Scarlett Johansson Says She Always Dreamt Of Being A Director

News18

23-05-2025

Scarlett debuted her first film as a filmmaker in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes 2025.
Known for her versatility and captivating performances, Scarlett Johansson has now taken on a new role—as a director. She made her directorial debut with Eleanor the Great at the 78th Cannes Film Festival, where the film was showcased in the Un Certain Regard section. The movie follows Eleanor, a 94-year-old woman played by June Squibb, who takes a shocking and heartbreaking action driven by grief.
After her best friend's death, Eleanor moves to New York and accidentally joins the wrong support group at the Jewish Community Centre. From there, she starts pretending to be a holocaust survivor, borrowing the story of her friend whom she just lost. It is a risky and emotional story, and Scarlett does not shy away from its complicated theme.
'There's a lack of empathy in the zeitgeist. It's obviously a reaction to a lot of things," said the 40-year-old, as quoted by AP. She reflected on the world we live in today, saying, 'It feels to me like forgiveness feels less possible in the environment we're in."
Although Scarlett is new to directing, the dream has been with her for years. She explained, 'It has been for most of my career. Whether it was reading something and thinking, 'I can envision this in my mind,' or even being on a production and thinking, 'I am directing some elements of this out of necessity.'"
Eleanor the Great received an overwhelmingly emotional response, which ended in a rousing five-minute standing ovation from the Cannes audience. Many videos from the moment showed both Scarlett and June standing side-by-side, visibly emotional and smiling as the audience showered them with applause. Apart from June, the film also features Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jessica Hecht, and Erin Kellyman.
Speaking about that moment, Scarlett said, 'Something I'll never forget is holding June in that moment. The pureness of her joy and her presence in that moment was very touching, I think, for everyone in the theatre." She continued, 'Maybe my way of processing it, too, is through June. It makes it less personal because it's hard for me to absorb it all."
Her appearance at Cannes came right after she hosted the season finale of Saturday Night Live season 50. It has been a whirlwind few days for the actress, and it's far from over. Scarlett will soon be seen in Jurassic World Rebirth, scheduled to release on July 4.
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