Eleanor the Great: Full list of cast and characters explored

Scarlett Johansson's directorial debut, Eleanor the Great, is set for a limited theatrical release on Friday, September 26, 2025. The film features the celebrated veteran actress June Squibb in the titular role of Eleanor Morgenstein. The cast also includes Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jessica Hecht, Erin Kellyman, and Rita Zohar.

The plot follows Eleanor Morgenstein, a witty and headstrong 94-year-old woman, who is left reeling after the death of her beloved best friend, Bessie (Rita Zohar). Grieving and alone, Eleanor decides to move from Florida to New York City to live with her estranged daughter and grandson. Feeling isolated and seeking connection, she mistakenly joins a Holocaust survivors' support group.

In a moment of weakness, Eleanor tells her friend Bessie's powerful story as if it were her own, attracting the attention of a young journalism student, Nina (Erin Kellyman), who is struggling with her own grief. Although the two develop an unforeseen bond, Eleanor gets wrapped in her own web as her fictional story gains popularity. She eventually has to confront the lies she spoke to find a connection.

Who plays the main character in Eleanor the Great?

June Squibb at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival (Image via Getty)

The main character, Eleanor Morgenstein, is played by the American actress June Squibb in Eleanor the Great. Eleanor is an intelligent and independent 94-year-old woman dealing with profound loneliness after the death of her best friend. In a moment of desperation for connection, she moves to New York and fabricates a personal history of surviving the Holocaust to find acceptance in a support group.

June Squibb is a veteran actress with a distinguished career spanning decades on stage and screen. She is widely popular for her performance in the 2013 film Nebraska, for which she earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She recently took on her first-ever leading role, starring in the 2024 action-comedy film Thelma.

Supporting cast of Eleanor the Great

Listed below are all the supporting cast and characters in Eleanor the Great:

• Erin Kellyman as Nina
• Chiwetel Ejiofor as Roger
• Jessica Hecht as Lisa
• Rita Zohar as Bessie
• Will Price as Max
• Lauren Klein as Vera
• Stephen Singer as Rabbi Cohen
• Beth Goodrich as Broadway Class Singer
• Elaine Bromka as April
• Raymond Anthony Thomas as Professor Thompson
• Tristan Murphy as Charlie
• Cole Ragsdale as Deli Clerk
• Stephen C. Bradbury as Ivan
• TJ Lee as Nurse
• Barbara Andres as Clarice
• Sami Steigmann as Sami/Holocaust Survivor
• Mila Falkof as Rebecca/Bat Mitzvah Girl
• Marcha Kia as Waitress
• Brian Bigalke as Host
• Greg Kaston as Peter
• Lia Lando as Female Anchor
• Jonté Jaurel Culpepper as Aide
• Vince Edgehill as Doorman
• Simoii as Hailey
• Michael Everett Johnson as Cab Driver
• Jenna Kray as Jordan
• Vanessa Johansson as Waterfront Couple
• Andrew Gardener
• Waterfront Couple
• Joseph Berger as Holocaust Survivor
• Susan Kalev as Holocaust Survivor
• Eva Cooper as Holocaust Survivor
• Alfred Schoenfeld as Holocaust Survivor
• Joseph Gosler as Holocaust Survivor
• Alexandra Dobrosmyslov as Bat Mitzvah Kid
• Alexandra Smith as Bat Mitzvah Kid
• Angel Walton as Bat Mitzvah Kid
• Bowe Schlansker as Bat Mitzvah Kid
• Ethan Fisher as Bat Mitzvah Kid
• Gwen Margaret as Bat Mitzvah Kid
• Jackson Lia as Bat Mitzvah Kid
• Liat Mandelker as Bat Mitzvah Kid
• Marshall Miller as Bat Mitzvah Kid
• McKenzie Bouhadie as Bat Mitzvah Kid
• Natan Lia as Bat Mitzvah Kid
• Olivia Schneider as Bat Mitzvah Kid
• Ryan Bostedo as Bat Mitzvah Kid
• Zacari Q. Harley as Bat Mitzvah Kid

Eleanor the Great will be released on September 26, 2025. Stay tuned for more updates.

Edited by Suchita Patnaha