Scarlett Johansson Attends Rare New York Screening of Eleanor the Great With Colin Jost

Scarlett Johansson made a rare public appearance with her husband Colin Jost at a New York screening of her directorial debut, Eleanor the Great, on Wednesday. The actress, who turned 40 this year, walked hand-in-hand with Jost, 43, as photographers captured the pair arriving at The Cinema Society for a private screening ahead of the film’s wider press cycle.

Johansson cut a chic figure in a white blazer with dramatic shoulder pads and matching wide-leg trousers, paired with a lace bodysuit and heels. She was joined on the red carpet by a slate of collaborators and friends, including June Squibb, Erin Kellyman, Jessica Hecht and Will Price. Squibb, 95, wore a colorful floral kimono over a satin camisole and trousers, while Kellyman, who stars as Nina in the drama, posed alongside the duo. Sami Steigmann, a Holocaust survivor who appears in the film, smiled for photos as well. The ensemble underscored the film’s themes and the project’s intimate, character-driven focus.

Eleanor the Great centers on Eleanor Morgenstein, a woman in her mid-90s who moves from Florida back to New York after the death of her best friend, a Holocaust survivor. When Eleanor mistakenly attends a gathering at a local Jewish Community Center for Holocaust survivors, she chooses not to reveal the mix-up and instead adopts her late friend’s story of surviving the Holocaust. That decision sets off a snowballing sequence of lies and misunderstandings that propel the drama through a series of morally fraught choices. Johansson directed the project from behind the camera rather than appearing in front of it, a deliberate choice for her directorial debut.

Since its May premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, Eleanor the Great has drawn a mixed reception from critics. Rotten Tomatoes’ aggregator shows a 64 percent score from critics, reflecting a divided response to the film’s tonal ambitions and narrative choices. The Cannes reception, which included a five-minute standing ovation, highlighted the project as a notable entry for Johansson behind the lens, even as critics have debated its storytelling approach and character focus.

The cast also includes Jessica Hecht and Will Price in supporting roles, with Erin Kellyman portraying the lead’s confidante within the story. The ensemble presence at the New York screening underscored the film’s emphasis on intimate, character-driven drama rather than a wide-scale Hollywood production. The film’s narrative premise—centering on memory, deception and the search for meaning in later life—aligns with Johansson’s stated aim of exploring morally complex territory through a private, observational lens.

The screening and reception in New York arrived amid ongoing chatter about Johansson’s broader career, including questions around Colin Jost’s role at Saturday Night Live. In a recent Entertainment Weekly interview, Johansson indicated that Jost is going back to work after a round of cast changes at SNL. Entertainment Weekly reported that Jost will return to the show, while other cast updates indicated that four of his costars—Heidi Gardner, Michael Longfellow, Devon Walker and Emil Wakim—will not be returning for season 51. Michael Che is also set to return as co-anchor of Weekend Update.

Johansson has kept a visible relationship with SNL in recent years, dropping by the show for memorable, sardonic moments with Che and Jost as part of its season-end celebrations. While she could not say whether she would participate in any upcoming SNL moment in the new season, her occasional cameos have become a familiar rhythm of cross-pollination between Johansson’s film projects and the late-night program. The actor-turned-director’s comments reflect a broader pattern of collaboration across projects, even as the show undergoes a period of transition.

The conversation around Eleanor the Great also touched on the possibility of June Squibb hosting SNL, with Squibb telling EW that she would be game to step onto the famous stage if given the chance. Squibb noted her past experience hosting a cabaret show in New York and suggested she would be an engaging guest, potentially making history as the oldest host if invited, given her long career and recent acclaim for her performance in the film.

As Eleanor the Great continues through festival cycles and into wider release, Johansson’s dual role as director and public figure remains a focal point for industry watchers. The film’s reception—coupled with the conversation about SNL and the actors involved—illustrates the ongoing interplay between a filmmaker’s artistic ambitions and the broader entertainment ecosystem that surrounds them. The New York screening offered a glimpse into a project that seeks to probe late-life memory and moral ambiguity through a discreet, intimate lens, while keeping Johansson’s evolving career at the center of conversations about contemporary culture and entertainment.