Latest news with #directorialdebut
Washington Post
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Scarlett Johansson, Kristen Stewart and Harris Dickinson are now directors. Here's what they say
CANNES, France — The Cannes Film Festival has played host to the directorial debuts of three stars: Scarlett Johansson, Kristen Stewart and relative newcomer Harris Dickinson. Their films are very different but the fulfillment of longtime dreams of being behind the camera. All three movies are part of Cannes' Un Certain Regard section, which has helped launch the careers of directors like Yorgos Lanthimos, Lynne Ramsay and Molly Manning Walker.
The Independent
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Scarlett Johansson, Kristen Stewart and Harris Dickinson are now directors. Here's what they say
The Cannes Film Festival has played host to the directorial debuts of three stars: Scarlett Johansson, Kristen Stewart and relative newcomer Harris Dickinson. Their films are very different but the fulfillment of longtime dreams of being behind the camera. All three movies are part of Cannes' Un Certain Regard section, which has helped launch the careers of directors like Yorgos Lanthimos, Lynne Ramsay and Molly Manning Walker. At 28, Dickinson is an up-and-coming actor, known for 'Babygirl,' 'Where the Crawdads Sing' and the Palme d'Or-winning 'Triangle of Sadness,' who worked for years to develop his film, 'Urchin.' Johansson, a two-time Oscar acting nominee who's been a star since her teens and played Black Widow in multiple Marvel films, brought 'Eleanor the Great,' a film about a nonagenarian who coopts her late friend's Holocaust story, to Cannes this week. Stewart, also an acting Oscar nominee, debuted 'The Chronology of Water,' an adaptation of Lidia Yuknavitch's 2011 memoir, last week. Awards for the Un Certain Regard section will be announced Friday, a day before the Cannes Film Festival closes. Here's what the actors-turned-directors had to say about their first forays into creating a film from behind the camera. Harris Dickinson on 'Urchin' 'I wanted to direct from a very young age. I wanted to make films,' says Dickinson, who got his start as many young creators do now: on YouTube. He even had a web sketch series. 'That was my first love, just making things.' Dickinson's profile as an actor has exploded in recent years, but his desire to direct was so strong, he started saying no to roles. ''Urchin' was all I could think about. It was pouring out of me. It was all that was on my mind,' he said. 'It's easy to say no when you've got something to take you away from that, you know? Nothing that came in would make me question my own film, which is a sign that I had to make it at this time.' The film stars Frank Dillane as a homeless Londoner suffering from drug addiction. Scarlett Johansson on 'Eleanor the Great' Johansson is now one of the world's most recognizable stars. She's also one of its most respected, earning two Oscar nominations in 2020, for 'Marriage Story' and 'Jojo Rabbit.' Her success as an actor helped her take on new roles on films, including producing, and, now, directing. 'At some point, I worked enough that I stopped worrying about not working, or not being relevant — which is very liberating,' Johansson says. 'I think it's something all actors feel for a long time until they don't. I would not have had the confidence to direct this film 10 years ago.' She says that throughout her career, imagining how to make movies has been part of her process: '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.'' The New York-set 'Eleanor the Great' stars June Squibb as a 94-year-old who, out of grief and loneliness, takes over her friend's story of Holocaust survival as her own. Kristen Stewart on 'The Chronology of Water' 'It was eight years in the making and then a really accelerated push. It's an obvious comparison but it was childbirth,' says Stewart of the film. 'I was pregnant for a really long time and then I was screaming bloody murder.' Stewart in interviews has talked about challenging the myth that men are better suited to directing. 'It's really not fair for people to think it's hard to make a movie insofar as you need to know things before going into it. There are technical directors, but, Jesus Christ, you hire a crew. You just have a perspective and trust it,' she said. 'My inexperience made this movie.' Yuknavitch's memoir recounts her surviving sexual abuse by her father and how she sought refuge in competitive swimming and, later, writing. While Stewart expressed doubts that she offered much to her film's star, Imogen Poots, in terms of useful direction, the actor disagrees. 'Kristen is incredibly present but at the same has this ability, like a plant or something, to pick up on a slight shift in the atmosphere where it's like: 'Wait a minute,'' Poots said, causing Stewart to laugh. 'There is this insane brain at play and it's a skill set that comes in the form of an intense curiosity.' ___ For more coverage of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, visit
Associated Press
