PARK CITY.- Heart-stopping chases, cutting-edge technological devices and an armed duel. Thelma could be the next installment of Mission: Impossibleif it weren’t for the fact that its star, the actress June Squibb, she is 94 years old.
In the film, Squibb takes the bull by the horns after a person cheats on her and takes $10,000 from her, which sends her out onto the streets of Los Angeles in a state of mobility and with an antique pistol, determined to confront the villain. .
This action comedy, which premiered last night at the Sundance Film Festival, is the first leading role for the veteran actress, who was nominated for an Oscar a decade ago for Nebraska.
How does it feel to become Hollywood’s new action figure at 94 years old? “It’s wonderful! I love it! Tom (Cruise) and me!” Squibb told AFP.
In fact, the film is full of references to Tom Cruise, whom the protagonist loves to see on screen with her grandson.
The inspiration for the films Mission: Impossible It’s clear, like when a top-secret mission is told to you through a hearing-enhancing device.
And Cruise himself approved the use of images from his films.
“I asked, ‘Is he letting us do this?’ And they said, ‘Sure, (his team) loved it!'” Squibb said.
On a personal level, the actress was also inspired by the Hollywood star known for filming many of his action scenes without doubles.
“They told me: ‘Take two, June. Don’t go so fast!'” he said, referring to a chase in his car that required filming a crash.
“I thought, ‘This is stupid,’ and I hit him and went down a hallway. And they recorded it all.”
“Real danger”
The film’s unique premise and its stars (including the late Richard Roundtree and Malcolm McDowell) have made waves at this year’s Sundance, a springboard for the best of independent cinema.
But he has a personal message for his director, Josh Margolin, who named the production in honor of his 103-year-old grandmother Thelma.
She was the victim of a scammer who made her believe that she had suffered a car accident and needed money for bail.
Luckily, the real Thelma did not pay before her family verified the information, but the incident inspired Margolin, who wondered what would have happened if she had fallen and then wanted to take justice into her own hands. “I wouldn’t miss her!”
“Watching Tom Cruise jump out of a plane scares me as much as watching my grandmother jump into a bed,” Margolin said, referring to the action scenes. “It’s a minor thing, but for the time in her life that she’s in, it involves real danger and it’s terrifying.”
Therefore, he chose to reduce those tricks and instead explore his strength, his tenacity and his determination.
The film also addresses how society often underestimates the elderly and how a grandson tries to overprotect his grandmother, even when she can handle more than he thinks.
“I don’t feel lonely”
Although the headstrong Thelma on screen enjoys living alone and is determined to stay that way, her accomplice Ben (Roundtree’s latest role) has thrown himself into the care of her retirement home.
It’s something Squibb understands well.
“I’m always happy to work on something that talks about age,” he said. “I’m alone, and I don’t feel lonely. Not really. It’s more like, ‘Well, I can do whatever I want!'” she added.
The actress is still active. Among her upcoming projects is the series American Horror Stories and a film directed by Scarlett Johansson called Eleanor, Invisible.
After decades in a Hollywood known for relegating middle-aged actresses, Squibb sees changes. “And I thank God for that!” she said.
The actress hopes that her film will get a distribution channel at Sundance and reach theaters and platforms.
“And maybe another Oscar nomination? It would be sensational,” he said. “It was fun”
FUENTE: AFP
