Cannes 2026: Scarlett Johansson Misses James Gray’s Call as ‘Paper Tiger’ Earns 7-Minute Standing Ovation
Gray read Johansson’s letter after a 10-minute ovation, as reports said she missed the premiere while filming Universal’s The Exorcist reboot.
- On Sunday, director James Gray read a letter from Scarlett Johansson during the press conference for Paper Tiger, which premiered Saturday at the Cannes Film Festival. Johansson apologized for missing the premiere, citing her work filming The Exorcist.
- During the film's 10-minute standing ovation Saturday night, Gray attempted to FaceTime the actress, but the call went straight to voicemail. He later clarified he hadn't warned her, hoping to catch her while busy in New York.
- Starring Adam Driver and Miles Teller, the crime thriller is set in 1980s New York and follows two brothers who inadvertently provoke Russian gangsters. Gray described the film as a 'sentimental entry' in a typically unsentimental genre.
- The Hollywood Reporter called it 'arguably the director's best film,' while Deadline described the cinematography as 'riveting.' Some critics questioned the screenplay's plausibility, though reviewers widely praised the performances.
- Gray cited a 1984 trip to the broken Soviet Union when explaining his exploration of the American Dream as a critique of modern transactional politics. The project examines how market-driven values impact human integrity in contemporary society.
13 Articles
13 Articles
Scarlett Johnasson Missing At Premiere Of Her Movie 'Paper Tiger' In Cannes
At a Cannes where some have grumbled about a paucity of studio movies (and thus stars), the absence of Scarlett Johansson at last night’s premiere of Paper Tiger was notable. During the movie’s rousing 10-minute standing ovation director James Gray tried to make a call to the actress, according to reports and social media videos. […]
'Paper Tiger' Review: James Gray Delivers a Thriller Bursting with Danger ... and Heart
James Gray knows how to mess with genre. His last film, 2022’s “Armageddon Time,” was a coming-of-age memoir, but a notably unsentimental entry is what is usually a sentimental genre. And his new one, “Paper Tiger,” has all the trappings of a crime thriller, but it flips the equation from four years ago: It’s a very sentimental entry in a typically unsentimental genre. Considering that both movies are based on elements of Gray’s own life, it’s …
In Cannes, American director James Grey's Paper Tiger showed two brothers from New York who were trying to start a business in an area covered by bad Russians. Gray's ancestors emigrated from the Soviet Union to the United States in 1923, so the theme wasn't alien to him. Scarlett Johansson didn't come to the premiere because of the films, but film critic Irina Karpova watched the film and believed that the actress simply didn't want to watch he…
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