- Scarlett Johansson makes her directorial debut with “Eleanor the Great,” a deeply personal dramedy exploring Jewish identity, grief, and deception.
- The film stars Oscar nominee June Squibb as a 94-year-old woman who falsely claims the Holocaust survival story of her late best friend.
- In a powerful move for authenticity, Johansson cast real Holocaust survivors, including Rita Zohar and 85-year-old Sami Steigmann, in key scenes.
- The project is profoundly connected to Johansson’s own heritage, as she discovered her great-great-uncle perished in the Warsaw ghetto.
From Superhero to Director: A New Chapter for Johansson
Scarlett Johansson, long recognized as one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars and the highest-grossing lead actor at the global box office, is stepping behind the camera for her directorial debut. However, “Eleanor the Great” is a far cry from the action-packed blockbusters she’s known for. Instead, Johansson delivers a stripped-down, funny, and tragically honest film that is unmistakably Jewish, tackling complex themes with a raw and personal touch.
A Story of Grief and a Tangled Lie
The film centers on 94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein, brilliantly portrayed by June Squibb. Grieving the recent death of her best friend, Bessie (Rita Zohar), Eleanor moves from her Florida retirement community to live with her daughter (Jessica Hecht) in New York City. In an attempt to find community, Eleanor visits a local JCC, where she is mistakenly guided into a support group for Holocaust survivors.
In a moment of impulse, instead of correcting the mistake, Eleanor begins recounting Bessie’s harrowing story of survival as if it were her own. This single decision sets off a chain of events, weaving a complex web of deception that threatens to unravel at any moment.
An Unlikely Friendship Built on a Falsehood
The plot thickens when Nina (Erin Kellyman), an ambitious journalism student also grappling with recent loss, decides to profile Eleanor for a class project. An intergenerational friendship blossoms between them, bound by a shared sense of grief. However, their connection is built on Eleanor’s fabricated identity, adding a layer of tension to their heartfelt bond. The situation escalates when Nina’s father, a prominent TV anchor played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, plans to feature Eleanor’s story in a major news segment, pushing her carefully constructed lie toward a breaking point.
Casting Real Survivors for Unmatched Authenticity
One of the most impactful decisions Johansson made was to cast real Holocaust survivors in the film. Rita Zohar, who plays Eleanor’s best friend Bessie, is a real-life survivor, bringing a profound weight to her role. Another featured survivor is 85-year-old Sami Steigmann, a motivational speaker well-known in the New York Jewish community.
From Extra to Principal Performer
Steigmann’s journey with the film was unexpected. Initially brought on as an extra for the support group scene, he was asked to improvise a line to welcome Eleanor. That single line made the final cut, earning him a promotion to principal performer and a letter from the Screen Actors Guild inviting him to join the union. “I can honestly say that I’m a Hollywood movie actor,” Steigmann proudly told Unpacked.
A Deeply Personal Project for Its Director
For Johansson, “Eleanor the Great” is more than just a film; it’s a connection to her own roots. In a 2017 episode of PBS’s “Finding Your Roots,” the actress discovered the tragic fate of her own family members who were killed in the Warsaw ghetto. This personal history fueled her commitment to telling a Jewish story with care and authenticity, leading her to partner with the USC Shoah Foundation to ensure the portrayal of survivor experiences was handled with realism and respect. The result is a film that deftly balances absurd humor with gut-punching emotion, marking a powerful and poignant debut for Johansson as a director.
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