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Scarlett Johansson, Kristen Stewart and Harris Dickinson are now directors. Here's what they say
CANNES, France (AP) — The Cannes Film Festival has played host to the directorial debuts of three stars: Scarlett Johansson, Kristen Stewart and relative newcomer Harris Dickinson. Their films are very different but the fulfillment of longtime dreams of being behind the camera. All three movies are part of Cannes' Un Certain Regard section, which has helped launch the careers of directors like Yorgos Lanthimos, Lynne Ramsay and Molly Manning Walker. At 28, Dickinson is an up-and-coming actor, known for 'Babygirl,' 'Where the Crawdads Sing' and the Palme d'Or-winning 'Triangle of Sadness,' who worked for years to develop his film, 'Urchin.' Johansson, a two-time Oscar acting nominee who's been a star since her teens and played Black Widow in multiple Marvel films, brought 'Eleanor the Great,' a film about a nonagenarian who coopts her late friend's Holocaust story, to Cannes this week. Stewart, also an acting Oscar nominee, debuted 'The Chronology of Water,' an adaptation of Lidia Yuknavitch's 2011 memoir, last week. Awards for the Un Certain Regard section will be announced Friday, a day before the Cannes Film Festival closes. Here's what the actors-turned-directors had to say about their first forays into creating a film from behind the camera. Harris Dickinson on 'Urchin' 'I wanted to direct from a very young age. I wanted to make films,' says Dickinson, who got his start as many young creators do now: on YouTube. He even had a web sketch series. 'That was my first love, just making things.' Dickinson's profile as an actor has exploded in recent years, but his desire to direct was so strong, he started saying no to roles. ''Urchin' was all I could think about. It was pouring out of me. It was all that was on my mind,' he said. 'It's easy to say no when you've got something to take you away from that, you know? Nothing that came in would make me question my own film, which is a sign that I had to make it at this time.' The film stars Frank Dillane as a homeless Londoner suffering from drug addiction. Scarlett Johansson on 'Eleanor the Great' Johansson is now one of the world's most recognizable stars. She's also one of its most respected, earning two Oscar nominations in 2020, for 'Marriage Story' and 'Jojo Rabbit.' Her success as an actor helped her take on new roles on films, including producing, and, now, directing. 'At some point, I worked enough that I stopped worrying about not working, or not being relevant — which is very liberating,' Johansson says. 'I think it's something all actors feel for a long time until they don't. I would not have had the confidence to direct this film 10 years ago.' She says that throughout her career, imagining how to make movies has been part of her process: '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.'' The New York-set 'Eleanor the Great' stars June Squibb as a 94-year-old who, out of grief and loneliness, takes over her friend's story of Holocaust survival as her own. Kristen Stewart on 'The Chronology of Water' 'It was eight years in the making and then a really accelerated push. It's an obvious comparison but it was childbirth,' says Stewart of the film. 'I was pregnant for a really long time and then I was screaming bloody murder.' Stewart in interviews has talked about challenging the myth that men are better suited to directing. 'It's really not fair for people to think it's hard to make a movie insofar as you need to know things before going into it. There are technical directors, but, Jesus Christ, you hire a crew. You just have a perspective and trust it,' she said. 'My inexperience made this movie.' Yuknavitch's memoir recounts her surviving sexual abuse by her father and how she sought refuge in competitive swimming and, later, writing. While Stewart expressed doubts that she offered much to her film's star, Imogen Poots, in terms of useful direction, the actor disagrees. 'Kristen is incredibly present but at the same has this ability, like a plant or something, to pick up on a slight shift in the atmosphere where it's like: 'Wait a minute,'' Poots said, causing Stewart to laugh. 'There is this insane brain at play and it's a skill set that comes in the form of an intense curiosity.' ___ For more coverage of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, visit
The Independent
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Scarlett Johansson debuts as a director in Cannes with a comic tale of grief and empathy
