June Squibb "Nebraska"

Oscar-nominated actor June Squibb joins Steve Kmetko on Still Here Hollywood for a funny, honest, and deeply inspiring conversation about longevity, craft, and what it really means to keep working at the highest level in your 90s.

June looks back on her early days in theater, including working with the legendary Ethel Merman in Gypsy, learning Broadway discipline, and why she always knew, even as a child, that acting was not just something she wanted to do, it was who she was. She also talks about Law & Order, Nebraska, Thelma, Marjorie Prime, Yellowjackets, and what it feels like to still be headlining films when most people have long stepped away from the spotlight.

The conversation also explores aging in Hollywood, how Scarlett Johansson directed her in Eleanor the Great, what made Jack Nicholson such a generous scene partner, why realism matters so much in her work, and how Nebraska changed the way the industry saw her. June also shares her thoughts on inspiration, criticism, ambition, and the simple wisdom she would send back to her 35-year-old self.

If you love great actors, great stories, and proof that a second act can turn into seven acts, this episode is for you.

Support the show and get early access and extras at patreon.com/stillherehollywood

00:01 Intro: June Squibb and a breakout decades in the making

00:37 Why some people still call her Miss Squibb

01:06 Working with Ethel Merman in Gypsy

02:57 Learning to bump and grind on stage

03:37 Knowing she was an actor from the very beginning

04:18 If she had done anything else, it might have been forensics

04:46 Law & Order memories and Jerry Orbach

05:28 Broadway discipline and arriving early to the theater

06:20 Her backstage ritual before curtain

07:17 How June prepares for a role

08:04 Seven decades of acting, and still going strong

08:29 What she looks for in a script now

09:18 Aging in Hollywood and what audiences want to see

10:32 Why older stories matter more than ever

10:53 What has not changed in Hollywood

11:45 How age changes the roles she gets

12:37 Scarlett Johansson, Eleanor the Great, and using the cane

13:19 Working with Scarlett as a director

14:19 Oscar night for Nebraska and sharing it with her son

16:22 Patreon break

17:20 Nebraska cemetery scene and that unforgettable moment

18:16 Why she never thought “why did this take so long?”

18:57 How Nebraska changed the way she saw herself

20:00 Thelma, action comedy, and strength at any age

21:11 The best thing about her life right now

21:48 What roles she still wants to play

22:51 What quality makes people want to work with her

23:56 What performance of hers she recommends people watch

24:49 In & Out, comedy, and Frank Oz

25:19 Working with Woody Allen on Alice

26:15 Can you separate art from artist?

27:25 Who made a big impression on her, Jack Nicholson

28:20 Fame, recognition, and being known for the work

28:31 Marrying her acting teacher

29:07 What makes a director great for actors

30:17 Was she ever typecast? Yes, as a bimbo

31:17 Roles that felt too familiar

31:47 Supporting player vs leading lady

32:26 Seeing her younger self on screen

32:48 How old she feels now, 35

33:16 Does she watch her own performances?

33:44 The one truth that shaped her whole life

34:09 Her secret to looking good and feeling healthy

35:13 Being called inspiring, and that word “icon”

36:09 A June Squibb documentary may be coming

36:44 What she hopes people say about her work

36:59 Still hoping to work with Robert De Niro

37:30 At 96, does she think about mortality?

38:05 What she would tell her 35-year-old self

39:17 Closing thoughts and wrap-up

Show Credits

Host/Producer: Steve Kmetko

All things technical: Justin Zangerle

Executive Producer: Jim Lichtenstein

Music by: Brian Sanyshyn

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