Scarlett Johansson Loved Bonding With June Squibb On “Eleanor The Great”

15

Scarlett Johansson is marking a new first in her career. The actress has just made her directorial debut with the emotional dramedy Eleanor the Great, starring June Squibb. At the film’s premiere by The Cinema Society last night, we caught up with Johansson on her new career chapter, bonding with Squibb, and more.

How does it feel to have Eleanor the Great coming out? It’s wonderful. I’m so excited for people to see this extraordinary cast. I feel very proud of all the work that we collectively put into making the movie. When you sit with something for…I’ve been with this film for over a year and change. It starts to feel like it’s existed as something that all of us, intimately, have worked on. And it’s not a movie until audiences get to see it, so it feels like an amazing culmination of a year and a half of work. I’m excited!

What’s a special behind-the-scenes memory that you remember from the film? I have so many great memories of June. We had a cast dinner at the beginning of the film, and June and I got to sit next to each other and just drink martinis and go deep. It was so amazing to talk to her. She was talking about how she has friends her age that have been in the industry, that are not working, and they’re like, “Why are you still doing this?” She’s like, “I’m still trying to figure it out.” I was so moved by that. It’s such an inspiring message that the work is still important, if it’s something that you’re curious about.

In your experience, what was the greatest difference between acting and directing? When you’re acting, you’re asking a lot of questions. When you’re directing, you’re answering all of them!

What did you always have in your bag while on set? Orange Tic Tacs, The Outset’s Rescue Balm, tissues, and a set of sides [script pages] crumpled up into a ball.

Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on all the latest fashion news and juicy industry gossip.