Credits: Xvala2 / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scarlett Johansson has reached a new milestone. At Cannes, she no longer comes to promote a role but her own film. Thus, at 40, the American star presented Eleanor the Great, her first feature film as a director. It is an intimate drama, screened in the Un Certain Regard section of the Festival.
June Squibb plays Eleanor Morgenstein, a 94-year-old widow forced to reinvent her life. The film explores the loneliness of old age, but also the sweetness of new friendships. However, beyond the script, it is Johansson’s transition that draws attention.
An Actress Turned Filmmaker With Humility
Known for her roles in Lost in Translation and Marriage Story, Scarlett Johansson has always tried to avoid the label of mere star. Since her beginnings in The Horse Whisperer, she has alternated between mainstream successes and bold choices. Moreover, her move behind the camera reflects a desire for artistic independence.
Eleanor the Great carries a rare feminine imprint in Hollywood. The intimate storytelling, attention to detail, and direction of actors demonstrate an evident sincerity. This project marks a deliberate break from big productions.
On The Red Carpet, A Supportive Couple
On the Croisette, Johansson was not alone. She climbed the steps with Colin Jost, her husband since 2020. The Saturday Night Live comedian shares with her a discreet but solid relationship. At one point, she nearly tripped on her pastel dress. For that reason, she went back. She went back to take her husband’s hand and pose with him.
The couple are raising their son Cosmo, born in 2021. Johansson is also the mother of Rose, from her previous marriage to French journalist Romain Dauriac. In Cannes, she projected a calm, smiling image, far from the clichés of isolated celebrity.
A Personal Stand Against Artificial Intelligence
Johansson recently drew attention for a very different issue. In May 2024, OpenAI launched a voice assistant whose voice oddly resembled that of the actress. Yet, she had refused to collaborate twice. According to her, Sam Altman asked her to reassure AI users. She said no.
The controversy highlighted her refusal to be captured without consent. This gesture echoes her constant vigilance against the excesses of fame. Moreover, it restores weight to a voice that Hollywood had sometimes frozen into glamorous roles.
A Loyal Muse Of Wes Anderson
Alongside her directing debut, Scarlett Johansson remains in the cast of The Phoenician Scheme, the latest Wes Anderson. She plays an eccentric cousin in a 1940s aesthetic. The film, in the official competition, once again illustrates the chemistry between the star and the filmmaker.
Since Asteroid City, Anderson has regarded her as one of his muses. Together, they explore stylized, poetic cinema, counter to Hollywood standards. This dual role — actor and director — embodies the fragile balance between exposure and freedom.
A Singular Voice In The Hollywood Landscape
At Cannes, Scarlett Johansson didn’t just show a film. She asserted a trajectory. That of a child star who became a free woman. That of an actress who refuses to become a product. And that of a filmmaker who dares to speak about aging and love off the beaten path.
Her future behind the camera looks promising. And if Eleanor the Great is only a beginning, the Festival de Cannes will have witnessed the birth of a director whose voice matters, in every sense of the word.