Shocking Revelation
Scarlett Johansson: Financier Pulled Funding Last Minute Over Holocaust Plot in 'Eleanor the Great' Movie
Scarlett Johansson reveals a key financier abandoned her directorial debut, Eleanor the Great, after she refused to alter its Holocaust-centered story, forcing a last-minute scramble for funding just weeks before filming began.
n a recent interview, acclaimed actress and now-director Scarlett Johansson disclosed that a key financier withdrew support from her debut film, Eleanor the Great, after she refused to alter its central Holocaust-related storyline.
The revelation comes amid the film's successful rollout, including a world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year and its current theatrical release.
Johansson, who is Jewish and has spoken about losing family members in the Holocaust, described the incident as "shocking."
According to the director, the unnamed backer suggested changing the plot so that the protagonist, a 90-year-old widow played by Oscar nominee June Squibb, gets caught in a lie about "something other than the Holocaust," but offered no alternatives.
The story follows Eleanor as she navigates grief by inadvertently joining a Holocaust survivors' support group and adopting her late friend's experiences as her own, leading to themes of identity, deception, and intergenerational connection.
The pullout occurred just weeks before principal photography was set to begin, jeopardizing a significant portion of the film's $9 million budget.
Johansson stood firm, emphasizing the storyline's personal urgency amid rising antisemitism and the dwindling number of living Holocaust survivors, estimated at around 245,000 worldwide.
"This is a story that needs to be told now," she reportedly said, highlighting how the film incorporates real survivors in supporting roles to preserve authentic narratives.
Ultimately, Sony Pictures Classics stepped in to provide the necessary funding and distribution, allowing the project to move forward.
The film, which also stars Chiwetel Ejiofor and Jessica Hecht, has been well-received, earning a spot in Cannes' Un Certain Regard selection and closing the Women and the World Film Festival in London last month.
It is now playing in theaters, marking a milestone in Johansson's career transition behind the camera.
Johansson, fresh off this directorial success, is already lined up for her next acting role in a new Exorcist film from Blumhouse.