“Thelma” star June Squibb scared the crew to death with an unexpected stunt

Thelma star June Squibb revealed the unexpected stunt she performed that “scared the hell out of” her fellow cast and crew.

Squibb plays the titular Thelma in the action comedy, which follows a grandmother determined to hunt down a telephone scammer who swindled her out of $10,000.

The 94-year-old performed her stunts herself and often used a scooter.

In one scene, Thelma clashes with her classmate Ben, played by Wave! star Richard Roundtree – while riding her scooter. Rather than follow instructions, play it safe and have a stuntman take over, Squibb decided to take matters into her own hands.

“They told me not to try to hit Richard,” said Squibb Newsweek. “They were scared to death and (told me) they just went and stopped and they took care of it. You know, sent in a stuntwoman.

“I just said to myself, ‘Oh, what the heck, I’m going to hit him.’ I ran into him and it was filmed,” the Oscar nominee continued. “And then I sped away on my scooter and thought, ‘Well, I did that.'”

This moment was included in the film, but how did Roundtree feel about the surprise hit-and-run accident?

“Richard looked at me as if to say, ‘What are you doing?’ He didn’t know I was going to do that. I didn’t tell him,” Squibb said. “He was being filmed, so he reacted.”

Together with Squibb and Roundtree Thelma also stars The stairs Actress Parker Posey as her daughter Gail, Marvel alumnus Clark Gregg as her son-in-law Alan and white lotus Star Fred Hechinger as her grandson Danny.

Squibb’s stage career began in 1951, when the actress appeared in several Broadway shows. She landed the lead role in the original production of Gypsy: A Musical Fable, and roles in musicals The happy time And Lend an ear.

She made her film debut with a small role in Woody Allen’s 1990 romantic comedy. Alice. In 2013, she received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the Academy Awards for her role in the comedy drama Nebraska. However, Thelma is Squibb’s first appearance as a leading actress on the screen.

When asked if she is making the most of her long-overdue moment in the spotlight, Squibb joked, “I don’t know what I’m doing.

“I’m sitting here today talking about the movie and everyone seems to want to know what I think about the movie, so that’s great. So yeah, that’s it. I’m taking advantage of that.”

Watch “Thelma” in US theaters starting Friday, June 21, 2024.