June Squibb is feeling the love at the Cannes Film Festival in France.
The 95-year-old actor received a six-minute standing ovation on Tuesday, May 20, after the world premiere of the film “Eleanor the Great.” Squibb plays the titular role of a woman coping with the death of her best friend and moving from Florida back to New York.
The movie is also the directorial debut of Scarlett Johansson, who called Squibb “amazing” and “legendary” in an interview with TODAY in 2024.
In a room full of stars at the festival, Squibb was the center of attention, The Daily Beast noted, describing her as “the biggest deal at Cannes.”
Squibb is a stage veteran who made her film debut in 1990 at 61. In 2014, she was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in “Nebraska,” a movie that brought her to the Cannes red carpet for the first time and also garnered a standing ovation.
Nearing 100, she has a busy acting schedule, including starring in last year’s hit film “Thelma,” and voicing Nostalgia in “Inside Out 2.”
“Whenever I’m asked what genre I would like to do next, I say a Western, because I’ve never done one,” she told Oscars.org.
Squibb has been “inundated” with scripts as Hollywood embraces stories about older adults, The Hollywood Reporter noted.
“People are really interested in aging now that we’ve got an aging population,” she told the publication.
“I think people understand 90-year-olds. We just have so many more. I have friends that are 100! People want to see aging. They want to know: What do I have to expect?”
Here’s what Squibb previously told TODAY.com and other outlets about her tips for healthy aging:
Be open to new possibilities
“I’ve never planned my career. It’s always just happened as life happens with me. And it’s exciting, it’s wonderful. I hope I can, you know, keep up with all,” she said.
Squibb had a great time doing her own stunts in “Thelma,” including riding an electric scooter. Her portrayal of a grandmother determined to track down the criminals who scam her out of $10,000 earned her comparisons to an action hero.
Defy aging stereotypes
Squibb enjoys playing roles that challenge conventional portrayals of growing older.
“I loved the thumbing your nose at age. That to me is very important. It is in real life, so it is onscreen as well,” she noted.
There are no rules about aging — people can make their own, she told Prevention.
“Everything should be forgotten, I think, except: Go out and have a good time! Live the life you want to live. To hell with how old you are,” she said.
Keep your body and mind active
Squibb’s exercise routine includes walking and doing Pilates at least one hour a week. For years, she also danced and swam an hour a day, she told Yahoo.
She keeps her mind engaged by being social and challenging her brain.
“I think a lot of it, just keeping involved with people and work. I think that is a part of why my mind is still going. And I do puzzling, I do sudoku, I do crossword, and I think all of that helps,” Squibb said.
Be friends with people of all ages
“I have people that I can rely on, I can call and ask whatever I want of them,” Squibb told Yahoo.
That includes friends who are decades younger — “I do learn a lot talking to (younger people) that I probably wouldn’t be aware of if it weren’t for those relationships,” she added.
Enjoy the confidence of being older
“I really care little what anybody thinks anymore,” Squibb told PBS.
“So, I have that sort of security within me that what I’m thinking — what my wishes are and what my wants are, are enough.”
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