Be open to new possibilities, Defy aging stereotypes, Keep your body and mind active, Be friends with people of all ages, Enjoy the confidence of being older

June Squibb is feeling the love at the Cannes Film Festival in France.

The 95-year-old actor received a six-minute standing ovation on Tuesday, May 20, after the world premiere of the film “Eleanor the Great.” Squibb plays the titular role of a woman coping with the death of her best friend and moving from Florida back to New York.

The movie is also the directorial debut of Scarlett Johansson, who called Squibb “amazing” and “legendary” in an interview with TODAY in 2024.

In a room full of stars at the festival, Squibb was the center of attention, The Daily Beast noted, describing her as "the biggest deal at Cannes."

June Squibb and Scarlett Johansson appear on the red carpet at the 78th annual Cannes Film Festival on May 20, 2025, in Cannes, France. (Lionel Hahn / Getty Images)

Squibb is a stage veteran who made her film debut in 1990 at 61. In 2014, she was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in “Nebraska,” a movie that brought her to the Cannes red carpet for the first time and also garnered a standing ovation.

Nearing 100, she has a busy acting schedule, including starring in last year’s hit film “Thelma,” and voicing Nostalgia in “Inside Out 2.”

“Whenever I’m asked what genre I would like to do next, I say a Western, because I’ve never done one,” she told Oscars.org.

“People are really interested in aging now that we’ve got an aging population,” she told the publication.

“I think people understand 90-year-olds. We just have so many more. I have friends that are 100! People want to see aging. They want to know: What do I have to expect?”

Be open to new possibilities

“I’ve never planned my career. It’s always just happened as life happens with me. And it’s exciting, it’s wonderful. I hope I can, you know, keep up with all,” she said.

Squibb had a great time doing her own stunts in “Thelma,” including riding an electric scooter. Her portrayal of a grandmother determined to track down the criminals who scam her out of $10,000 earned her comparisons to an action hero.

Squibb had fun doing her own stunts in "Thelma." (Magnolia Pictures & Magnet Releasing via YouTube )

Defy aging stereotypes

Squibb enjoys playing roles that challenge conventional portrayals of growing older.

“I loved the thumbing your nose at age. That to me is very important. It is in real life, so it is onscreen as well,” she noted.

“Everything should be forgotten, I think, except: Go out and have a good time! Live the life you want to live. To hell with how old you are,” she said.

Keep your body and mind active

Squibb’s exercise routine includes walking and doing Pilates at least one hour a week. For years, she also danced and swam an hour a day, she told Yahoo.

She keeps her mind engaged by being social and challenging her brain.

“I think a lot of it, just keeping involved with people and work. I think that is a part of why my mind is still going. And I do puzzling, I do sudoku, I do crossword, and I think all of that helps,” Squibb said.

Be friends with people of all ages

“I have people that I can rely on, I can call and ask whatever I want of them,” Squibb told Yahoo.

That includes friends who are decades younger — “I do learn a lot talking to (younger people) that I probably wouldn’t be aware of if it weren’t for those relationships,” she added.