June Squibb Interview: At 95, She Celebrates Her First Lead Role in Thelma

June Squibb is a legend. She’s a legend with a slew of stage experience, dozens and dozens of film and TV credits to her name, and an Academy Award nomination for her performance in Nebraska. However, it wasn’t until just now, in her 90s, that she finally scored her first lead role in a film, Josh Margolin’s feature directorial debut, Thelma. An absurdity, in my opinion. But, that’s not how Squibb looks at it. As she noted during our Collider Ladies Night conversation, “It's never occurred to me that what I was doing was not the most important role in the film.” This year, however, the most important role in the film put her at #1 on the call sheet.

Not only did Squibb finally get the chance to headline a film, but she plays the title character in one of the best movies of 2024. In Thelma, Squibb plays Thelma Post, a 93-year-old woman living alone in Los Angeles. Her grandson, Danny (Fred Hechinger), checks on her often, but not often enough to stop her from giving up $10,000 in a scam. Determined to fix the mistake herself, Thelma sets off with her friend Ben (Richard Roundtree) and his scooter to track down her money.

After celebrating its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and amassing a slew of wildly positive reviews leading up to its summer 2024 release, Thelma is now in the midst of an awards season push, specifically for Squibb’s lead performance. While celebrating Thelma’s success, Squibb visited the Collider Ladies Night studio to walk us through her journey from stage to screen, and to discuss what it was like finally getting the opportunity to headline a movie.

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