The art-house hit of the summer wasn’t an A24, Focus Features, NEON, or Searchlight Pictures release. In a surprise to anyone who didn’t see it at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, this year’s box office breakout was Josh Margolin’s directorial debut, “Thelma.” The Magnolia Films pickup centers on the title character, an elderly woman who travels across the San Fernando Valley on a mission to find out who scammed her out of a chunk of money. Margolin’s script is tight, but the movie owes much of its spark to its star, the now 94 years young June Squibb. And, once again, the veteran actress finds herself in the awards conversation.
Remarkably, Squibb is a legend to anyone who thinks you can’t make it in Hollywood past the age of 30. The Illinois native landed her first on-screen break and official SAG/AFTRA card in a 1985 CBS Schoolbreak Special at the age of 56. Yes, 56. Her first film role arrived in Woody Allen’s “Alice” in 1990. Her resume then bloomed with parts in “Scent of a Woman,” “The Age of Innocence,” “About Schmidt,” and “Far From Heaven,” among others. But it was playing Kate Grant in Alexander Payne’s “Nebraska” which saw her land an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
This race for a 2025 Best Actress nomination is historically competitive, but Squibb says she takes any talk quite “seriously.” Especially after her last go around, she notes, “I didn’t know then if it would happen or not. And it did. So, my attitude is I know there’s a lot that can happen that could not make it; I could not be on that last list. I think I’m like ninth or 10th now on a lot of the ratings lists. And that’s higher than I started with ‘Nebraska.’ So, who knows? So, I feel I’m good with it. If it happens, I will enjoy it because I do remember a lot of good things about it.”
During our conversation late last month, Squibb revealed how Margolin’s script found its way to her, dishes on an unexpected friendship with co-star Fred Hechinger, her partnership with first-time director Scarlett Johansson on the upcoming “Eleanor the Great,” and much more.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. You can also view a video version embedded at the bottom of this post.
_____
The Playlist: This project comes your way, first-time director, you are the star there are stunts. What made you say yes?
It was a great script. I read that script and I thought, well, this you’ve got to do. There was no question that I should do it, so that was it.
Did you talk to Josh before you formally agreed that he gave you background on it?
I didn’t, really, no. Beanie Feldstein, who I had done “Humans” with, is a family friend of Josh and his sisters. And she was there at their house, and they were talking about Josh’s new script. So she said, “Well, who do you want to do this?” And he said, “June Squibb, but I don’t know how to get a script to her.” She said, “I’ll get a script to her.” So she texted me and said, “I’m sending you a script.” I texted back, “O.K.” And that was it. I got the script. I read it. I had never talked to Josh. I didn’t know who he was. I didn’t know anything about it. And then we got on the phone then afterward, but we were laughing because he said, “I thought we would have to talk you into this.” And instead, you said, “Yeah, I’m in. You could count me in.”
I feel like I keep hearing these stories that the best projects come to actors when they go around their managers or agents.
I think that happens. Yes. I must say yes.
So you’re making the movie. It’s one thing to read the script and it’s another to be like, “Oh wow, you are the lead. You are carrying this film.” Was it tougher than you thought it was going to be? Did you feel like it was more challenging or no?
No, I didn’t. I didn’t feel it was any different than any other job. I understood it. I’d worked on it a lot. I work on a script for a long, long time so that when I go into film, I really know the script. I know the material really well, and I had done that. I had done everything I always do before doing a film. And it was fine. It was very relaxed, actually. It was one of the most relaxed sets I’d ever been on.
READ MORE: “Thelma” Review: June Squibb is on the hunt for a scammer [Sundance]
Your character was based on the director’s grandmother, but did you feel you had to give a backstory to her at all?
I did to a certain degree, but I really understood her. What he had written gave me a very clear idea of who this woman was and what she felt, what was important to her. So, I don’t think I questioned that much. I think it was just sort of there. I did some back work on it, and he gave me films of her that he had taken through the last few years. She was certainly older, and little documentaries, five-minute films of her going to the store, of her in the car, the thing that was in the film about her seeing the trees out the window. That was one of them.
One of the interesting things about the film is that when we first meet Thelma, she seems to be trying to placate her grandson, her daughter, and her son-in-law. And then this incident happens where she gets scammed and she sort of turns and is like, “Nope, I’m going to take care of this myself.” Why do you think she decided to do that and not just let it go?
I think she was planning this from the minute it happened. I think that there was no doubt in her mind. I mean, you think things, and then it takes a while to get going and to get started working, but I don’t think it would ever, to me, she was the kind of woman where I’m going to take care of this. That would be her reaction to something like this.
I don’t know how many times you’ve seen it in a theater or with an audience, but what has that experience been like for you? It is one of the biggest crowd-pleasers, the art-house hit of the summer. What has that experience been like?
I’ll tell you, seeing it at Sundance, which was the first time I saw it with an actual audience, a huge audience too, blew me away. I had no idea. And afterward, all the love that was coming from this audience was amazing to me. I had never been to Sundance. I had had films there, but I had never been there myself. And it just blew me away. I’ve never had it before this way. So, this is a new experience for me, too.
