June Squibb Talks Hitting Hollywood’s A-List at 83 and Shooting Movies at 96
- 13 hours ago
- 7 min read
Oscar, Golden Globe and Tony award-nominated actress, June Squibb, began her career seven decades ago on the Broadway stage in Gypsy and continued working in the theatre until Woody Allen put her in his 1990 film, Alice, which led to other small roles in Scent of a Woman, The Age of Innocence, Meet Joe Black and About Schmidt. She continued working steadily in theatre, film and television without great fanfare. Then filmmaker Alexander Payne cast her as the world-weary, caustic midwestern wife of Bruce Dern in 2013’s Nebraska, for which she and the film were both nominated for an Academy Award.
In an industry where actresses have historically been dismissed in midlife, June Squibb’s film career took off at age 83 and hasn’t slowed down. In 2024, Squibb took the lead role in the action comedy, Thelma, followed by 2025’s Eleanor the Great where she was directed by Scarlett Johansson. She’ll soon appear in the fourth and final season of the Showtime and Paramount + cult series, Yellowjackets.
During my conversation with June Squibb, we talk about her decades-long career in the theatre and on the small and big screens, hitting Hollywood’s A-List at 83, doing back-to-back films at 96, her secret to longevity, her journey converting to the Jewish faith and the underground campaign to get her to host SNL.
Allison Kugel: Tell me about a major event that changed the trajectory of your life?
June Squibb: This sounds silly, but I quit kindergarten. My parents sent me to kindergarten, and I was, what, four or five. When I came home, they said, ‘How did you like it?’ I said I didn’t like it, because all you did was eat cookies and take naps. I thought it was all pretty silly, so I said I didn’t want to go back. And thinking this would end things, they said, ‘You’ll have to tell them yourself. We’re not going to tell them you’re not coming back.’ We didn’t have a phone at the time, but my grandmother who lived next door did have one. When I went over there to her house, I guess she helped me find the number. We called up the kindergarten and I said, ‘This is June Squibb and I’m not coming back.’ And I never had to go back to kindergarten (laughs). Back then, you didn’t have to go to kindergarten. You only had to start in the first grade. It made me feel I could make my own decisions. I could decide that I’m not going to do something, and not do it.
Allison Kugel: Hollywood has been notoriously agist, especially towards women, and yet here you are at 96 and working nonstop. Go figure!
June Squibb: I actually think it’s changing. I think it has changed; the whole idea of film[making]. We have leading ladies now in their fifties and sixties, and that never happened before. I’m amazed that I just shot two films [playing] a ninety-year-old, that were written for a ninety-year-old [actress]. I think the whole country is much more interested in aging than ever before, and I think the film industry is using that. They see that, and so they are giving people what they want to see.
Allison Kugel: How did getting nominated for an Academy Award for your role in the 2013 film, Nebraska, impact your career?
June Squibb: I knew [Nebraska] was important when we were shooting it, and then having it recognized the way it was. And then once you get a nomination for the Academy Award, you never audition again. It’s strictly people asking you to do things. And this did not happen to me before that. And then after that, that’s how you spend the rest of your career.
Allison Kugel: Let’s talk about one of my favorite films you were in, 2025’s Eleanor The Great. I’ve heard conflicting stories about how it got made. Did Scarlett Johansson bring you in, or did you bring her into the project?
June Squibb: Neither. I was given the script about three years before we filmed it. There was another director involved with it and we talked, and I had said I would do the film. Then we found out that the director was changing. They said, ‘We still want you to do the film, but we don’t know who’s directing it. Later they contacted my agent and I and said that Scarlett Johansson is interested, they’re sending her the script, and would I write a note to her. So, I did. I said, ‘I like the script a lot and I’m eager to do it, and I hope you will enjoy it to.’ It was very simple; I didn’t push anything. She loved the script from the beginning, and she said she would do it. She and I had a Zoom, and we’ve talked about this since… I think we both breathed a sigh of relief afterwards, because I liked her a lot and she liked me a lot. So, it was like, ‘Wow, let’s do this!’”
