Scarlett Johansson’s Directorial Debut Explores Grief and Empathy
Scarlett Johansson has taken a major step in her career by directing her first film, “Eleanor the Great.” This touching story centers on a 94-year-old woman, Eleanor, portrayed by June Squibb, who, overwhelmed by grief and loneliness, takes a deeply troubling action. After the death of her closest friend, Eleanor moves to New York City. There, she mistakenly attends the wrong meeting at the Jewish Community Center and ends up adopting her late friend’s Holocaust survival story. The film builds tension around a critical moment when Eleanor faces possible public condemnation.
Johansson’s film arrives at a time when empathy seems scarce in society. She remarks, “There’s a lack of empathy in the zeitgeist. It’s obviously a reaction to a lot of things. It feels to me like forgiveness feels less possible in the environment we’re in.”
Bringing a Unique Story to Cannes
“Eleanor the Great” premiered at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section, showcasing a character-driven indie set in New York. For Johansson, now 40, directing this film has been a long-held dream. She shared that throughout her acting career, she often envisioned herself directing, sometimes taking on directorial responsibilities when necessary during productions.
Her appearance at Cannes followed a hectic week that included hosting the “Saturday Night Live” season finale. “It’s adding to the surrealistic element of the experience,” Johansson said with a smile. Despite her busy schedule, she is set to star in the upcoming blockbuster “Jurassic World Rebirth,” a role she pursued due to her longstanding admiration for the franchise.
Championing Creative Control and Advocacy
Johansson has recently become known for actively advocating for her interests. She successfully challenged a major entertainment company over pay disparities during the pandemic release of “Black Widow.” Additionally, she persuaded a tech firm to remove a voice system that too closely resembled her own voice. Her recent projects include producing films like “Eleanor the Great,” “Black Widow,” and “Fly Me to the Moon.”
Working with acclaimed directors such as Jonathan Glazer, Spike Jonze, the Coen brothers, and Noah Baumbach, Johansson has honed her skills. She is also a member of Wes Anderson’s ensemble, appearing in his film “Asteroid City.” Her latest work, “The Phoenician Scheme,” premiered just before her directorial debut at Cannes.
Confidence Gained Through Experience
Johansson reflected on her growth, saying, “At some point, I worked enough that I stopped worrying about not working, or not being relevant — which is very liberating. 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.”
Despite her confidence, she admits to moments of doubt: “What the hell am I doing?” she said. “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.”
has been praised for Squibb’s outstanding performance. At 95, Squibb received a standing ovation alongside Johansson at Cannes. The director recalled, “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 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.”
Personal Touches and Subtle Humor
Johansson included small personal details in the film. When a character mentions living in Staten Island, Squibb’s Eleanor replies, “My condolences.” The director joked about this line, saying, “Yeah, I had to apologize to my in-laws for that. I was like: Believe it or not, I didn’t write that line.”
Another subtle reference appears in a scene featuring a poster for the 1999 documentary about underground cartoonist R. Crumb, which nods to Johansson’s loosely connected breakthrough film “Ghost World.”
Johansson shared reflections on her early acting roles, “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. Even doing ‘Lost in Translation,’ I think I was 17 when I made it. I think I was playing someone in their mid-20s.”
She concluded with a lighthearted thought: “It’s a funny thing. I wonder sometimes if it then feels like I’ve been around so long, that people expect me to be in my 70s now.”
Sony Pictures Classics will release “Eleanor the Great” at a later date, promising audiences a heartfelt, nuanced story that captures the complexities of grief and identity.
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