Scarlett Johansson's directorial debut, 'Eleanor the Great,' stars June Squibb as a 94-year-old woman who, out of grief and loneliness, does a terrible thing. After her best friend (Rita Zohar) dies, Eleanor (Squibb) moves to New York and, after accidentally joining the wrong meeting at the Jewish Community Center, adopts her friend's story of Holocaust survival. The film builds toward a moment where Eleanor could be harshly condemned in a public forum, or not. For Johansson, her movie speaks to the moment. 'There's a lack of empathy in the zeitgeist. It's obviously a reaction to a lot of things,' says Johansson. 'It feels to me like forgiveness feels less possible in the environment we're in.' Johansson brought 'Eleanor the Great' to the Un Certain Regard sidebar of the Cannes Film Festival this week, unveiling a funny and tender, character-driven, New York-set indie that launches her as a filmmaker. For the 40-year-old star, it's the humble culmination of a dream that's always bounced around in her mind. 'It has been for most of my career,' Johansson says, meeting at a hotel on the Croisette after a day of junket interviews. '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.'' Johansson came to Cannes just days after hosting the season finale of 'Saturday Night Live,' making for a fairly head-spinning week. 'It's adding to the surrealistic element of the experience,' Johansson says with a smile. In just over a month's time, she'll be back in a big summer movie, 'Jurassic World Rebirth.' But even that gig is a product of her own interests. Johansson had been a fan of the 'Jurassic Park' movies for years, and simply wanted to be a part of it. Following her own instincts, and her willingness to fight for them, has been a regular feature of her career recently. She confronted The Walt Disney Co. over pay during the pandemic release of 'Black Widow,' and won a settlement. When OpenAI launched a voice system called 'Sky' for ChatGPT 4.0 that sounded eerily similar to her own, she got the company to take it down. She's increasingly produced films, including 'Eleanor the Great,' 'Black Widow' and 'Fly Me to the Moon.' After working with an enviable string of directors such as Jonathan Glazer ('Under the Skin'), Spike Jonze ('Her'), the Coen brothers ('Hail, Caesar!') and Noah Baumbach ('Marriage Story'), she's become a part of Wes Anderson's troupe. After a standout performance in 'Asteroid City,' she appears in 'The Phoenician Scheme,' which premiered shortly before 'Eleanor the Great' in Cannes. 'At some point, I worked enough that I stopped worrying about not working, or not being relevant — which is very liberating,' Johansson says. 'I think it's something all actors feel for a long time until they don't. I would not have had the confidence to direct this film 10 years ago.' 'Which isn't to say that I don't often think many times: What the hell am I doing?' she adds. 'I have that feeling, still. Certainly doing 'Jurassic,' I had many moments where I was like: Am I the right person for this? Is this working? But I just recently saw it and the movie works.' So does 'Eleanor the Great,' which Sony Pictures Classics will release at some future date. That's owed significantly to the performance of Squibb, who, at 95, experienced a Cannes standing ovation alongside Johansson. 'Something I'll never forget is holding June in that moment,' says Johansson. 'The pureness of her joy and her presence in that moment was very touching, I think for everyone in theater. 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.' Some parts of 'Eleanor the Great' have personal touches, though. After one character says he lives in Staten Island, Squibb's character retorts, 'My condolences.' 'Yeah, I had to apologize to my in-laws for that,' Johansson, who is married to Staten Island native Colin Jost, said laughing. 'I was like: Believe it not, I didn't write that line.' A poster for the 1999 documentary about underground cartoonist R. Crumb, 'Crumb,' also hangs on the wall in one scene, a vague reference, Johansson acknowledges, to her loosely connected 2001 breakthrough film 'Ghost World.' 'I was very young when I made that movie. I think I was 15, and the character is supposed to be 18 or 19. When I was a teenager, I often played characters who were a bit older than myself,' Johansson says. 'Even doing 'Lost in Translation,' I think I was 17 when I made it. I think I was playing someone in their mid-20s.' 'It's a funny thing,' she says. 'I wonder sometimes if it then feels like I've been around so long, that people expect me to be in my 70s now.'
South China Morning Post
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Kristen Stewart on directorial debut The Chronology of Water, violence of being a woman
'I can't wait to make 10 more movies,' Kristen Stewart said the morning after making what Rolling Stone magazine called 'one hell of a directorial debut' at the Cannes Film Festival. Nor can film critics, judging from the rave reviews of The Chronology of Water, her startling take on the American swimmer Lidia Yuknavitch's visceral memoir of surviving abuse as a child. All the producers who Stewart said passed on her script, saying its subject matter made it 'really unattractive' to audiences, must now be crying into their champagne. Variety magazine called it 'a stirring drama of abuse and salvation, told with poetic passion', while Indiewire critic David Ehrlich said 'there isn't a single millisecond of this movie that does not bristle with the raw energy of an artist'. Play The fact that she has got such notices with what is normally a no-no subject in Hollywood – and with an avant-garde approach to the storytelling – is remarkable.
