Scarlett Johansson reveals why ‘Eleanor the Great’ script made her cry

Scarlett Johansson has opened up about why she cried while reading a script of her directorial debut Eleanor the Great.

While promoting her upcoming movie, the Black Widow actress candidly discussed with Deadline about her experience of filming the movie.

Revealing the reason why she directed the movie, she said, “When I read it, I cried, and that almost never happens. Sometimes you’ll read a script that’s really moving. When I read Jojo Rabbit, I cried. Sometimes a script will move you like that, which is extraordinary.”

In the movie, a 90-year-old woman Eleanor Morgenstein, played by June Squibb, moved to New York City for a fresh start after the death of her friend, but she faced challenges in making new friends. 

“I could see there was a great possibility in it,” Johansson continued. “I thought, ‘Oh, actually, I think I could tell this story.’ It reminded me so much of independent film from the mid to late ’90s. I was a kid of the ’90s.”

Recalling the 90’s independent movie that inspired her, she concluded, “I watched a lot of movies in that period of time that were throughout the ’90s into the early aughts, like Crossing Delancey and movies like that I loved as a kid. Richard LaGravenese made a great movie called Living Out Loud.”

Eleanor the Great is scheduled to be released in theatres on May 20, 2025.