Dubai Telegraph - Scarlett Johansson makes nerve-wracking debut as director

Actors behind the camera are something of a trend in Cannes this year, with "Twilight" star Kristen Stewart and British actor Harris Dickinson both unveiling their first features.

Johansson's film "Eleanor the Great" recounts the story of a grief-stricken elderly woman who moves to New York after the death of her best friend and will be screened on Tuesday evening.

One of Hollywood's most bankable stars missed the red carpet premiere of "The Phoenician Scheme" on Sunday evening, in which she has a cameo, but she won enthusiastic backing from director Anderson.

"I saw the movie, which I loved," Anderson said of Johansson's debut.

He added that he had not offered any tips to the actor who has appeared in three of his films, including "Isle of Dogs" and "Asteroid City".

"I don't think Scarlett even said anything to me (about her film)," the 56-year-old said. "Scarlett's been doing movies possibly longer than I have. She's about 20 years younger, but I think she was in a movie when she was around nine."

Nonetheless, the Oscar-nominated star of "Lost in Translation", 40, admitted to some nerves while bringing a script to life that made her cry when she first read it.

She spoke to Deadline magazine in the run-up to Cannes about how the spotlight on the director's seat is brighter than the one beamed on the actors when it comes to finally unveiling a movie.

"It's different. When you're acting in something, it's out of your hands," she said.

- In competition -

Cannes tends to draw sympathetic audiences, with film lovers and industry insiders enthusiastically giving films standing ovations that can last for minutes.

But the competition is fierce. And Johansson's movie is in the running for prizes in the "Certain Regard" secondary section for up-and-coming directors that also includes Stewart's and Dickinson's films this year.

Dickinson, the 28-year-old star of "Babygirl", asked the press to be "gentle" as he unveiled "Urchin", a touching film about a rough sleeper in London.

"It's my first film so if you don't like it, break it to me nicely," he said before the premiere.

Initial reviews have been positive.

Film bible Variety said that "you can learn a lot about an actor when they make their directorial debut. For better or worse, it reveals how they see themselves as an artist."

In Dickinson's case, his social-realist debut that has echoes of veteran British director Mike Leigh's work was "starkly effective", Variety said.

Hollywood has a long record of A-list male actors turning to directing from Oscar-winning Clint Eastwood to Mel Gibson and George Clooney.

Greta Gerwig, who broke through as an actress before hitting the directorial big time with 2023 hit "Barbie", is one of relatively few women actors to make the transition, however.

Australian screen great Nicole Kidman lamented on Sunday how the number of women directing major box office successes is still "incredibly low".

Speaking to Variety, Stewart was honest about her struggles to find financing for her film "The Chronology of Water", which is a searing examination of child sex abuse.

She said it was "near impossible" to raise money for a movie that was an original idea and not based on a proven genre or an existing franchise.

R.El-Zarouni--DT