This interview is dedicated to my grandmother Christine Ada Martin, who is going to be 99 next month on February 15th.
June Squibb started as a leading lady on the stage. She was mostly a theater actress, but when she transitioned into film, she memorably played supporting characters over a span of a seventy-year career, earning an Oscar nomination for her hilarious performance in Alexander Payne’s 2013 gem, “Nebraska.” Filmmaker Josh Margolin was inspired to make a film about his grandmother, who is 103. She is his hero, which is how I feel about my grandmother. So naturally, he leaned into the action genre to create a film inspired by her, and gave June Squibb her first onscreen leading role at age 94.
One of the film’s producers, Zoë Worth, helped Josh push this film forward, along with her producing partner, Chris Kaye. It began with Josh bringing his first feature script, “Thelma,” to their Thursday night writing group. Zoë knew this story was special from the beginning, and was determined to help him make it happen. It was actress Beanie Feldstein, a friend of Josh’s, who connected Josh to June. From the very beginning, Josh only wanted June Squibb to play Thelma. June loved the script immediately and identified with Thelma.
The premise is based on a real story of Josh and his grandmother, who got scammed by a person who called her and asked her to mail thousands of dollars for her grandson’s bail money. Of course, the scam artist made that all up. And so this inspired the cathartic journey we find ourselves in, watching June Squibb kick ass as Thelma, determined to get her money back from the scammer, no matter what the cost. Every action star needs a sidekick, and in this film, she was perfectly matched with the late Richard Roundtree (“Shaft”). The two are quite a team, and there is a scene in “Thelma” that I’d love to see juxtaposed with the vault scene in the first “Mission: Impossible” film with Ving Rhames and Tom Cruise.
I had the honor of speaking with June and Zoë about their film, and I was so happy that this was my first interview conducted in 2024. So far, this film is my number one of the year. Last year, the first film I saw and did an interview for was “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood,” which remained my favorite film of 2023. Both interviews were so special and serendipitous. I’m so grateful for this experience. The film premieres on January 18th, the opening night of Sundance, at The Ray Theatre in Park City, Utah. Learn more here.
Our Sundance 2024 coverage is sponsored by the Gene Siskel Film Center. One of the last arthouse theaters in Chicago, they present a curated collection of international, independent, and classic cinema reflective of Chicago’s diverse community. Learn more.
What brought you to this project?
June Squibb (JS): Beanie Fieldstein. She and I had done “The Humans” together, and she is a family friend of Josh Margolin, the director. She was talking to Josh about “Thelma,” and said, “Who would you like to play Thelma?” He said, “I’d love for June Squibb to do it, but I don’t know how to get the script to her.” He had no idea how to get the script to me. Beanie said, “I’ll get it to her!” So Beanie texted me and said, “I’m sending you a script.” I said, “Fine,” and that was it. I read it and loved it. I also had a friend read the script who’s been in the film industry for a long time. She said, “You’ve got to do this.” And that was kind of it. We were involved from that time on.
Zoë Worth (ZW): Besides myself and my producing partner Chris Kaye, June was the very first person involved. And I would say June pre-dates our involvement because Josh always wanted June to play Thelma from the beginning. He could see it no other way. I have been friends with Josh for a long time. I met him in high school. And we’ve been friends while working together for about fifteen years. We’ve done theater, a comedy web series, and shorts projects together. We’ve also been involved together in various creative communities, including a writers group that meets weekly on Thursday nights at my home. Josh brought his first feature that he ever wrote, “Thelma,” to the writers group. Through Josh, I’ve met the real Thelma, Josh’s grandmother, who is a firecracker and hilarious. She is a bit different than the character, but the character is deeply inspired by the real Thelma. I loved the script the first time I read it, and Chris and I thought we could push it forward.
June, I’m amazed that this is your first leading role in a film. Can you talk about your experience as a leading screen actor, and maybe some of your favorite scenes?
JS: Yes, it’s my first lead role on film, although I’ve played many lead characters on stage. First of all, I loved working with Richard Roundtree. We really had a great relationship. He and I were together throughout most of the film. It was a joy. It was happiness all the time when we were together. And Josh is amazing to me. I’ve worked with first-time directors before and Josh did not act like a first-time director with how he approached the work, what he did with his casting, and everything he did. I kept telling him, “You’ve got to have five films hidden in a drawer somewhere,” because it is just amazing to me that he could make this film in the way he did. And he had such a great command of the group, he was so wonderful. I don’t think anyone was ever afraid of him. They knew that they could go to him and talk to him anytime, so working with Josh was a joy. And there were an awful lot of young people, it was probably one of the youngest crews that I’ve ever worked with. But everybody was so excited about the film. They all recognized that this was something very special, and they let you know it. They told you this. It was a wonderful experience the whole time, the six or seven weeks we shot the film. It was just a great experience.
