I Don't Even Have Words

Summary

Chiwetel Ejiofor and Erin Kellyman chat to Steve Weintraub ahead of Eleanor the Great.
The pair discuss the detailed journeys each of their characters goes on throughout the film.
Working with June Squibb was inspirational to both Ejiofor and Kellyman.

The long-awaited directorial debut of many people’s favorite MCU alum, Scarlett Johansson, officially took place at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. After years as one of the most exciting stars on the big screen and as one of the highest-grossing actors of all time, Johansson’s move behind the camera was always going to create a stir. Thankfully, the reaction to this change has been warm from those lucky enough to have already seen Eleanor the Great.

The Academy Award-nominated June Squibb stars in Eleanor the Great as 94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein, who moves far away from home and in with her daughter (Jessica Hecht) in New York. There, she strikes up an unlikely friendship with 19-year-old journalism student Nina (Erin Kellyman), following the retelling of an improbable tale. Written by Tory Kamen, Eleanor the Great also stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, who says he found himself “getting lost” in Eleanor’s story, thanks to an impressive lead performance from Squibb.

Ahead of the movie’s September 26 U.S. theatrical release, Collider’s Steve Weintraub sat with stars Ejiofor and Kellyman to discuss Eleanor the Great. The pair chat about the emotional reaction of audiences and how that impacts their own experience, the journey of each other’s characters throughout the movie, and Ejiofor discusses how an actor’s process changes once they have become a director.

And as we move closer to the theatrical debut of Nia DaCosta‘s 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, Kellyman teases the upcoming sequel, calling it “thrilling, horrific, brilliant.” She goes on to say:

“What I will say is I did ADR for it, and that was the first time that I had been in ADR, and my jaw was on the floor. I was completely silenced by one scene, which is crazy because I was there, obviously, filming it, but seeing it all put together was, I don’t even have visual words, honestly. It’s thrilling, horrific, brilliant. Nia DaCosta was incredible to work with. People need to buckle in for this one. It’s going to be a bit mad.”

You can watch the conversation in the video above, indexed below.

00:10 – What it’s been like experiencing this movie with audiences — “It was just so much more impactful.”
02:13 – How do the pair’s characters change throughout the movie?
03:55 – How has Ejiofor changed as an actor as a result of becoming a director?
05:16 – Kellyman teases 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple — “I was completely silenced by what I’d seen.”
06:21 – How inspiring it was to work with June Squibb. — “She could do anything.”

Eleanor the Great hits theaters on September 26, 2025.

Release Date: September 26, 2025
Runtime: 98 minutes
Writers: Tory Kamen
Producers: Celine Rattray, Charlotte Dauphin, Jessamine Burgum, Jonathan Lia, Kara Durrett, Keenan Flynn, Scarlett Johansson, Trudie Styler