Summary

• Thelma refuses to be a victim, sparking comedy & heartwarming relationships on a quest for justice.
• June Squibb shines in her role as Thelma, a badass grandma taking on scammers in her first-ever lead.
• Fred Hechinger discusses his character's dynamic with Thelma & his anxiety-filled relationship with his parents.

Thelma follows the titular Thelma Post, a 93-year-old grandmother who is tricked by someone pretending to be her grandson begging for help. When it is revealed to be a scam, Thelma is out thousands of dollars with no way to get it back. Determined not to be taken advantage of, she sets out to take back what was taken from her with the help of her friend, Ben, and her grandson, Danny.

Thelma's refusal to be helpless brings a spark to the screen with hilarious comedy, heartwarming relationships, and a determination to be taken seriously even when the world believes one shouldn't be. Inside Out 2) and is also Richard Rountree's final movie.

Screen Rant interviewed stars June Squibb and Fred Hechinger about their new movie. Hechinger discussed the relationship between his character, Danny, and his grandma Thelma as well as the complicated relationship Danny has with his parents. Squibb shared her excitement about this movie once she read the script and meeting the real Thelma who is Margolin's grandmother.

June Squibb Said Starring In Thelma Was "A No Brainer"

Thelma is one badass grandma who won't let anyone stand in her way as she searches for the people who ripped her off. Squibb explained why she knew she wanted to be a part of this movie and how quickly they were able to make it after she first read the script.

June Squibb: Well, I read the script and I knew I wanted to do it. The script was wonderful and I understood this woman. I knew where she was coming from, of the same age basically, and it was just a no brainer, really. I was going to do the film. We didn't know how soon we would be able to do it, but we did it about a year later, so that's quick.

Screen Rant: Fred, I love the character of Daniel and his relationship with his grandmother. Talk to me about their dynamic and how his understanding of his grandmother changes throughout the course of the film.

Fred Hechinger: Daniel and Thelma are best friends who just happen to be grandson and grandma. It's a coincidence of family luck that they're related, but even if they weren't, I feel that they would be best friends. I actually think their dynamic is one of the things that is most grounded and rooted in the whole thing.

Everything else kind of changes. I think his ability to be honest with himself and listen to people and accept care and confidence changes, but I think his love and comfort with Thelma actually is the one thing in the movie that is locked in the whole way through. I think that's the most unconscious part of it.

Fred, the dynamic with your parents, played by Parker Posey and Clark Gregg, is absolutely brilliant. Talk to me about their relationship in this film.

Fred Hechinger: I think it's this thing where love is, it comes from such a real and right place, but their form of expressing it a lot of the time is with such anxiety and clenching. It's like, I love you, but I don't want you to make any mistakes. If you make a mistake, then everything will be terrible and I love you so much. So you can't have that happen.

There's an intensity there that I think Daniel has to figure out how to be like, yYu know what? It's okay if I fall on my face. I'm going to take some steps and keep moving. What Thelma sees, I think, is a very trusting real way of being like, You'll be okay in the long run. Make mistakes and keep going rather than being so tightly wound that you're after just the exact perfection at all times.

Don't you find sometimes, the simplest things are the hardest to do? I just have to reply to this email, but for whatever reason. I can't. I keep distracting myself.

Thelma Stars Feel "Very Honored And Pleased" To Be Part Of Richard Roundtree's Last Film

Squibb reflects on working with Roundtree and how it is an honor to be a part of his last movie. Hechinger tells the story of how the entire cast and crew surprised Squibb for her birthday and Roundtree, who wasn't scheduled to work that day, made sure to come to set to celebrate with them all.

June Squibb: Well, Richard was very quiet. He was very much a gentleman and we talked about our kids. He has five and I have one son. He was a wonderful actor and he wanted very much to do this film. I think that he wanted to show a different side of himself that most people don't see him do on screen. Oh gosh, we all loved him and we feel very honored and pleased that we could have been there, that we were a part of his last film.

Fred Hechinger: It was June's birthday the second to last week of filming. Yeah, and Kelly, our friend and June's assistant, planned this whole, orchestrated a whole master plan to have everyone in white wigs so that June would turn around and would see a sea of wigs around her. Richard wasn't working that day, but he arrived in the morning anyways in his car with a bouquet of flowers.

June Squibb: Two dozen red roses for me.

Fred Hechinger: And a white wig on the top of his head. A true gentlemen.

June Squibb: He drove up and we all said, what are you doing here? He had this white wig on.

Josh's grandmother is the true inspiration for Thelma. Did you get a chance to meet her? Also, this is Josh's directorial debut, what did his directing style add to Thelma?

June Squibb: Well, he's a brilliant director. I always say to him, laughingly, I know you've got five or six films in a drawer somewhere because this can't be your first film. I mean, I think he was amazing, what he did. I've worked with a lot of first time [directors] and I've worked with a lot of people that have worked for years. I mean, he's a hell of a director. He really is. I have met Thelma and she's a wonderful wild lady. She's 103, she's got a great sense of humor, and she could talk to anyone. She really could. Her mind's great. She is sharp. I'm 94. She's going to be 104. She's sharper than I am. I swear.

Fred Hechinger: What'd you say when you first met her?

June Squibb: Oh, I walked in and they had me mic'd, they were shooting a TV thing and I said, I'm Thelma Post. She said, no, I'm Thelma Post. And then we laughed and giggled because we thought we were the funniest things in the world going through this. Josh just sat there grinning through the whole thing.

About Thelma

When 93-year-old Thelma Post gets duped by a phone scammer pretending to be her grandson, she sets out on a treacherous quest across the city to reclaim what was taken from her.

Thelma is scheduled to be released theatrically in the United States by Magnolia Pictures on June 21.

Source: Screen Rant Plus