{"id":55010,"date":"2024-07-19T11:00:09","date_gmt":"2024-07-19T09:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=2073549"},"modified":"2024-07-19T13:09:02","modified_gmt":"2024-07-19T11:09:02","slug":"is-thelma-based-on-a-true-story","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/is-thelma-based-on-a-true-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Thelma based on a true story?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The new film stars 94-year-old June Squibb as a woman who becomes the victim of a mobile phone scam \u2013\u00a0and embarks on a dangerous quest to get her money back. <\/p>

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

Published: Friday, 19 July 2024 at 09:00 AM<\/p>

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We\u2019ve all heard tragic stories of vulnerable older people being taken advantage of by scammers and cheated out of their money \u2013 but there are comparatively few about pensioners who take matters into their own hands to right those wrongs.<\/p>\n

But new film Thelma tells just that story. Written and directed by Josh Margolin, it stars veteran character actor June Squibb \u2013 making her first lead performance at the age of 94 \u2013 as the titular grandmother, who embarks on a dangerous journey on her mobility scooter to confront those responsible for taking \u00a310,000 of her hard-earned cash.<\/p>\n

Inspired by Tom Cruise in the Mission: Impossible<\/a> films and aided by both her young grandson Danny (Fred Hechinger) and elderly friend Ben (played by the late Richard Roundtree), Thelma is able to successfully track down the man while regularly musing on the nature of old age and confronting her mortality.<\/p>\n

But is the film actually based on a true story? Read on for everything you need to know.<\/p>\n

Is Thelma based on a true story?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"June\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
June Squibb as Thelma in Thelma.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Yes and no<\/strong>. The film is loosely based on a story about Margolin\u2019s own grandmother Thelma Post, who can be seen in footage at the end of the film and is still alive at the age of 103.<\/p>\n

Although many aspects were dramatised for the film \u2013 including much of the central character\u2019s journey and her confrontation \u2013 the real Thelma was indeed targeted by a phone scam very similar to the one we see.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe scam call that happens in the movie is almost verbatim to the scam call she received in real life, where a pretty similar series of events unfolded,\u201d Margolin explained in an interview with Creative Screenwriting<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe got a call, someone pretending to be me saying I was in jail and that I hit a pregnant woman with my car.\u201d<\/p>\n

In real life, Margolin thankfully managed to intervene before any damage was done, but the incident gave him the idea for a film in which his grandmother \u201cventured out on her own to get it back\u201d.<\/p>\n

So, while a lot of the events we see in the movie are fictional, the character herself is very much drawn from Margolin\u2019s real grandmother.<\/p>\n

And, speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com<\/a>, Squibb explained that the director had given her some home movies to study to help with her portrayal.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe gave me some films that he\u2019d made of Thelma,\u201d she explained. \u201cThey were very short, and they would be like going to the supermarket or working on the computer, just short little films that he had made with her. And that\u2019s what I saw before I started shooting the film.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut we really\u2026 I think the script was so, so beautifully laid out and so wonderfully\u2026 you could understand, you knew who she was from the script. And that\u2019s what I used so completely.\u201d<\/p>

Thelma is now showing in UK cinemas.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Check out more of our\u00a0Film<\/a>\u00a0coverage or visit our\u00a0TV Guide<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Streaming Guide<\/a>\u00a0to find out what\u2019s on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to\u00a0The Radio Times Podcast<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div> <\/body><\/html>\n

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