On Monday, Scarlett Johansson made her directorial debut with her feature film “Eleanor the Great,” set in the iconic Coney Island neighborhood of Brooklyn.
According to Variety, this marked the first sighting of the 39-year-old actress-turned-director leading the cast and crew on set. The film has already secured distribution agreements with TriStar Pictures and Sony Pictures Classics.
Among the cast assisting Johansson with an outdoor car scene were Erin Kellyman and June Squibb. Squibb, a 94-year-old Oscar nominee, plays the role of 90-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein, a woman who returns to New York City from Florida after the death of her best friend of 70 years.
Squibb, who garnered an Academy Award nomination for her role in Alexander Payne’s 2013 film “Nebraska,” was seen in character, wearing a coordinated outfit featuring a long purple jacket and blue trainers.
Screenwriter Tory Kamen created the character of Eleanor, drawing inspiration from her late grandmother, Elinore, who passed away in 2020 at the age of 99.
Kamen shared her excitement on Instagram last Friday, expressing how the film’s progress exceeded her expectations after eight years of writing and rewriting the script.
“My only wish is that my grandma Elinore could witness this, but she was infamous for not being able to read trades,” Kamen wrote.
Erin Kellyman, known for her role in Disney+’s 2022 series “Willow,” portrays Eleanor’s new 19-year-old friend. On set, Kellyman was seen in a beige leather blazer over a white blouse and beige sweater vest, paired with baggy brown trousers and boots, all styled by costume designer Tom Broecker. Squibb, meanwhile, donned a lavender coat.
Joining Johansson behind the camera was cinematographer Hélène Louvart, noted for her work on Alice Rohrwacher’s “La Chimaera” (2023) and Eliza Hittman’s “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” (2020).
In a 2022 episode of the “Table for Two” podcast, Johansson mentioned her preference for producing over directing, envisioning her ideal job as having a corner office on the Disney lot. Despite her comments, she has taken the director’s chair for “Eleanor the Great” and ensures the set runs smoothly.
Johansson also cast Jessica Hecht, her former Broadway co-star from the Tony Award-winning production “A View From the Bridge” at the Cort Theatre in 2010.
“Eleanor the Great” promises to be a poignant exploration of friendship, loss, and the resilience of the human spirit, brought to life under Johansson’s direction and Kamen’s heartfelt script.
Read more Entertainment News.