What surprised you the most about Sundance?
All those people loving film so much because they’re just walking up and down the streets. They’re all over the place, and you realize they’re all there for film.
Your character has a fantastic relationship with her grandson, played by Fred Hechinger. How much of that is just the chemistry you two have? How much of that is just the two of you as people together? How much of it is acting? Where do you think that came?
Most of it is people like us just being together. We met here in my apartment just before we started shooting. We didn’t know each other, and we just immediately had some sort of something happen. We really liked each other, and so as we shot, we just got closer and closer. And now he’s one of my best friends, and he lives in New York. I live in LA, but if I’m in New York, I see him, and if he’s in LA, he’s in my apartment. So I mean, it was strange because this is one of the closest relationships I’ve had with a friend, and it’s Fred, my grandson [in the movie].
That’s amazing. Does he share music with you? Do you guys talk about movies?
We talk mostly about film and people we know. I was in New York shooting another film, and he was there, so he met all of my people, and he knew a lot of them. He knows everyone. Fred has met everybody in the business, I swear. But we never stopped talking. And I think it’s all film and people we know. We do know a lot of the same people.
This was the last film Richard Roundtree made before he passed away. What was it like working with him and sort of forming the relationship between Thelma and Ben on screen?
It was wonderful working with him. He’s a really good actor. I don’t think people realize what a good actor he was. He is a gentleman; he’s sexy as can be. He sees all these things. He’s everything that you could want for a co-star to work with in front of a camera. He’s just great. And one thing I like to tell people is it was my birthday, and he wasn’t called that day, but he appeared with two dozen red roses for me. And he wasn’t even called. He didn’t have to come in or so, I mean, things like that. He was just a lovely, lovely guy.
If you could remember back then, was there one shot, one scene that was more challenging or than you thought it would be?
I think the toughest was just the physicality. Going up those stairs was tough, and sometimes the scooter was, I just wasn’t always sure what I was doing with it. And sometimes that would be like, “Oh God, what am I doing with it today?” But one scene that I remember in particular is the graveyard scene with Fred. When I read it, I knew this was going to be something very special to shoot. And luckily, Fred is the kind of coworker that he’s just wonderful. He’s so good at his age. I keep going on, but he has such control of his craft at his age, which is amazing. But that scene was something to shoot anyway. I mean, it was something to think about, and you had to think in terms of shooting it. So, it was a joy to shoot with him, and we both loved doing it.
I always want to ask this to anyone who’s been in the business for more than a couple of years, but what about acting do you love? Why do you still want to do it?
I don’t know. I’ve always thought of myself as an actor. It never occurred to me that I was anything other than that. And I don’t know. It is just what I do. I don’t know how else to explain it. I enjoy it, but it’s work. And it’s more work now than when I was younger. I mean, I sometimes feel, “Oh, I, I’ve got to work for a few weeks,” and I have to gird my loins for that. I mean, I have to prepare myself for it, but I still like doing it.
What part excites you the most? Because I can say as a journalist, I love doing interviews. I love talking to people. I hate doing the writing. It’s not fun.
Finishing it knowing that you – no, I’m serious – you know, finished it, and you’re either happy or you’re not happy, and you have something done. You’ve done this. And it is kind of exciting to know that. And then the first time you see it, of course, that’s exciting to me. I guess as far as you say you don’t like to write, sometimes I don’t like to learn that whole learning process of the lines. And it takes me a while. I’m not a quickie on lines at all. I have to study. I study that script a lot to learn the lines so that I sometimes think, “Oh, I wish I didn’t have to learn these lines.”
I’m so envious of actors. I have terrible short-term memory. I don’t know how you guys do it, but I did want to ask two more quick questions before they kick me off. The first one is you just starred in Scarlett Johansen’s feature directorial debut, “Eleanor the Great,” which I think you shot this spring. You don’t have to give anything away about the movie, but can you tell me what Scarlet was like as a director?
She’s great. I think people are going to be so impressed with this film. I think it’s going to be a really great film. I saw a rough cut of it, and I’m thrilled. I am so thrilled of what we’ve done. And it’s funny because she and I think we both feel like we’ve done this. She and I both have done this together.
Oh wow. Well maybe you’ll be going back to Sundance.
It might be. They’re talking, so who knows.
Who knows. And then my last question for you is, ever since the movie actually premiered at Sundance, there’s been awards talk for you for this performance. Do you take that seriously? Do you take that with a grain of salt? How do you sort of take those conversations?
I take it seriously, and it happened with “Nebraska.”
I know.
I went through the thing with each award, and it does happen because I didn’t know then if it would happen or not. And it did. So, my attitude is I know there’s a lot that can happen that could not make it. I could not be on that last list. I think I’m like ninth or 10th now on a lot of the ratings lists. And that’s higher than I started with “Nebraska.” So, who knows? So, I feel I’m good with it. If it happens, I will enjoy it because I do remember a lot of good things about it
“Thelma” is now available on all PVOD platforms.