Allison Kugel: What’s the secret to a long life, the Squibb-y secret (laughs)?:
June Squibb: I’ve always looked at life as, ‘What’s coming and what’s happening?’ and not back[wards]. I think that has a lot to do with it, because I still do that. I still think, ‘What’s going to happen tomorrow?’ And when I started in the theatre, especially in New York, you didn’t know from one day to the next what’s happening, and I thrived. It never bothered me. And I think that’s a part of it. I always, even as a kid, looked forward. Looking back is wonderful and memories are wonderful, but when you’re living your life, I think you have to keep thinking, ‘What new [thing] is going to happen.’”
Allison Kugel: And how have you navigated some of the challenges and ups and downs of living a long life?
June Squibb: I’m still active, still working. I have two films coming up. I think you have to realize that there are going to be things happening, especially in your body, that you have to deal with. I use a cane. I don’t use it all the time, but I use it a lot, especially outside. A lot of it is because I was a dancer. My body was beaten up. I have two knees that are not real, and it’s what your body is saying to you as you get older. I think that’s hard for some people. Maybe it isn’t for me, because I was a dancer, and I beat my body up so much. You have to learn to live with it all, and you move and change. With each thing that happens, you deal with it.
Allison Kugel: Tell me about your journey converting to Judaism in your twenties.
June Squibb: There was a reform temple near the Cleveland Playhouse. I went there, and there was a young Rabbi and he said, ‘Sure. Come in every day.’ I did it for 5 or 6 weeks, quite a long period of time. We used to laugh because we got to know each other so well, and we would start talking about other things that were of interest to either me or him, and he would say, ‘June, we’ve got to get back to Judaism (laughs)’. But we covered everything, and I certainly knew more than my husband-to-be did at that time. I really felt wonderfully full, from it.
Allison Kugel: And what was your religious faith of origin?
June Squibb: [I was raised] Methodist. Neither my husband-to-be, nor his family, ever said a word to me about [converting]. Nobody was influencing me. I made the decision on my own to do this, and it was something I wanted to do. It was a joyful thing. [My Rabbi] kept saying to me, ‘All the laws came into being because of a very real need.’ And he talked about the food laws. He told me the reason for a lot of them was because of how food was kept years and years ago. He said there’s a real reason for it. It’s not just somebody’s idea that this should happen. That made such sense to me, that these [laws] were all coming about because people needed them to live well and not to hurt themselves; and not to be ill. This made such sense to me.”
Allison Kugel: Has your Jewish identity ever been called into question, or have you ever called it into question, as someone who converted?
June Squibb: I don’t think anyone has ever called me out on the fact that I converted; it’s been accepted, completely. I sometimes question myself. I think, should I be more like, ‘Whatever [Israel] does is fine?’ Or should I question them? Then I come out saying, ‘Well, you have to question, no matter what answer you come up with.’ That’s a part of who we are, I think. Does this have to happen? Are there answers for it? Is there another way this can be done? And then the lives would be spared.’”
Allison Kugel: You’ve joined the cast of the Showtime and Paramount+ series Yellowjackets for the show’s fourth and final season. What can you share?
June Squibb: I’m done filming it and I think they are almost done finishing up [filming] on the fourth season. I finished [filming] my part about a month ago. I’m in six episodes and they are shooting eight. I didn’t shoot the first one and I didn’t shoot the eighth one. I did the six [episodes] in between. They won’t print or let [my storyline] out. I think they want to keep it a secret. I think the series is kind of wonderful, and it’s really got a following. I’m amazed at the people who come up to me and say, ‘I read that you were doing Yellowjackets. Yay! We can’t wait!’ It’s amazing, the audience it has. It’s almost like a cult TV show.
Allison Kugel: Will fans of the show be satisfied with the final season?
June Squibb: Oh yes, I think [they] will be. I think they’ll get answers, and they’ll see more of the same (laughs). I’m not saying people are eating each other, but there are some harsh things that happen.
Allison Kugel: And lastly, would you ever consider hosting SNL:
June Squibb: Oh, I think you’ll have to ask Colin [Jost] and Scarlett [Johansson] that one (laughs)! She’s talked about she and I doing it together, but you know, who knows because she’s working all the time.
Allison Kugel: Betty White did it, and it was a big hit!
June Squibb: People do keep saying that to me, and they mention the fact that Betty White did it.