Is “Eleanor the Great” a True Story? What to Know About the Real-Life Grandma Who Loosely Inspired the Film
- - Is “Eleanor the Great” a True Story? What to Know About the Real-Life Grandma Who Loosely Inspired the Film
Christopher RudolphJanuary 27, 2026 at 7:45 AM
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June Squibb in 'Eleanor the Great'
Jojo Whilden/Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
Eleanor the Great was released in September 2025 and added to Netflix in January 2026
Scarlett Johansson directed the comedy-drama starring June Squibb
The character Eleanor was inspired by the grandmother of the movie's screenwriter
Eleanor the Great is about a lie that spirals out of control, but there is some truth in the movie's lead character, who was inspired by a real person.
Scarlett Johansson's feature film directorial debut premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and was released in theaters in September 2025.
The drama, starring June Squibb as the titular Eleanor, was added to Netflix on Jan. 24, and has since become a top 10 hit on the streaming platform.
The events of the movie are put into motion after Eleanor tells a series of lies, but the film has some truth to it, with the titular character inspired by a real woman named Elinore.
So, is Eleanor the Great based on a true story? Here's everything to know about the inspiration behind it.
What is Eleanor the Great about?
June Squibb and Erin Kellyman in 'Eleanor the Great'
Anne Joyce/Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
Eleanor the Great follows Eleanor Morgenstein (Squibb), who, after the death of her friend and roommate Bessie Stern (Rita Zohar), moves from Florida to New York to live with her daughter.
Shortly after her arrival, Eleanor accidentally joins a group for Holocaust survivors, where she tells the life story of Bessie — who endured the Holocaust — as if it were her own.
After the meeting, Eleanor speaks with a journalism college student named Nina Davis (Erin Kellyman), who is writing about the group members.
Eleanor and Nina strike up a friendship, but the false tale Eleanor tells eventually spirals out of control, impacting her family and new friends.
Is Eleanor the Great based on a true story?
June Squibb in 'Eleanor the Great'
Anne Joyce/Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
Eleanor the Great is not based on a true story, but the character of Eleanor was inspired by the grandmother of the movie's screenwriter, Tory Kamen.
According to Deadline, Kamen's grandmother, Elinore, moved from Florida to Manhattan when she was 95. Still, Kamen has noted that Eleanor the Great is not a documentary.
"I don't want people walking into the theater like, 'Wait, was the writer's Grandma a psychopath?' because [the character] does some terrible things," she told Script Magazine.
Per the outlet, Kamen's Elinore died during the pandemic at age 99.
"She had such a great, long life," Kamen said. "That whole time since she moved to New York, she lived alone, was totally independent, and she was completely with it until the end."
In addition to being named Elinore, Kamen's grandmother also had a best friend named Bessie, like the Eleanor in the movie.
Does Eleanor the Great mention real people?
June Squibb and Rita Zohar in 'Eleanor the Great'
Anne Joyce/Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
In Eleanor the Great, Eleanor lies about her history, but the movie does feature people who did survive the Holocaust.
Zohar, who portrayed Eleanor's friend, Bessie, was born in 1944 in a concentration camp in Ukraine, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
"When the Russians came and liberated the camp, at that time, I was 4 and 1/2 months old, and that probably saved my life, because I wouldn’t have been able to survive longer than that," the actress revealed.
Zohar has appeared in other movies such as Amadeus and Waterworld, per her IMDb.
Speaking about Eleanor the Great, she told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that her role "has given me a voice."
"Even though this is not my story, this is not what happened to me or my family, but still, by being able to verbalize it, I connected to Bessie, and I became Bessie in the film," she continued.
In addition to Zohar, Eleanor the Great also features other real Holocaust survivors to "share their stories," as director Johansson told PEOPLE in September 2025.
"It wasn't really ever a question of whether we would cast real survivors. It was more of how can we identify people that would want to participate, could participate," she shared. "So, we got really lucky. Every time we would find someone who could participate, it was like, 'Yes, we got another survivor.' "
What inspired Scarlett Johansson to direct Eleanor the Great?
Scarlett Johansson and June Squibb on the set of 'Eleanor the Great'
Anne Joyce/Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
Like Kamen, Johansson was influenced by her grandma to make Eleanor the Great.
“My grandmother would have been proud that I directed a film,” Johansson told Parade in September 2025. "She was always encouraging of the different directions my career took. She was there on opening night when I did my first play, and every step along the way."
"She always made me feel like there was nothing that I couldn’t do," she added.
Speaking to PEOPLE at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2025, the Jurassic World Rebirth star revealed why she was drawn to Kamen's script.
"It had elements in it that were familiar to me, like New York being a character in the film in a way, and the Jewish identity piece, the intergenerational relationships," Johansson said.
"That was something very appealing to me there. So, it had so many elements that I was felt very connected to. I felt I could film it. 'Actually, I think I can direct this,' " she recalled.
According to Deadline, Johansson also had members of her extended family who died in the Holocaust.
Johansson also told the outlet that when it came to the character of Eleanor, "It feels like there’s pieces of everyone’s grandma in there."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
