{"id":54938,"date":"2024-07-18T15:27:21","date_gmt":"2024-07-18T13:27:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=2074342"},"modified":"2024-07-18T16:03:43","modified_gmt":"2024-07-18T14:03:43","slug":"june-squibb-on-first-lead-role-at-94-im-thrilled-age-is-finally-getting-a-good-look-at","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/june-squibb-on-first-lead-role-at-94-im-thrilled-age-is-finally-getting-a-good-look-at\/","title":{"rendered":"June Squibb on first lead role at 94: \u201cI\u2019m thrilled age is finally getting a good look at\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

The veteran actor takes on the titular role in fun new movie Thelma. <\/p>

By Patrick Cremona\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 18 July 2024 at 13:27 PM<\/p>

\n\n

June Squibb has had an extraordinary career on stage and screen.<\/p>\n

She made her Broadway debut as a replacement in the original production of Gypsy all the way back in 1959, and has appeared in a slew of major films including The Age of Innocence, Far From Heaven and Nebraska \u2013 the latter earning her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.<\/p>\n

But until recently, she had never had the lead role in a film. Thelma \u2013 the directorial debut of Josh Margolin \u2013 finally addresses that, giving Squibb top billing for the first time at the age of 94.<\/p>\n

She plays the titular character, a nonagenarian based on Margolin\u2019s own grandmother, who embarks on a revenge mission after being cheated out of $10,000 by a phone scammer targeting vulnerable pensioners.<\/p>\n

And although it\u2019s the most prominent role of her career, Squibb says the experience of being first on the call sheet changed little about her experience on set.<\/p>\n

\u201cI find very little difference in it,\u201d she said in an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com<\/a>. \u201cBecause\u2026 I don\u2019t know, I\u2019ve just never thought about that. You know, I\u2019ve always read a script, and if it was something I wanted to do, I did it.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I felt that with this, with Thelma. If they had asked me to come in and work for one day, I probably would have said yes to it! Because the script was so great. And, you know, I really appreciate a script like that.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I really don\u2019t think in terms of that \u2013 it\u2019s always the role, and if it\u2019s something I want to do or not.\u201d<\/p>

Still, Squibb was delighted to star in a film that was shining a light on matters relating to older people, something she feels has perhaps been neglected in cinema in the past.<\/p>\n

\u201cI found it fascinating,\u201d she explained. \u201cI\u2019m so thrilled that age is finally getting a good look at in Hollywood \u2013 and I think people are interested in age now.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou read a lot of articles in magazines, books are being written about it\u2026 it\u2019s something that everybody is all at once taking an interest in. And that, to me, is fascinating. Since I am of an age anyway!\u201d<\/p>\n

She added that although she didn\u2019t have too many conversations with Margolin about the real Thelma, he did provide some home movies he\u2019d made of his grandmother \u2013 \u201cgoing to the supermarket or working on the computer\u201d \u2013 which she watched before the start of production.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, though, it was simply by reading the script that she got to know the character \u2013 and she found that Thelma was a very relatable one.<\/p>\n

\"Richard\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Richard Roundtree as Ben and June Squibb as Thelma in Thelma.<\/span><\/figcaption> Magnolia Pictures<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

\u201cThere were so many things that I related to, being in my 90s,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd I think that Josh has written such an honest script.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd he doesn\u2019t make it sad. I mean, you know, we all get older. And he does, I think, make you feel that you still have a life to live if you want to do it. I mean, you have to do it \u2013 you have to step out, put one foot in front of the other and get out there.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut that\u2019s what I think is so beautiful about this film. And I just think that everybody is\u2026 well, we\u2019re all getting older, we\u2019re getting an older generation. So, I just feel very proud of it. I think that it\u2019s a very honest look at age.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the key relationships in the film is the one between Thelma and her grandson Danny, played by The White Lotus star Fred Hechinger.<\/p>\n

Speaking to RadioTimes.com<\/strong>, Hechinger said that starring in the \u201ccomplex and emotionally mature\u201d film was a \u201cno brainer\u201d, and added that he thinks Hollywood could benefit from more films about the relationships we have with our grandparents.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Danny and Thelma\u2019s friendship is the most and maybe only solid thing in his life, I think it\u2019s really fundamental and really inspiring,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI relate to that. And it was really special making this because I think every person that worked on this movie, our cast and our entire crew, had kind of a personal connection to the material.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, there was someone that they really cared about in their life that they thought of when they were making this. And now, being able to show it around the world\u2026 it\u2019s been such an immense pleasure, because people really want to talk about these kinds of relationships.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I do think it\u2019s a shame that they haven\u2019t been as featured in film, and I\u2019m really excited and honoured that we got to show it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n