A very jet-lagged Scarlett Johansson reunited with co-stars Adam Driver and Miles Teller for the New York Film Festival premiere of “Paper Tiger,†which kicked off the festival's 64th edition.
“I'm hallucinating,†said Johansson during the post-screening Q&A at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall. She just got off a long international flight from London, where she's filming “The Batman: Part 2.†“It's 5 in the morning — which is a great time to be doing an interview on stage.â€
“Paper Tiger†premiered in May at the Cannes Film Festival. However, this marked Johansson's first time watching the movie (at least in a festival setting); she missed the Cannes premiere because she was shooting yet another movie, “The Exorcist: Martyrs.â€
“Don't rub it in!†Johansson joked about her absence on the French Riviera.
“Paper Tiger†is set in 1986 and follows two brothers, Irwin and Gary Pearl, whose get-rich-quick scheme to help clean up the Gowanus Canal lands them in the crosshairs of the Russian mafia. Johansson plays Linda, wife of Teller's character. Gray wanted the film, his first feature since 2022's period drama “Armageddon Time,†to have an old-school aesthetic.
“I wanted to make something Hitchcockian,†Gray said. “You always make films you wish you could see in the theater. I didn't see anything in that register.
During the post-screening Q&A, Driver, Teller, Johansson and Gray spoke about the close camaraderie they forged during production.
“No work required. There's a mutual admiration between the four of us,†Driver said. “A set culture comes from the top down, and James sets a culture where everyone feels free. We immediately felt comfortable with each other.â€
Added Gray, “We had a nauseatingly lovely set. I love them. I'm not on the ‘Today' show. I'm telling you the truth.â€
Scarlett Johansson, Miles Teller and Adam Driver introduce “Paper Tiger†during the 64th New York Film Festival.
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Before the lights dimmed to start the screening, Gray introduced the film and consciously kept his remarks short and sweet.
“When I was in film school many years ago, students would show their films, and the students that talked the most [before] often made the very worst movies,†he said. “So I am going to speak very briefly.â€
Gray praised the producers and actors who helped bring the film to life and reflected on his early dreams of being a filmmaker.
“I can't help but remember my mother and father when I said I wanted to be a movie director. ‘How are you ever going to do that?' And here I am,†Gray said. “I'm not sure the lesson in that.â€
NYFF artistic director Dennis Lim introduced Gray as “one of the great living American filmmakers†and commended the director for championing a “singular†artistic vision.
“It's not easy to make personal films in the current landscape of American cinema,†Lim said. “The fact that there are 24 executive producers credited on this film speaks to that.â€
New York Film Festival's 64th edition, which runs through Oct. 12, will host the world premieres of “Artificial,†Luca Guadagnino's buzzy movie about OpenAI founder Sam Altman; Ava DuVernay's documentary “14thâ€; director Tony Gilroy's music drama “Behemoth!†with Pedro Pascal, Olivia Wilde and Will Arnett; and Takashi Yamazaki's kaiju sequel “Godzilla Minus Zero.â€
“Premiere status is never the be-all and end-all for us,†Lim told Variety ahead of opening night. “Timing is always part of it. But I think we've proved in the last few years that we create a pretty interesting context for the launch of a film.â€
“Paper Tiger†filmmaker James Gray (center) with the film's stars Roman Engel, Miles Teller, Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver and Gavin Goudey.
Getty Images for FLC
