known for her breakthrough in New York stage productions like the **1959 musical Gypsy**. \u201cI\u2019ve been in California for about 20 years. But I certainly knew everything there was to know about New York.\u201d Filming took her through various parts of the city, including **Brooklyn** and **Queens**, and she was surprised at how much it has transformed. \u201c[Brooklyn] has been gentrified like crazy,\u201d she notes. \u201cMy memory of Brooklyn is that Brooklyn Heights was the only place anyone ever went.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Eleanor explores themes of **Jewish heritage**, as well as **grief** and **aging**, Squibb had an additional challenge\u2014memorizing Torah readings for her role. \u201cI learned the bat mitzvah Torah readings and actually did it on camera,” she explains. \u201cMy assistant and I were living in an apartment together, and I woke up one morning saying, \u2018Oh my God, in my dreams, I was doing the Torah!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\"\"\n<\/div>\n<\/div>
\nScarlett Johansson and June Squibb on the set of \u2018Eleanor the Great\u2019<\/span>
\nSony Pictures Classics<\/cite>
\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

As for being directed by one of Hollywood\u2019s biggest stars, Squibb felt an immediate connection with Johansson. \u201cI just felt I knew who this person was. She\u2019s very\u2014what is the word? It\u2019s not matter of fact. She is herself,” Squibb describes. “She doesn’t make you look at someone she wants you to see; it\u2019s just her. And that\u2019s what was so great about her direction.\u201d<\/p>\n

Working under a fellow actress turned director is a new experience for Squibb, who notes that Johansson was adept at providing both notes and the necessary space to shape the scene: \u201cNot many directors can do that, even if they know a little about acting. They couldn\u2019t replicate her precision; she knew exactly where I was emotionally, how long it might take to achieve that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Returning to the **Cannes** red carpet for the second time, one of Squibb\u2019s most vivid memories involves assistance from her **Nebraska** director Payne and co-star **Will Forte**. \u201cI still remember going up those stairs,\u201d she shares, recalling the Palais\u2019 iconic steep red steps that lead audiences and talent into the Grand Auditorium Lumi\u00e8re. \u201cI was in my 80s at the time. Will Forte took one arm, and Alexander Payne took the other, pulling me up the stairs.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was well worth the effort; **Nebraska** debuted to a rapturous **10-minute standing ovation**. \u201cI can still remember, by the end of it, I grabbed Alexander around the waist and cried on his chest,\u201d Squibb reminisces, reflecting on her **Oscar nomination** for her performance.<\/p>\n

Squibb has no plans to rest on her laurels or retire anytime soon. Lately, she has been inundated with scripts. Hollywood, long fixated on youth, is now embracing stories centered around **older adults**. \u201cPeople are really interested in aging now that we\u2019ve got an aging population,\u201d she explains. \u201cPeople understand **90-year-olds** better; we have more of them. I have friends that are 100! They want to see aging because they want to know: What should I expect?\u201d<\/p>\n

However, not all material fits her. \u201cOne script was written for a **70-year-old**. I have to laugh because I thought, at 90, I can\u2019t do some of the things I did when I was 70. They wanted me to ride a horse!\u201d She laughs and then ponders, \u201cNow, I\u2019m not even saying I couldn\u2019t [ride a horse]. I used to ride, so I don\u2019t know, maybe if they got me on, I could stay on.\u201d<\/p>\n

And if Squibb does happen to ride again, please\u2014don\u2019t call her an **icon**.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Magazine-6<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Remarkable Journey of June Squibb \u201cIf I\u2019m called \u2018**icon**\u2019 one more time, I\u2019m going to scream,\u201d laughs June Squibb from her Los Angeles home. It\u2019s been a big year for the **95-year-old** actress. **Thelma**, Squibb\u2019s first leading feature film role, became one of the biggest success stories at the specialty box office last year, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":110274,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[720,7911,33544,126,19208,2125,29326,34492],"class_list":["post-133958","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mazagine","tag-career","tag-discusses","tag-eleanor","tag-great","tag-johansson","tag-june","tag-scarlett","tag-squibb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133958","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=133958"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133958\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/110274"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=133958"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=133958"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=133958"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}