June Squibb on Thelma, the story of an elderly victim to a phone scam

In his feature directorial debut, writer-director Josh Margolin tells the story of Thelma Post, a feisty nonagenarian grandmother who decides to fight back after she falls victim to a phone scam.

The eponymous Thelma sets out on a quest across LA to reclaim what was taken from her in a hilarious, thrilling and heartwarming story inspired by a real-life experience of Margolin’s own grandmother.

Like fellow action star Cruise, Squibb did many of her own stunts in the film, which marks the first leading role of her 70-year screen career.

“It was a joy to shoot. We had a good time, we really did,” smiles Squibb, whose first film role was in Woody Allen’s 1990 romantic comedy Alice.

“The script was wonderful. And that, to me, is half the battle…

That, to me, was the initial reason for going into the project. And then just having a good time.

“And this wonderful woman, I mean, she was just so determined. And I love that. I love her sense of justice, because that’s something I relate to very strongly.

“Everything must be right, everything must be as they’re supposed to be. And I love that about her, that she was fighting for this.”

The story of Thelma was inspired by Margolin’s now 103-year-old grandmother who, a few years ago, fell victim to a phone scam and almost sent thousands of dollars to, she believed, bail out her grandson from jail.

The writer-director says he wanted to explore a fight for autonomy in old age, and we watch as Thelma overhears conversations about whether she should be living in sheltered accommodation as she reckons with entering her twilight years, but in a way that “celebrates grit and tenacity” – “a twist on the classic ‘one last job’ flick”.

“As far as I’m concerned,” he jokes, “watching my grandma get on to a high mattress is as thrilling and terrifying as Tom Cruise driving a motorcycle off a cliff. Just in a very different way.

“My grandma, she’s been ‘old’ my whole life, I guess.

“And I think, in movies and TV older people are treated with a broader brush, or kind of pushed to the side, as if their stories aren’t as important or don’t have as much weight or meaning.

“I think it’s really meaningful for me, as someone who’s been close to older people in my life my whole life, to see their stories on screen.”

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It was also, Margolin adds, a chance to give older actors like Squibb and her co-star Richard Roundtree – appearing in his final film before his death in 2023 at the age of 81 – the opportunity to explore new roles and genres.

“I think sometimes actors give really special performances at that time in life, because there’s so much experience – there’s a lifetime to put into the performance itself,” Margolin says.

“We don’t always have opportunities to relish in that. And when we do, I think they can be really special.”

This is a sentiment which Squibb says resonates with her – “very much so”.

“Each time that I’m going to do something, I think: ‘I will learn something there, and I will become a better actor by doing this job’. And I think that’s true,” she says.

“And I think that’s what my career has been, my life has been, is just going from job to job, and each time I feel I’ve learned and I’ve gotten better. That’s what I want.”

Squibb spent much of her early career as a theatrical actress, working with the Cleveland Play House, and by the late 1950s was performing regularly at off-Broadway theatres in Manhattan, New York City.

After appearing in Alice aged 61, she went on to perform in notable films such as Scent of a Woman, The Age of Innocence and About Schmidt.

Later, she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in 2013 film Nebraska.

In the new film, Thelma has a close relationship with her grandson Danny, played by White Lotus star Fred Hechinger, and as in the real-life case with Margolin’s grandmother, it is this closeness that the phone scammers prey on.

Thelma gets a phone call seemingly from Danny saying he’s in jail and needs bail money, and his doting grandmother immediately sends the requested cash in the mail – only to discover shortly afterwards that Danny is absolutely fine, and she’s just lost a chunk of her savings.

As Danny and his parents, played by Parker Posey and Clark Gregg, debate whether Thelma should carry on living independently, she begins her mission to get back her cash with her elderly friend, played by Roundtree, and his motorised scooter – a caper full of infectious humour and thrilling action set pieces with its senior stars at the centre.

As hilarious and hair-raising as the film is, it’s also heartwarming to watch Thelma and Danny’s intergenerational friendship on screen – even more so considering how Squibb and Hechinger connected behind the scenes.

“Fred is heaven,” says Squibb, adding that she was “so comfortable with him”.

“We became friends right away, we just sort of understood each other. And that relationship then translated on to the screen, I think.

“What you see on the screen is Fred and I. It truly is.”

Thelma comes to UK cinemas on Friday this week.