My favorite scene is when June is in the store run by Malcolm McDowell’s character, and it’s a mess. She is trying to not alert anyone of her presence, so she carefully walks through the store while Richard’s character talks to her through their hearing aids. It’s ingenious how the sequence mirrors the iconic set-piece from the first “Mission: Impossible” movie, in which Ving Rhames is talking into Tom Cruise’s ear, while a single drop of sweat could cost him the operation. It was so perfect. I love the tropes of the action films you play around with in this film, and June, you did some of your own stunts, right?
JS: That thing on the bed I did, and of course, you can see that’s me. When we were doing the bed scene in the house before, I said, “I can do that. I can throw myself around, you know?” They were like, “Are you sure you don’t want a stunt person?” And I said, “Are you kidding? No.” And we get to the scene and I get on the bed and I said, “I can do this.” My assistant Kelly, who is sitting here beside me, was scared to death. She said, “We’re not going to do this again.” [laughs] But it was easy. I don’t know why, it was just something my body understood. I was very proud I was able to do that.
Zoë, do you want to speak to how you were playing with the tropes of action films and the genre?
ZW: June was incredible and did her own stunts, and everything she added to the comedy, to the drama, to the genre stuff, she just knocked it out of the park. Rebecca, that scene that you are describing, I’m sure that was in Josh’s mind. I think the epicenter for this idea came from wanting to play with the idea of his grandmother’s strength, and her cool factor, and action felt like the right genre to lean into for that. It was so much fun. I mean having the scooter as the getaway car, and the hearing aids like the ear piece between Ving Rhames and Tom Cruise. Tom Cruise actually gave us his blessing to use the part of the film that we use, and all of these times were so special and cool. And there is no one cooler then Richard Roundtree and June Squibb. It was a blast.
Can you talk a little more about working with Richard Roundtree and some of the other actors, like Malcolm McDowell?
JS: Richard was a very special man. I remember that when we met for the first time, we were hugging. And I was like, ‘This is finally happening.’ I don’t even know what I meant, but he knew what I meant, that it was great that we were working together. We didn’t know each other, but there was something immediately that we sensed in each other. When you’re working with someone like that, it’s heaven. You just feel you don’t have to push, you don’t have to say anything, it all just kind of happens. And that’s how it was with him and the filming. It was so great, so great.
Malcolm is as funny as hell and he’s such a wonderful man. He came in for just a few days for the shoot, unlike Richard and I, since we were working together for a long time. But he was so special. Clark Gregg was heaven. I loved his performance. I thought his performance was one of the best that I’ve seen. He just sort of hits this man so perfectly.
ZW: Clark is so stand-up funny. And we love sweet Fred Hechinger, who has become a pal. He and June had a special relationship. I mean, that still of them where you see her and Fred looking at the computer screen and throughout the movie, you can see they so related to one another.
JS: You know, when Fred comes to LA now, he comes over to visit. I have an apartment in Sherman Oaks so he calls and lets us know, and comes over for lunch or dinner. We’re going to New York not too long from now, and if he’s there, we’ll see him. That is a relationship that is very strong and I think will continue.
What do you hope people see in your film?
JS: Reality. That’s what I always aim for. I just think it’s so important that we don’t screw that up. We make sure that our work is real, and that people can relate to it, as humans. And gosh, I think the film is funny. I was shocked when we saw a screening with a lot of people. I was delighted that everybody thought that it was so funny. I thought it was funny while we were doing it, but you never know. [laughs]
I love that you just went for it in this film. It was really cathartic watching you. It wasn’t about age, it was about determination. I feel that you don’t really see enough women of a certain age onscreen, and it’s so refreshing, seeing older women just kick ass. I love it.
JS: She did what she thought was necessary.
Zoë, do you want to answer about what you hope people see in this film?
ZW: I think you said that beautifully, Rebecca. We don’t see female characters, especially older female characters, have this much authority and kick ass-ness and determination, and it’s never the butt of a joke. It’s just funny and real at the same time. I hope that people feel that way. I hope that it’s cathartic for people who’ve been scammed, and have been around this situation through their family or their friends. I want them to hopefully think about hearing from one another and what that means, and that’s explored in the different characters, the line between caring and control and autonomy, both at an older age, or at a younger age. And just the different points of view of the aging process. I hope that they laugh and I hope that they feel something too.
June, was there anything that you wanted to add about your experience working on this film?
JS: I think from the time I read it, I recognized this lady. So when I was working on it, this lady became me. It was easy to do from the script. As an actress, I go back to the script, because if the script is not there, then I don’t want to do it. The minute I read this script, I was like, “I know this lady. I know what she’s going through and I know what she’s facing.” So that was exciting, and the fact there was so much screen time showing these things about her. It was a very exciting experience.
ZW: We had so much fun.
JS: We did have fun.
Zoë, what was special for you about this production?
ZW: I’m taking everything with me. This was my first film as a producer and I got to work with Josh, someone I cannot say enough nice things about. I love him. And I got to work with June and Richard. I learned every step of how to build a movie from an idea to a finished product. It was something that I’ll never forget. It’s probably the coolest thing I’ve ever done.
JS: And you were a good producer! You really were.
ZW: Thank you, June.
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