June Squibb says she ‘never planned’ her career, now 94, she’s an action hero

June Squibb is on the road to success.

At 94 years old, the actor is currently starring in the new thriller “Thelma,” lending his voice to Nostalgia in Pixar’s “Inside Out 2,” and working on a new project with Scarlett Johansson.

“(It’s) her first feature film as a director,” Squibb tells TODAY.com in an interview.

A stage veteran, Squibb did not begin her career on screen until she was 60. Since then, she has played a number of high-profile roles, including Woody Allen’s romantic comedy “Alice,” the 2002 Jack Nicholson film “About Schmidt,” Adam Sandler’s “Hubie Halloween” and 2013’s “Nebraska,” for which she received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

“It just happened. I mean, I never planned my career. It’s always just happened, like life happens to me. And it’s exciting, it’s wonderful. I hope I can, you know, keep up with everything,” she says, laughing.

In her latest role, Squibb plays Thelma Post, a jealous grandmother determined to track down the criminals who defrauded her of $10,000 as part of a fake kidnapping plan.

While the jokes that follow are pure fiction, Thelma is based on the real life of screenwriter and director Josh Margolin’s grandmother.

The film focuses on Margolin’s close relationship with his 103-year-old grandmother, and he himself is a central character in the film, played by Fred Hechinger.

“We fell in love with Fred on ‘White Lotus,'” Margolin tells TODAY.com.

Although it was strange at first to see himself portrayed by Hechinger, he says it “very quickly became normal.”

“I felt a real soul connection with him as I watched him, spent time with him and became friends with him. He is who I imagined and hoped he would be,” explains Margolin.

Just as Margolin developed a bond with Hechinger, Squibb also felt a connection with her real-life counterpart, Thelma, whom she did not meet in person until after filming had finished.

“I went in and said, ‘I’m Thelma Post.’ And she said, ‘No, I am Thelma Post!’ And then we both giggled and laughed because we thought we were the funniest things that happened in the room,” Squibb recalls.

The two have stayed in touch ever since.

“(I) spent some time with her and we texted each other. She texted me that she was coming to New York… and I texted back, ‘We’re going to miss you.’ So it was a wonderfully short relationship that we had, but I think she’s the best. I’m just in love with her.”

Avoid stereotypes

When producing “Thelma,” it was important to Margolin to avoid common age stereotypes, such as the infantilization of older people or their portrayal as caricatures.

Instead, “Thelma” attempts to show empowerment while acknowledging the very real challenges that come with aging, as well as those that younger and middle-aged adults also face.

“I think tone was a tricky thing because it can easily get too broad and seem like we’re making fun of or putting people down, or it can come across as heavy-handed, sad or sentimental,” Margolin says.

“It was very important to us that we were full of energy and fun, but also authentic and sincere,” he adds.

When filming the action scenes for “Thelma,” Margolin says he wanted them to be funny but not condescending.

“Never laugh at someone, laugh with someone,” he says.

And as for Squibb, the “Nebraska” actress says she enjoyed turning the tables on the conventional portrayal of what it means to grow old.

“I loved the idea of ​​making fun of age. That’s very important to me. It’s like that in real life, so it’s like that on screen,” she explains. “And just having the opportunity to show people a woman like that, because she’s wonderful. The real Thelma is an amazing woman. She really is. And I just wanted that to be shown. I wanted the audience to see that and enjoy her.”

Maintain endurance

Being an action hero at 94 is hard work.

To maintain her strength, Squibb says she walks and does Pilates for at least an hour a week, as well as taking the occasional nap.

However, she doesn’t let her age slow her down.

“I think about it a lot, just because I stay connected with people and work. I think that’s part of why my mind is still active. And I do puzzles, I do Sudoku, I do crosswords, and I think that all helps,” says Squibb.

As for her next hopes, Squibb says she wouldn’t mind acting in a western. As a young girl, she spent every Saturday afternoon at the cinema watching westerns.

“I’ve been doing that my whole life,” she says. “That was my first introduction to the world of theater.”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com.