June Squibb is making her first starring role in a feature film with the release of the action comedy Thelma, 94 years in the making.
It’s quite a milestone considering he’s 94 years old and has been in business since 1948, which translates to 76 years in business, although there have been intervals of inactivity over the years.
Squibb, who has primarily been a character actor in supporting roles, plays Thelma Post as she leaps to the top of the marquee in the film that opened Friday.
“I always loved what I did,” he said. Vulture about playing supporting roles. ‘I just wanted to work. And I think it’s true that as you work, the more you work (not always, but most of the time), the roles become more important.’
At 94, June Squibb will make her first leading role in a feature film with the release of the new action comedy Thelma on Friday, June 21.
Squibb plays Thelma Post, an iron-willed grandmother who seeks revenge after being scammed out of $10,000 by a con man posing as her grandson, with the help of friend Ben, played by Richard Roundtree, who travels with a scooter
In the film, the Vandalia, Illinois, native plays a grandmother seeking revenge after she is scammed out of $10,000 by a con artist posing as her grandson.
With the help of a friend Ben (Richard Roundtree), who travels on an electric scooter, the iron-willed old woman tries to quench her thirst for revenge and recover the stolen funds.
Along with Squibb and Roundtree, the cast also includes Fred Hechinger, Parker Posey, Clark Gregg and Malcolm McDowell, among others.
His role in the film, written and directed by Josh Margolin, required many physically demanding moves and stunts. But in the end she remained committed to doing all of her own stunts throughout the production.
It turns out that Squibb was Margolin’s first choice to play Thelma, according to USA Today.
“He’s great at using that kind of loving presentation as a weapon,” the filmmaker said. “It’s a wonderful role,” Squibb chimed into the conversation.
In the end, the actress only had to read the script once before realizing she was perfect for the role.
In the film, the Vandalia, Illinois native plays a grandmother seeking revenge after a con artist posing as her grandson swindles her out of $10,000.
“I always loved what I did,” the actress told Vulture of her supporting roles over many decades. ‘She just wanted to work. And I think it’s true that as you work, the more you work (not always, but most of the time), the roles become more important.’
The literal and figurative protagonist took center stage at the premiere of Thelma at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood on June 14.
Squibb talked about how he was able to perform all the physically demanding moves and stunts throughout the production.
Although she began acting in the late 1940s as a teenager, Squibb did not make her professional debut until landing a role in the Broadway production of the musical Gypsy (1959) after moving from Cleveland to New York City. in 1951.
During that time, he took on various part-time jobs he could find to help pay the bills, such as helping Santa at Lord & Taylor during the Christmas season. She also modeled for magazines and book covers.
Once he was able to join the Screen Actors Guild in 1985, he began landing roles in both film and television.
More than two decades passed before she finally made her on-screen debut, appearing in an episode of the CBS anthology series Schoolbreak Special (1985) for television and in Woody Allen’s romantic comedy Alice (1990) for film.
Some of his most notable supporting roles include the films The Age Of Innocence (1993), In & Out (1997), Meet Joe Black (1998), About Schmidt (2002), and Far From Heaven (2002).
Squibb got his start in local theater in the late 1940s, when he was in his twenties, and eventually made his professional Broadway debut in the musical Gypsy (1958); The actress did not debut on television until 1985 and in film in 1990.
She then had a breakthrough performance in the comedy-drama film Nebraska (2013), alongside Bruce Dern and Will Forte, earning her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
Over the last decade, he has appeared in films such as I’ll See You In My Dreams (2015), Love the Coopers (2015), Other People (2016), Father Figures (2017) (2017), Blow The Man Down (2019), Palm Springs (2020), Hubie Halloween, Palmer (2021), The Humans (2021) and Family Squares (2022).
“My career has certainly been rewarding,” Squibb told USA Today. ‘I’m not naive: I know it’s unusual to be 94 and still working; continue doing something, let alone this job! And I’m happy that I can do what I do physically and that my health is good.’
Following its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 18, Thelma opened in US theaters on Friday, June 21.
