June Squibb Discusses Exploring Her Jewish Identity, the Universality of Grief, and Finding a Chosen Family in ‘Eleanor the Great’ [VIDEO INTERVIEW]
In Twelfth Night, Shakespeare wrote: “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” He makes “greatness” sound clear-cut when it’s actually an amalgamation of dedication, discipline and many other traits that create something bigger than oneself. One such example that has proven herself worthy of this title is June Squibb, a 96-year-old actress who continues to defy all odds with a career that has grown exponentially in the past decade. Her second leading role, the previous being last year’s Thelma, finds her back where she has lived most of her life, in New York City. Eleanor the Great, Scarlett Johansson’s feature directorial debut, gives Squibb the opportunity to showcase her biting wit and charming presence in her biggest role yet.
The film follows Eleanor (Squibb) as she moves from Florida to the Big Apple to live with her daughter and grandson after her best friend and roommate, Bessie (Rita Zohar), passes away. Throughout their friendship and during her short yet poignant time onscreen, Bessie recounts the many horrors that still traumatize her having lived through the Holocaust. So after Eleanor is encouraged to stay involved at a Jewish Community Center and is accidentally ushered into a support group for Holocaust survivors, she finds herself sharing Bessie’s memories—Zohar and the members of the support group are real-life Holocaust survivors—as her own. This innocent lie meant to honor Bessie and keep her stories alive introduces some of the film’s many themes, like Jewish identity and processing grief, which further deepen when journalism student Nina, Erin Kellyman (Willow, 28 Years Later) in a breathtaking breakthrough performance, is inspired to profile Eleanor. The plot thickens but what is most striking is the warmth that pervades this intergenerational relationship, how this unexpected bond brings mutual emotional healing, and the many forms and powers that can characterize a chosen family.
Squibb made her feature debut in 1990 at the age of 61, but she never imagined she’d become a film star, let alone an Oscar-nominated one. Her career began on stage and credits much of her work ethic to her residence at the Cleveland Play House. She later moved to New York City where she made her Broadway debut in Gypsy in 1959 and has returned to the stage multiple times, including for her current run in Marjorie Prime. In terms of film and television, think of a genre and she’s done it: everything from daytime soaps to dozens of bit parts in familiar TV shows like Girls, Glee or The Big Bang Theory or more prominent roles in Shameless or Good Girls, film dramas under the direction of Martin Scorsese, Todd Haynes, or Alexander Payne (she earned widespread acclaim and recognition in Supporting Actress for his Nebraska (2013)), horror and holiday films, extensive voice work in animated projects like Velma, Toy Story 4, Inside Out 2 and the upcoming Zootopia 2, and then some!
In my interview with Squibb, you can immediately sense her vivacity for life and gratitude for the opportunities she continues to have. She’s kind, unapologetic, and fearless (just watch any of her promotional videos for Thelma where she calls out Robert Downey Jr., Glen Powell and others saying, “I could kick your ass.”) She proudly celebrates her accomplishments and shares what being a part of this production means to her. If ever there was an example of a hardworking and passionate individual doing what they love all their life, June Squibb is it.
Eleanor the Great was released theatrically in the U.S. by Sony Pictures Classics in September and is currently available to buy or rent on Prime Video.
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